Guided by the concept of synergy, this groundbreaking collection explores alternatives in the areas of counseling, education, and community health and development. Synergy refers to the process of two or more things coming together to create a new, greater, and often-unexpected whole. When synergy exists, formerly scarce resources can expand and become renewable and accessible to all.

Drawing upon the diverse cultural experiences of Aboriginal groups in North America and around the world, these compelling narratives provide practical insights into the emergence of synergy and obstacles to its existence. Synergy, Healing and Empowerment offers invaluable guidance in the pursuit of a just and equitable society.

Richard Katz received his doctorate in clinical psychology from Harvard University and taught there for nearly 20 years. While being a professor of psychology and a counselor, he has also, over the past forty-five years, lived and worked with Indigenous Elders and healers in the Fiji Islands, Alaska, South Dakota, and Saskatchewan. Richard is currently a professor emeritus at the First Nations University of Canada and an adjunct professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Saskatchewan.

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Stephen Murphy-Shigematsu is a psychologist and writer, born in Tokyo and raised in Massachusetts. He received a doctorate in counseling and consulting psychology from Harvard University and was a Fulbright scholar in Japan. He is currently a consulting professor in the Stanford University School of Medicine, teaching in the Arts, Humanities, and Medicine Program. He is also on the faculty of the Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity at Stanford and the School of Human and Organization Development at Fielding Graduate University.

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This book will interest change agents and thought leaders who are committed to addressing the really big challenges facing healthcare systems in the 21st century.… [It] will alter your perception of what is possible.

Global Advances in Health and Medicine

I highly recommend Synergy, Healing, and Empowerment for all those interested in indigenous psychology and cross-cultural psychology. I believe that all professional psychologists and policy makers can benefit from the profound insights of the authors.

Dr. Paul T.P. Wong, PsycCRITIQUES, review database of the American Psychological Association

Synergy, Healing, and Empowerment is an especially important book. By pushing the envelope, it shows us the direction counselling and psychotherapy must go.

Paul Pedersen, PhD, pioneer scholar in multicultural counselling

Synergy, Healing, and Empowerment is an incredible book. Making a compelling case for the paradigm of synergy, which releases an everexpanding network of healing and empowerment, this book could not be more necessary and timely.

Stanley Krippner, PhD, professor of psychology, Saybrook University