HUMANS OF THE ISLANDS - FA'AFETAI 'TAI' FA'ALEAVA
Fa'afetai "Tai" Fa'aleava
Doctor of Psychology
Samoan
The last time we spoke to Tai Faaleava, he was still a student working towards his Psy.D (Doctorate in Clinical Psychology) in 2016. Since then, Tai Faaleava has become Dr Tai Faaleava, and he has continued his work as a Psychologist within Prisons.
In a recent chat, Dr Faaleava shared how his personal journey shapes the impact he has on clients, especially in a prison setting.
When Dr Faaleava walks into his therapy sessions with his patients, he takes with him his cultural values. The Samoan Psychologist believes that before even drawing from his learnings from University, he starts with Fa’aaloalo (Respect) Loto maulalo (Humility) and Tautua (Service)
“We can all be taught the same thing. I sat in the same classes as every other psychologist that came to my school but the difference in how we impact lives depends on how we deliver services”
Dr Faaleava fondly recalls sessions with Samoan inmates where he has been able to connect with them on a personal level through the language.
“I’ve had some Samoan patients and for them it hit’s different when you start speaking their language”
As children of diaspora, living away from our islands, it’s already a massive struggle to feel connected to your culture, now throw in a 10+ year sentence in prison? That struggle multiplies. So keeping his patients connected to their culture in this way, for some prisoners who may haven’t even had the chance to speak their language in weeks, months, or even years - must be a profound experience.
Dr Faaleava shared “I had a guy who every time I sat down, he’d start the Samoan formalities and I’ll wait till he’s done then I’ll hit him back with the response and he just laughs and I mean most of these guys have been down for 20 years so I think just that level of cultural interaction is something that they haven’t experienced in so long so it can have such a huge impact."
Another way Dr Faaleava has successfully used his culture in his treatments is through laughter. It’s no secret that us Polynesians love a good laugh, and in most cases - to laugh at our own pain. So when it comes to his Polynesian patients, Dr Faaleava utilizes this to connect with patients before getting into the nitty gritty.
“You know a lot of Palagi therapy is so serious but if I’m sitting in front of a Pasifika person, we’re gonna crack some jokes”
Sometimes the entire session could even stop there, Dr Faaleava shared. With the entire session spent joking and laughing, connecting in the way we know how. This gives the patient a chance to warm up before getting into the more challenging topics.
“We as Pasifika people, we’re not going to just spill our guts to someone we just met, you know it takes time”
Time that Dr Faaleava intentionally takes to connect.
Outside of work, Dr Faaleava who is just Tai to family and friends, has seen a shift in his own immediate family and wider community since pursuing a career in Psychology.
Dr Faaleava believes that in order to spread more awareness and education of mental health in the Samoan and wider Pasifika community, we must encourage more of our youth to pursue careers in the mental health space.
Because when our children become invested in a sport, subject, etc we as people naturally become exposed to this through osmosis almost.
Dr Faaleava states “it’s like sports, football for example. When a kid starts playing football, grandma all of a sudden can name every play in his game, and so if we apply the same concept to students pursuing mental health, the discussions change.”
He recalls his own experience with this shift in thinking within his own family.
Cousins, Friends and family who once were very apprehensive and sometimes even pessimistic about his chosen field, now are the same people who no longer feel ashamed about reaching out for help, and now utilize mental health services available to them.
“Because just from me going to school and studying psychology, they've had more exposure to it and so they are utilizing services more that i’ve referred them to…it becomes part of normalizing the process, because we are very collectivistic people ”
Dr Faaleava has seen the same in his immediate family, and church. The way his loved ones now operate in their own work lives has shifted, and for the son of a Pastor and a Samoan Teacher, this is no small feat.
Dr Faaleava then goes on to casually mention that other ministers in his Pulega have even reached out - this as any Samoan/Polynesian person will know is a massive step in the right direction and gives hope that while we as a people may be a far way away from normalizing mental health, we are beginning to move in the right direction and can continue to do so, as Dr Faaleava stated - if we encourage our youth that this is a viable and important career path for them.
For more about Dr Faaleava's Journey, see our first Interview with him below;
My name is Tai Faaleava, I was born in Moto’otua in Samoa; lived there for 6 years. Then moved to Jamaica for 5 years; New Zealand for 8 years; and currently reside in America since the year 2006. My villages in Samoa are Lano, Vaiusu, Malie, Samata, and Fagaloa. I am currently pursuing a Doctorate Degree in Clinical Psychology and anticipate graduating in 2020.
You are currently heading towards a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology - can you tell us what that is, what made you interested in that field and what you love about it?
Yes, I am currently pursuing a doctorate in Clinical Psychology at the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University in San Francisco, California. I intend to become a licensed clinical psychologist to provide mental health services to people of color and other vulnerable populations. My parents have worked in the ministry my entire life. Seeing them constantly helping people in various ways instilled in me the desire to help others as well. However, I did not want to become a minister like my Dad, so I figured being a psychologist would be my form of ministry work. I love having the opportunity to provide help to those in need, whether it be through psychotherapy, psychological evaluations, or a simple act of kindness.
You've recently been accepted to do a pre-doc internship at the Illinois Youth Detention Centre and you've also been accepted into a Mental Health Consulting position at RAMS - can you tell us what you'll be doing there and what the pathways were that led you to where you are now.
Pre-doc Internship is a mandatory, and very stressful part of my doctoral program. When applying for internship, we compete with all the other psychology doctoral students from Universities across the country. I was blessed and fortunate to have been accepted at my first choice placement at the Illinois Youth Detention Center. At this placement, I have to provide individual and group therapy for incarcerated minors as well as conduct psychological evaluations (administer, score, and interpret psychological assessments) for the minors and write findings in a report. I also have to provide supervision to some of the first and second year doctoral students that will also be working there.
As the mental health consultant at RAMS (Richmond Area Multi-Services), I work alongside the various Asian and Pacific Island community agencies (Samoan, Cambodian, Vietnamese, Filipino, Mongolian, Laotian) in San Francisco to provide clinically and culturally competent consultation services. I have been tasked with finding effective ways to destigmatize and normalize mental health services within these respective communities.
How important is it to bring a Pasifika perspective to what you do?
Incorporating a Pasifika perspective is very important in mental health, especially in an effort to normalize this concept among our people. Most of the principles or beliefs in psychology are developed and designed from a western perspective so in order to effectively provide mental health services for our people, we have to approach treatment from cultural lenses that they can relate to.
What do you love most about being an islander today
I love being an Islander because of the values we hold as a people. Humility and respect for others has kept me grounded throughout my journey in life. I also love the cultural pride that we carry as a people in all countries that we occupy around the world.
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What have been some of your most challenging and some of your most rewarding moments in your field
In school, the dissertation process is very intense and difficult but the most rewarding moments are when I wake up each day and know that I am one day closer to graduation.
Providing mental health treatment to the incarcerated population has many challenges. Some of the inmates I have worked with presented with severe psychosis which was challenging. However it's always rewarding to witness and be a part of someone’s journey towards an improvement in their mental health.
What's the best piece of advice you've been given?
I read a book that said “the fact that you were born into existence is evidence that you have something this world needs.” I don't want to take any of my gifts to the grave so this quote has fuelled my drive to fulfill my potential in life.
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What's inspiring to you about the future?
I am inspired by the Samoan scholars and doctors who have already completed this journey that I am on. Their journey through academia gives me hope that I too can accomplish what they have accomplished.