For people arriving at Thundermaker Wellness Center, treatment begins with being welcomed as a relative rather than processed as a client.

     Located in Prescott, Arizona, Thundermaker is a Native-owned, licensed dual-diagnosis treatment center serving Native people with substance-use and mental-health conditions. Its program combines clinical care with Indigenous culture, ceremony and community.

     Relatives arriving from other states are picked up at the airport and brought to the center, where staff assess their behavioral health and medical needs. Those requiring detoxification are first connected with a nearby partner facility.

     Relatives then move into one of three shared homes maintained by Thundermaker. The homes feature Native artwork and communal spaces intended to feel less institutional than a traditional treatment facility.

     Arrow Funmaker and Hunter Thundercloud, both Ho-Chunk, co-founded Thundermaker. Funmaker said the term “relative” reflects the community they are working to build.

     “We’re creating a community here, like an old village style,” Funmaker said. “Everybody here is equal, and we’re all going to be better people.”

     The need for treatment remains urgent. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native people had the highest age-adjusted drug overdose death rate of any racial or ethnic group in 2023, at 65 deaths per 100,000 people.

     In Wisconsin, the Department of Health Services reported 85.1 drug-poisoning deaths per 100,000 American Indian and Alaska Native residents in 2021, compared with 27.2 among white residents.

     A typical day at Thundermaker begins with relatives making their beds, preparing meals and eating together. They generally arrive at the center around 9 a.m. and greet one another, sometimes using introductions in their tribal languages. Cedar, sage or sweetgrass may be used before the day’s activities begin.

     Mornings are generally dedicated to clinical group sessions. Afternoons may include individual counseling, case management, cultural activities, vocational training, hiking or fishing. Relatives also lead peer groups and support one another.

     Thundermaker offers intensive outpatient treatment, counseling, psychiatric support, medication management and case management. Each relative receives an individualized treatment plan addressing substance use and co-occurring mental health needs.

     The center also offers educational and vocational opportunities. Some relatives have enrolled at Yavapai College, while others receive construction and job training.

     Thundercloud said the goal is to address the issues underlying addiction while helping relatives develop the stability and skills needed after treatment.

     “We don’t want people to only think of themselves as addicts,” Thundercloud said. “There’s some problems that we’ve had in life. Let’s figure out what the core issues are.”

     Cultural programming is incorporated throughout treatment rather than treated as an occasional activity. Relatives participate in weekly sweat lodge ceremonies and may learn songs, work with traditional medicines, make beadwork and regalia, prepare Indigenous foods or attend powwows and gatherings.

     “Ceremony is treatment. Culture is prevention,” Funmaker said.

     Although some ceremonies offered at Thundermaker are Lakota-based, Thundercloud said the purpose is not to lead every relative toward the same traditions. Instead, the center introduces relatives to ceremony and encourages them to reconnect with their own nations and teachings when they return home.

     Funmaker said many relatives arrive without access to elders, language speakers or cultural teachers. Thundermaker gives them space to ask questions and learn without being judged for what they may not know.

     “We can’t truly learn if we don’t have a sober mind,” Funmaker said.

     A Hopi relative who has spent the past year at Thundermaker described the experience anonymously as a journey of growth and healing.

     “I chose to come to Thundermaker Wellness Center because I wanted a place where I could continue my healing and recovery while also connecting with culture, community and spirituality,” the relative said. “I believe recovery is more than just staying sober, it’s about healing the mind, body and spirit.”

     The relative said traditional and agricultural programs, counseling, wellness practices and group support helped them work on recovery in different ways.

     “Group support has also helped me realize that I am not alone, and that healing can happen through a connection with others,” the relative said.

     Preparing relatives to return home begins before they leave. Staff members help connect them with counseling, recovery meetings, behavioral health providers, sober housing and other resources in their communities.

     Treatment length depends on each person’s needs. Thundermaker leaders said they generally recommend at least three to six months of intensive treatment, followed by longer-term housing, employment or educational support when needed.

     “What we’re doing isn’t curing anyone,” Thundercloud said. “We hopefully stay sober forever, but sometimes people go home and have a slip-up. But if you plant good enough seeds, they’ll be able to recover.”

     Ho-Chunk citizens may contact Thundermaker directly to inquire about treatment.

     Center leaders emphasize that Thundermaker is a licensed treatment facility and encourage interested tribal members to ask whether it is available as a treatment option.

     For more information, contact Thundermaker Wellness Center at (928) 531-1930, email admissions@thundermakerwellness.com or visit www.thundermakerwellness.com.  Thundermaker will also have a booth at this year’s Ho-Chunk Nation General Council, where tribal members can meet representatives and learn more about its services.