Meet LittleDove Rey | Artist, Indigenous Healer, Clinical Psychologist

We had the good fortune of connecting with LittleDove Rey and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi LittleDove, what is the most important factor behind your success?
When I think about what feels the most important about my brand and creative endeavors, two things immediately come to the forefront for me. The first thing is spreading love in everything that I do. I believe that love is a cure for many things and I hold a lot of love for the things that I do and also for the people in my life. It is hard for me to understand the fear of love as it is such an important emotion to share as humans on this earth together. I think by loving often and loving freely, I have had the opportunity to work on so many unique projects and also to meet so many great people whom I have collaborated with and now call my dear friends. I wish we had more people who were open to experiencing and loving deeply as I think we all really need more love on this earth.

The second thing that came to mind is knowing where I come from and giving back. As someone who comes from community, I always remember the people who were there for me when I had nothing and the experiences I had during my upbringing like receiving donated toys for Christmas. Those experiences remind me why I do the work that I do and the communities that I most want to impact through my ongoing work. I always remember how blessed I am to be where I am today, even if it came from years of hard work. Being able to work hard in and of itself is a blessing, one that I never forget to count.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Being in the field of mental health can be very challenging for many reasons. Even amongst professionals, there are so many differing opinions on what the best treatments are, mechanisms of change, and how to be an effective treatment provider. One of the biggest clashest I experience is that I consider myself first a traditional Indigenous healer, more than I consider myself a clinical psychologist. While I am trained in clinical psychology, I believe that is only one lens through which to view mental health and that having a more holistic view and incorporating traditional Indigenous knowledge ways is vital for working with many marginalized and underserved populations in the United States. Many modern mental health concerns stem from issues occurring as a direct result of colonization and displacements of peoples and cultures across time. Though not everyone if the field would agree with this and Indigenous Healing Practices are still not respected in most institutions and clinical settings. I have had other non-Indigenous peoples in the field disagree that things like talking circles, drumming, and traditional ceremony are valid mental health interventions for Indigenous peoples. However, I just keep grounded in my own knowledge and upbringing, and I try my best to hold my ground in the field despite there being very, very few Indigenous Peoples who hold doctorate degrees in clinical psychology.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My success is based on so many individuals and organizations, it is hard to boil it down to just a few to share thanks and appreciation to. First and foremost my Tribal Nation has always been there for me, if it were not for the love and strength of my ancestors and tribal leaders, I would not be here to share my journey with others. Beyond my Tribal Nation, the staff & faculty at Sierra College showed me so much love and compassion when I first started attending college at 16. Each step of the way I had a mentor ready to guide me and encourage me to keep going even when things were tough. Dr. Tamara Chesire, Dr. Mathew Archer, and Professor Michelle Johnson are just a few of the rockstar professors who helped me to achieve the impossible, including earning my doctorate degree this year.

Another organization that deserves a huge shoutout is Hero Journey Club and its Cofounders Brian & Marc. Hero Journey Club (HJC) believed in my passion and expertise for both gaming and psychology at a point when I really needed something exciting and fun to look forward to. Being able to come on board and work as Journey Guide for the organization while knowing that I can have an impact on the mental health of the gaming community gives me so much hope for the future of the mental health field. Seeing how far HJC has expanded since I first started with them makes my heart so full and knowing that they are providing an invaluable resource to gamers across the nation, including reaching a wide and diverse user base, is something that makes me so proud to be the Joyful Journey Guide. I highly recommend anyone interested in affordable and accessible mental health resources for gamers check them out here: https://www.herojourney.club/.

Website: https://littledoverunningbear.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/littledovedoll/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/littledoverey/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/littledoverey

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrxRMjccG97KkdgIcee8CAA