The Holding Space: A Guide for Partners in Tribal Research.

BACKGROUND: Although a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach is desired by American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) tribes, many researchers and tribes experience challenges in research partnerships. The aim of this project was to develop and disseminate an evidence-based training toolkit to help strengthen tribal-academic research partnerships. Our prior research found that governance, trust, and culture were essential pillars for successful community academic partnerships. METHODS: This article describes the development and evaluation of the new Holding Space: A Guide for Partners in Tribal Research toolkit, which contains a Holding Space Discussion Guide and the Tribal Research Future Game, which are delivered in a training format for participants in tribal- academic research partnerships. RESULTS: Results indicate that Holding Space is a useful tool for facilitating conversations and openly reflecting on practices within partnerships and may also be appropriate for a broader audience. CONCLUSIONS: Future work includes further effectiveness studies as well as research focused on dissemination and implementation.