9. The Native American Indian ClientCounselors, psychologists, psychiatrists, and other mental health providers and therapists have an obligation to bear in mind the cultural differences of all clients in their vulnerable states. “A clinician who is unfamiliar with the nuances of an individual's cultural frame of reference may incorrectly judge as psychopathology those normal variations in behavior, belief, or experience that are particular to the individual's culture” (American Psychiatric Association, 1994, p. xxiv). Adherence to this obligation is the foundation for developing a therapeutic relationship with a NAI that is truly therapeutic. Respect for cultural beliefs and ways of living and thinking, regardless of how alien they may seem to the caregiver, will encourage the Native client to develop trust and more fully participate in his or her own healing process (Simms, 1999, p. 29).