Trained as a traditional Native American Storyteller, Dr. Terry Tafoya is a Taos Pueblo and Warm Springs Indian who has used American Indian ritual and ceremony in his work as a Family Therapist while serving as Clinical Faculty and Senior Staff for the University of Washington's School of Medicine. Dr. Tafoya has also directed the Transcultural Counseling Program at The Evergreen State College, where he was a Professor of Psychology.

In 1988, Dr. Tafoya took a leave of absence from his Professorships to co-found the National Native American AIDS Prevention Center, a CDC-funded minority AIDS Project. In 1989, he created Tamanawit, Unltd., an international consulting firm.

With over 20 years of University level teaching experience, including his position with the National Bilingual Training and Resource Center, Dr. Tafoya has worked with Mental Health, Human Sexuality, HIV/AIDS, Substance Abuse Prevention, and Bilingual Education in his work as a trainer and educator. He has taught with the Kinsey Institute for the Study of Human Sexuality, Gender, and Reproduction as faculty, and as an expert on Cross-Cultural Sexuality.

He serves as a National Consultant for the U.S. Centers for Substance Abuse Prevention, and is the Chief Curriculum Writer for the Gathering of Native Americans, a National Substance Abuse Prevention Project for American Indians and Alaskan Natives. He is also on the National Teaching Faculty for the American Psychological Association, and on the International Faculty of the Milton H. Erickson Foundation for Clinical Hypnosis and Psychotherapy.

Terry Tafoya learned the traditional gift of storytelling at an early age, helping out his mom who was one of the first headstart teachers in Oregon. Terry filled in when she needed to be away from the class room and anyone left alone with 20 four year olds quickly learns the power of a good legend.

Email Dr. Tafoya.

Current & Past Achievements

1989 to Present:
Executive Director, Tamanawit, Unltd., Seattle, WA.
International Consulting Firm on Multiculturalism, Bilingual Education, and Transcultural Issues of Mental Health, providing training and technical assistance to local, state, tribal, and federal agencies, universities, and school districts and private industries. Services provided to the American Psychological Association, U.S. Office of Substance Abuse Prevention, and Indian Health Services on a primary basis for national training.

1988-1989:
Director of Training, National Native American AIDS Prevention Center, Oakland, CA.
Responsible for coordination and design of training and technical assistance for National Minority AIDS Education Project for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control to tribal, federal, state, and local programs in the United States and Canada.

1985-1990:
Professor of Psychology, Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA.
Responsible for teaching in the area of Health and Human Behavior, and directing the Psychological Counseling program, with and emphasis on Transcultural Issues.

1981-1988:
Clinical Faculty, Interpersonal Psychotherapy Clinic, Harborview Community Mental Health Center, Seattle, WA.
Responsible for Primary treatment of Couples and Families, and for the clinical supervision and training of Medical Residents in the area of Family Therapy. Licensed Ethnic Minority Mental Health Specialist, Washington State.

Invited Lectures

Invited lectures, colloquia, keynote addresses and grand round presentations at more than 400 professional conferences, colleges, medical schools and universities, including the University of Zürich, the Kinsey Institute, the University of California at Berkeley, the University of Frankfurt, the University of Washington, the College of William and Mary, the Boston University, the Downstate Medical Center, and the Ravensburg Mental Hospital (Germany)

Awards and Fellowships

Multiculturalism Award, University of Minnesota, Morris (1992)

Invited Addresses for Divisions 44 and 45, American Psychological Association Annual Conference (1991)

Community Partnership Award, Black Coalition on AIDS (1990)

Distinguished Scholar, Boston University's Center for the History and Philosophy of Science (1987)

Educator of the Year, Mokakit Indian Research Association (1986)

NW Nominee for the Esquire Magazine Directory of "Under-40 Leaders of National Impact" (1985)

National Humanities Scholar: Named as one of the Five "Indians of the 1980's" by the National Endowment for the Humanities (1984)