Dennis C. Wendt is Associate Professor with the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology at Â鶹AV, and the Director of the Cultural and Indigenous Research in Counselling Psychology (CIRC) lab. For the past 10 years, Dr. Wendt has collaborated with Indigenous communities in Canada and the United States in exploring, developing, and evaluating culturally relevant interventions pertaining to mental health, substance use, and community wellness. He is also interested in evidence-based practice considerations for substance use disorders, as well as philosophical aspects of clinical psychology and research methods. Current research projects include (a) the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on substance use disorder treatment for Indigenous communities, (b) Indigenous perspectives on medications for opioid use disorder, (c) social belonging and cultural identity among Indigenous university students, (d) Indigenous-specific resources for school and counselling psychologists, and (e) cultural safety and social justice considerations for clinical and counselling psychology.
dennis.wendt [at] mcgill.ca (Email)Ìý´¥ÌýWebsite
Selected Articles
Wendt, D. C., Huson, K., Albatnuni, M., & Gone, J. P. (2022). What are the best practices for psychotherapy with Indigenous Peoples in the United States and Canada? A thorny question. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 90(10), 802–814.
Zolopa, C., Burack, J. A., O’Connor, R. M., Corran, C., Lai, J., Bomfim, E., DeGrace, S., Dumont, J., Larney, S., & Wendt, D. C. (2022). Changes in youth mental health, psychological wellbeing, and substance use during the COVID-19 pandemic: A rapid review. Adolescent Research Review, 7, 161–177.
Pride, T., Lam, A., Swansburg, J., Seno, M., Lowe, M. B., Bomfim, E., Toombs, E., Marsan, S., LoRusso, J., Roy, J., Gurr, E., LaFontaine, J., Paul, J., Burack, J. A., Mushquash, C., Stewart, S. H., & Wendt, D. C. (2021). Trauma-informed approaches to substance use interventions with Indigenous Peoples: A scoping review. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 53(5), 460–473.
Wendt, D. C., Marsan, S., Parker, D., Lizzy, K. E., Roper, J., Mushquash, C., Venner, K. L., Lam, A., Swansburg, J., Worth, N., Sorlagas, N., Quach, T., Manoukian, K., Bernett, P., & Radin, S. M. (2020). Commentary on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on opioid use disorder treatment among Indigenous communities in the United States and Canada. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment. Advance online publication.
Teo, T., & Wendt, D. C. (2020). Some clarifications on critical and Indigenous psychologies. Theory and Psychology, 30(3), 371–376.
Gone, J. P., Hartmann, W. E., Pomerville, A., Wendt, D. C., Klem, S. H., & Burrage, R. L. (2019). The impact of historical trauma on health outcomes for Indigenous populations in the USA and Canada: A systematic review. American Psychologist, 74(1), 20–35.
Hartmann, W. E., Wendt, D. C., Burrage, R. L., Pomerville, A., & Gone, J. P. (2019). American Indian historical trauma: Anticolonial prescriptions for healing, resilience, and survivance. American Psychologist, 74(1), 6–19.
Wendt, D. C., Hartmann, W. E., Allen, J. A., Burack, J. A., Charles, B., D’Amico, E., Dell, C. A., Dickerson, D. L., Donovan, D. M., Gone, J. P., O’Connor, R. M., Radin, S. M., Rasmus, S. R., Venner, K. L., & Walls, M. L. (2019). Substance use research with Indigenous communities: Exploring and extending foundational principles of community psychology. American Journal of Community Psychology, 64(1–2), 146–158.
Venner, K. L., Donovan, D. M., Campbell, A. N. C., Wendt, D. C., Rieckmann, T., Radin, S., Momper, S. L., & Rosa, C. L. (2018). Future directions for medication assisted treatment for opioid use disorder with American Indians/Alaska Natives. Addictive Behaviors, 86, 111–117.
Wendt, D. C., & Gone. J. P. (2018). Complexities with group therapy facilitation in substance use disorder specialty treatment settings.Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 88, 9–17.
