Biography

Dr. Mark Standing Eagle Baez is a member of the Coahuiltecan Tribe and is of mixed descent, including Mohawk, Pawnee, and Mexican.

He is the President of the Society of Indian Psychologists and an Associate Professor at Bemidji State University, where he teaches in the Clinical and Counseling program within the Department of Psychology. His PhD is in general psychology, focusing on clients dealing with emotional, cognitive, and behavioral problems of all ages and in various circumstances, as well as mental health issues. He is a licensed school psychologist and a licensed chemical dependency counselor, and is certified as a cognitive behavioral therapist, operating a small practice.

With over 18 years of experience in mental health and wellness, along with impactful research among Indigenous populations throughout their lives, he has fostered meaningful changes in Indigenous mental health. Dr. Baez assesses and diagnoses behaviors and learning in adolescents and children, using culturally responsive methods in his practice. He advocates for culturally strengths-based approaches to serve Indigenous communities. He aims to transform community-based methods among AI/AN peoples by integrating culture, traditional practices, and Western approaches to promote Indigenous well-being. Dr. Baez is also a co-director of the InPsyT (Indigenous Students in Psychology Training) at Bemidji State University and a mentor with the Society of Indian Psychologists (Native to Native mentoring).
He believes that the Western approach is just one view on mental health services for Indigenous populations and that incorporating traditional Indigenous methods is crucial for effectively addressing the mental health needs of marginalized Indigenous communities. Therefore, including traditional practices is essential when working with marginalized populations across Indian Country. He has developed a culturally responsive framework called the ‘Sweetgrass Method,’ which combines the best of Western evidence-based practices with the best of Indigenous practice-based evidence approaches, as well as a continuum of culturally responsive services and partnerships with Indigenous clients. Dr. Baez and a group of experts created a first-of-its-kind suicide prevention screening tool specifically for Indigenous populations. This study confirmed the content validity of the ‘Indigenous S.A.F.E. Screening’ (ISS) tool. A pilot test of this instrument is planned to begin in late fall 2025 and early 2026, involving neighboring agencies and Tribes.

Dr. Baez is a member of the American Psychological Association, the National Association of School Psychologists, the Society of Indian Psychologists, and the National Association of Addiction Professionals. He is a published author and speaks at both national and international events. As a highly educated, qualified, and experienced Indigenous professional, his goal is to advance Health Equity among Indigenous Communities.

Selected Publications

Baez, M.S.E., & Baez, C. A. (2025). Indigenous Frameworks for Practitioners Working with American Indian/Alaska Native Clients Dealing with Substance Misuse and Abuse. Journal of Clinical Case Studies Reviews & Reports. ISSN: 2634-680X. https://www.scivisionpub.com/pdfs/indigenous-frameworks-for-practitioners-working-with-american-indian-alaska-native-clients-dealing-with-substance-use-disorders-3962.pdf
DOI: 10.33425/2639-8451.1055

Baez, M.S.E., & Baez, C. A. (2025). A Sweetgrass Method of Bullying Prevention for American Indian/ Alaska Native Part 2. Journal of Indigenous Research. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1207&context=kicjir

Baez, M.S.E. (2025). Cultural Adaptations to Suicide Screening among American Indians/Alaska Natives. American Journal of Neurology Research.
https://asrjs.com/pdfs/cultural-adaptations-to-suicide-screening-among-american-indiansalaska-natives-181.pdf
DOI: 10.52106/2837-7761.1023

Baez, M.S.E., & Dirth, T. (2025). BlakAbility: Yarning about Disability and Indigeneity: Indigenizing and Decolonizing an Initial Evaluation of School-aged Children for Disability: Sweetgrass Method. University of Australia Melbourne. Under review (Accepted).
Baez, M.S.E. (2025). Indigenous spirituality: Resilience in decolonizing mental health. Crushing Colonialism. https://crushingcolonialism.org/indigenous-spirituality-resilience-in-decolonizing-mental-health/
Baez, M.S.E., & Baez, C. A. (2025). Unpacking Cultural Politics in Indigenous Psychology: Sweetgrass Method to Mental Health Services among American Indian/Alaska Natives (In press).

Baez, M.S.E. (2024). Exploring Social Support and Well-being as Preventive Factors for Psychological Distress: American Indian/Alaska Native and Indigenous Practitioners. In Sage Research Methods: Diversifying and Decolonizing Research. SAGE Publications, Ltd., https://doi.org/10.4135/9781529684377
https://methodssage.66557.net/case/exploring-social-support-and-wellness-as-preventative-factors

Baez, M.S.E. (2024). Cultural Adaptation in the Delivery of Psychological Services for American Indians/Alaska Natives. (Accepted)

Baez, M.S.E., & Dirth, T. (2024). Disability support for Indigenous people: The Sweetgrass Method. In Indigenous Disability Studies, John Ward, Editor (Ed), Indigenous Disability Studies (12), (Chapter 21). Routledge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781032656519-26/disability-support-indigenous-people-mark-standing-eagle-baez-thomas-dirth?context=ubx&refId=4bb1d2d1-d9ee-48ec-9016-03dff3302a03

Baez, M.S.E. (2023). Weaving Indigenous Perspectives into Bullying Prevention and Intervention: The Sweetgrass Method. National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) communiqué. https://www.nasponline.org/resources-and- publications/periodicals/communiqu%C3%A9-volume-52-number-3-(November- 2023)/applying-the-sweetgrass-method-to-address-bullying-for-indigenous-youth
Baez, M.S.E., & Baez, C. A. (2023). Cultural-Emotional Learning among American Indian/Alaska Native Students. Journal of Indigenous Research. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/kicjir/vol11/iss1/1/

Baez, M.S.E., Baez, C. A., Lavallie, B., & Spears, W. (2022). Sweetgrass Method: A Culturally Responsive Approach to Mental Health. Journal of Indigenous Research. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1174&context=kicjir

Selected Presentations

• Presenter: 42nd International Conference on Advances in Psychiatry and Mental Health. November 2025, Dubai, UAE.
• Keynote: 988 3^rd Annual Mental Health Lifeline Summit, Norman, Oklahoma (University of Oklahoma) November 6, 2025
• Keynote: University of IOWA: Native Center for Behavioral Health Symposium. September 2025
• Presenter: American Psychological Association Conference. Decolonizing Psychological Assessments for Indigenous Communities. Denver, CO. August 4-8, 2025.
• Presenter: Society of Indian Psychologists- Indigenous S.A.F.E. Screening tool (ISS)Mentorship among Indigenous students (June 2025).
• Presenter: The Inaugural Conference on Critical Social Justice in Psychology, May 29, 2025, Vancouver, Canada.
• Keynote: 2025 Alaska Indigenous Research Program Training. Anchorage, Alaska, May 4-6, 2025
• Keynote: National Association of Eating Disorders Conference, Palm Springs, CA, February 2025
• Keynote: National Association of School Psychologists Conference, Seattle, February 2025
• Panel Presenter Division 5: Assessment methodological research and practice with and for Indigenous Peoples, and why consideration and use of Indigenous Methodologies are important, November 2024
• Keynote: Australian Psychological Society in Perth, Australia (October 2024)
• Keynote: Western University of Australia, Canberra, Australia (October 2024)
• Panelist/Presenter at the New Zealand Psychological Association, Sept 2024
• Keynote: World Indigenous Suicide Prevention Conference: NY, July 2024
• Presenter: Society of Indian Psychologists – Mentorship among Indigenous Students (June 2024).
• Keynote: National Indigenous Suicide Conference, Melbourne, Australia, March 2024