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There has been an alarming rise in suicide attempts among Indigenous people in Brazil, leading to national concerns about the provision of psychosocial care and professional support. In this study, we make an attempt to understand the perspectives of professionals in assisting Indigenous people from a specific group, the Iny, and identify the specific challenges of addressing issues through the mental health care system related specifically to suicide prevention. Using a qualitative approach with participant observation and semi-structured interviews, the research included Indigenous and their families assisted by three public institutions and the professionals that work in public psychosocial assistance. For this paper, we examined the tensions, conflicts, and challenges of the healthcare professionals at one of these institutions, a Psychosocial Care Center in the state of Goiás/Brazil. For data analysis, a sociocultural protocol was built to identify dialogical tensions between the different thematic fields of mental health care. The findings reveal that the theme of suicide was an important concern in the daily work with the community. Still, there were significant issues related to the assumptions, methodology, and meaning of care between the professionals and the community, on account of which the objective of the programme to address suicide attempts had not been effective or successful. The discussion of the results raises several critical questions about the possible contributions of dialogical cultural psychology in the context of Indigenous health. Also, it has important implications for the global issue of the wellbeing of Indigenous people.

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Objetivo Este artigo tem como objetivo discutir a abordagem da psicologia indígena no cuidado de estudantes indígenas em contexto universitário. Método Utilizando o método qualitativo, este artigo apresenta um estudo de caso detalhando a trajetória de formação da Rede de Escuta e Desaprendizagens Étnico-Subjetivas, para analisar a aplicação dos pressupostos da psicologia indígena no suporte a estudantes indígenas e seus familiares na Universidade Estadual de Campinas. Resultados Evidenciou-se a necessidade de reconhecer diferentes epistemologias para uma conexão terapêutica respeitosa. Foram observados desafios na aplicação de práticas alinhadas com a psicologia indígena, destacando a coautoria nas sessões, a valorização das perspectivas dos pacientes e as desaprendizagens contínuas. O estudo dos elementos culturais das etnias envolvidas mostrou-se crucial para evitar a patologização das cosmovisões e subjetividades indígenas. Conclusão A psicologia indígena apresenta-se como um vetor de mudança nas disputas de narrativas culturais, destacando a lacuna na abordagem clínica e a necessidade urgente de estudos para desenvolver intervenções personalizadas para o atendimento das diferentes etnias indígenas.

Objective This article aims to discuss the approach of indigenous psychology in the care of indigenous students in a university framework. Method Using a qualitative method, this article presents a case study detailing the formation trajectory of the Rede de Escuta e Desaprendizagens Étnico-Subjetivas (Network of Ethno-Subjective Listen-ing and Unlearning) to review the application of the principles of indigenous psychology in sup-porting indigenous students and their families at Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp, State University of Campinas), Brazil. Results The study highlighted the need to recognize different epistemologies for respectful therapeutic connections. Challenges were faced in the application of practices aligned with indigenous psychology, emphasizing co-authorship in sessions, valuing patients' perspectives, and continuous unlearning. The study of the cultural elements of the ethnicities involved proved crucial to avoid the pathologization of indigenous worldviews and subjectivities. Conclusion Indigenous psychology presents itself as a tool for the changes in the cultural struggles, highlighting the gap in clinical approaches and the urgent need for further studies to develop personalized interven-tions for the care of the diverse indigenous ethnicities.

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