This qualitative research explored the phenomena of the mental health intake experiences of Native American Indians with non-Native counselors. For this research, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 6 enrolled Native American Indians from the Pacific Northwest who were between 23 and 75 years of age. A nonprobability purposive sampling method was used to recruit six participants of the Nez Perce Tribe who had received counseling with a non-Native counselor within the last three years. Thematic and data analysis of the interviews used Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis to generate 4 superordinate themes - preconceptions, rapport, intake process, and cultural sensitivity - and 10 sub-themes - stereotypes, stigma, trust, confidentiality, reputation, paperwork, questions, knowledge, empathy, and attentiveness. The lens of historical trauma was used with the intent of developing a deeper understanding of Native American experiences during the first counseling encounter and identify themes that would better inform future counseling procedures with this population. All participants experienced issues relating to culture during the mental health intake process, supporting the theoretical perspective of historical trauma theory---mainly, mistrust of non-Native individuals and systems. Non-Native counselor's limited cultural understanding during the intake process was found to affect Native American's utilization of mental health services. Findings suggest the need for an increased understanding of cultural factors during the mental health intake process that affect Native American clients' use of counseling services in order to help reduce Native American dropout rates and increase their utilization of mental health services.