About me.

I’m Shelley Eagleman-Bointy, a licensed clinical social worker with over 25 years of experience working within Indigenous and tribal communities.

I am Dakota from the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of Montana, and the Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa from Michigan.

This work is deeply personal to me.

There is a real gap when it comes to Native and Indigenous clinicians. I’ve heard too many stories from people who finally reach out for help—something that already takes so much—and end up feeling unseen or misunderstood. Or they spend their time in therapy explaining their culture, their experiences, their way of being, instead of being supported in it. Many people stop trying after that.

I wanted to create something different.

Clients often tell me that working together feels like they can finally exhale. They’re not waiting for something insensitive to be said. They’re not preparing to defend themselves. There’s a baseline of understanding that allows us to get to the actual work—healing, growth, and moving forward.

I received my master’s degree from the University of Kansas in 2004, and I’ve spent the past 25 years working with Native communities and supporting individuals in navigating their mental health in ways that feel respectful, grounded, and real.

Outside of therapy, I’m a fancy shawl dancer and have spent much of my life traveling to powwows with my family. I bead, sew, and make jewelry. I love to cook, run, and spend time with my dogs. Wellness has always been part of my life—not just professionally, but personally—especially shaped by my family’s history with type 2 diabetes and the loss of a loved ones too soon. That experience continues to inform how I think about care as something that includes the whole person.

Whether you end up working with me or not, I want you to know that seeking out support makes you strong. And you deserve care that meets you exactly as you are.