Wendt, D. C., & Gone. J. P. (2018). Group psychotherapy in specialty clinics for substance use disorder treatment: The challenge of ethnoracially diverse clients. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 68(4), 608–628.
Serafini, K., Donovan, D. M., Wendt, D. C., Matsumiya, B., & McCarty, C. A. (2017). A comparison of early adolescent behavioral health risks among urban American Indians/Alaska Natives and their peers. American Indian and Alaska Native Mental Health Research, 24(2), 1–17.
Wendt, D. C., Collins, S. E., Nelson, L. A., Serafini, K., Clifasefi, S. L., & Donovan, D. M. (2017). Religious and spiritual practices among homeless urban American Indians and Alaska Natives with severe alcohol problems. American Indian and Alaska Native Mental Health Research, 24(3), 39–62.
Wendt, D. C., & Gone. J. P. (2017). Group therapy for substance use disorders: A survey of clinician practices. Journal of Groups in Addiction and Recovery, 12(4), 243–259.
Wendt, D. C., Hallgren, K. A., Daley, D. C., & Donovan, D. M. (2017). Predictors and outcomes of twelve-step sponsorship of stimulant users: Secondary analyses of a multisite randomized clinical trial. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 78(2), 287–295.
Wendt, D. C., & Gone. J. P. (2016). Integrating professional and Indigenous therapies: An urban American Indian narrative clinical case study. The Counseling Psychologist, 44(5), 695–729.
Wendt, D. C., Gone, J. P., & Nagata, D. K. (2015). Potentially harmful therapy and multicultural counseling: Bridging two disciplinary discourses. The Counseling Psychologist, 43(3), 334–358.
Wendt, D. C., Gone, J. P., & Nagata, D. K. (2015). Potentially harmful therapy and multicultural counseling: Extending the conversation. The Counseling Psychologist, 43(3), 393–403.
Christopher, J. C., Wendt, D. C., Marecek, J., & Goodman, D. M. (2014). Critical cultural awareness: Contributions to a globalizing psychology. American Psychologist, 69(7), 645–655.
Hartmann, W. E., Wendt, D. C., Saftner, M. A., Marcus, J., & Momper, S. L. (2014). Advancing community-based research with urban American Indian populations: Multidisciplinary perspectives. American Journal of Community Psychology, 54(1–2), 72–80.
Hartmann, W. E., Kim, E. S., Kim, J. H. J., Nguyen, T. U., Wendt, D. C., Nagata, D. K., & Gone, J. P. (2013). In search of cultural diversity, revisited: Recent publication trends in cross-cultural and ethnic minority psychology. Review of General Psychology, 17(3), 243–254.
Wendt, D. C., & Gone, J. P. (2012). Rethinking cultural competence: Insights from indigenous community treatment settings.Transcultural Psychiatry, 49(2), 206–222.
Wendt, D. C., & Gone, J. P. (2012). Urban-indigenous therapeutic landscapes: A case study of an urban American Indian health organization. Health and Place, 18(5), 1025–1033.
Wendt, D. C., & Slife, B. D. (2007). Is evidence-based practice diverse enough? Philosophy of science considerations. American Psychologist, 62(6), 613–614.
Selected Chapters
Gurr, E., Namdari, R., Lai, J., Parker, D., Wendt, D. C., & Burack, J. A. (2020). Perspective on shyness as adaptive from Indigenous Peoples of North America. In L. A. Schmidt & K. L. Poole (Eds.), Adaptive shyness: Multiple perspectives on behavior and development (pp. 239-249). Springer.
Wendt, D. C. (2014). Operationism. In T. Teo (Ed.), Encyclopedia of critical psychology (pp. 1283–1289). Springer Reference.
Wendt, D. C., & Gone, J. P. (2012). Decolonizing psychological inquiry in American Indian communities: The promise of qualitative methods. In D. K. Nagata, L. Kohn-Wood, & L. Suzuki (Eds.), Qualitative strategies for ethnocultural research (pp. 161–178). American Psychological Association.