Transforming youth mental health by integrating clinical care, culture, and leadership.
Overview
Virgil Moorehead Jr., PsyD. (Yurok/Tolowa) was working as a clinical psychologist at Stanford when he realized that Native youth would benefit most from psychologists who were integrated in the community and engaging with youth in their daily environments. Seizing an opportunity to put this philosophy into practice, he joined Two Feathers Native American Family Services (Two Feathers) in 2018. Amy Mathieson, LCSW, joined Two Feathers as a mental health clinician in 2020, providing direct services to youth. She soon advanced to Director of the Youth Leadership Development Program, where her clinical background helped her blend mental health services with leadership and workforce development. Together, they grew Two Feathers from a single-therapist operation to an organization delivering over 7,900 counseling sessions annually across 12 school districts.
“If we want to have an impact on our youth, we have to change how we show up. Not as distant experts, but as invested community members fighting alongside our young people.”
In 2020 Moorehead and Mathieson embarked on extensive listening sessions and convened youth advisory councils to understand the needs of Native youth. In collaboration with partners the leaders launched the Two Feathers Youth Leadership Program, an integrated model that combines mental health services, cultural practices like regalia-making and language learning, and paid employment for youth ages 16-22. Alumni report improved confidence, reduced substance use, and strengthened cultural identity—and have gone on to long-term employment, post-secondary education, and leadership roles in their communities. Moorehead and Mathieson are demonstrating that when mental health approaches are grounded in cultural practices, they do not just treat symptoms; they build the next generation of leaders.
“We’re building a model where mental health, cultural connection, and workforce development aren’t separate — they’re all part of preparing youth to lead healthy, purposeful lives rooted in their identity.”
Primary Regions Served
Challenge
- The legacy of colonization and forced assimilation attempts have disconnected many Native youth from their community bonds and cultural traditions — assets researchers describe as “protective forces” that contribute to mental health and resilience in youth.[1]
- The United States is facing a youth mental health crisis, with suicide now the second leading cause of death among people aged 10-34, and Native youth have the highest suicide rates of any racial group.[2]
- Two-thirds of youth in California with mental health needs do not receive services, and accessing care is even more challenging in rural areas like eastern Humboldt County, where large concentrations of Native youth live.[3]
- Mainstream behavioral health systems frequently fail to engage or retain Native youth due to culturally incongruent care, mistrust stemming from past institutional harms, and approaches that fail to meet their specific needs.[4]
Innovation
- Two Feathers is the first tribal entity certified to provide Medi-Cal specialty mental health services through Humboldt County and maintains active partnerships with 12 school districts and eight tribes.
- Moorehead and Mathieson co-created the Youth Leadership program, which employs youth ages 16-22 for one year through an integrated service model and paid work within small group “pods” of four to six youth.
- The Youth Leadership Program includes participation in locally-driven cultural activities, wellness education workshops, a goal-setting curriculum, community advocacy projects, and experiential learning activities.
- Two Feathers also offers its A.C.O.R.N. Youth Wellness Program, which invites youth aged 10 to 18 years old to learn about cultural values and how they apply physically, mentally, spiritually, and culturally throughout their everyday lives.
Impact
- Two Feathers served 800 youth in therapy in the last five years, focusing on those in foster care, the juvenile justice system, or alternative schools. In 2024, the organization provided nearly 8,000 individual counseling sessions to youth.
- The Youth Leadership Program has employed over 150 youth in the last four years and achieved a 90% yearlong retention rate, higher than typical youth employment or mental health programs.[5]
- 105 youth have graduated from the Leadership program, which requires them to complete of 80% of the curriculum, accomplish therapeutic and personal goals, and transition to more long-term employment or post-secondary education.
- Across all Two Feathers programs, participants report decreased substance use, increased connectedness to their community and culture, and feeling more hopeful for their future.
Opportunity
- Three building projects are underway at Two Feathers, including a youth-designed Hoopa Wellness Center that will create permanent mental health infrastructure on the reservation. The innovative design closely reflects the priorities of youth — from spaces for intensive culturally-informed wraparound services to a swimming pool.
- Moorehead and Mathieson are partnering with county mental health systems to recognize and fund cultural practices as legitimate interventions — showing that regalia-making, language learning, and ceremony preparation are prevention and treatment, not just supplemental wellness activities.
- [1] Resilience and Health in American Indians and Alaska Natives: A Scoping Review of the Literature
- [2] Suicide – Health, United States
- [3] California Launches Free Digital Behavioral Health Platforms for Children and Families
- [4] Indigenous Populations Face Unique Barriers to Accessing Mental Health Help
- [5] A meta-analytic review on treatment dropout in child and adolescent outpatient mental health care
The written profile and video reflect the work of the leader(s) the year they received a Leadership Award. Please contact the leader(s) for current information.