People Needs Country: the symbiotic effects of landcare and wellbeing for Aboriginal peoples and their countries
Objective An innate connection to traditional land is often central to Australian Aboriginal culture. The aim of this study was to explore the symbiotic links between the health of Australian Aboriginal peoples and their Country. Method This study utilised a multiple case-study design to extract common themes from four cases of Aboriginal land management, which […]
The importance of Indigenous centres/units for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students: ensuring connection and belonging to support university completion
Indigenous student completion rates remain very low relative to non-Indigenous students. Some universities have higher Indigenous student completion rates than the national average but research-based evidence of these universities as ‘success models’ is limited. Drawing on findings from interviews with Indigenous university graduates and staff as part of a National Centre for Student Equity in […]
Indigenous youth wellbeing in higher education: a systematic literature review of qualitative studies
Completing a higher education degree is a game changer for the success of Indigenous youth. However, there is a paucity of research which explores the enablers of and barriers to Indigenous higher education youth (18–25 years) wellbeing. This systematic literature review aimed to explore the nature and scope of international research that engages with Indigenous youth […]
Calling out Racism in University Classrooms: The Ongoing Need for Indigenisation of the Curriculum to Support Indigenous Student Completion Rates
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students continue to experience racism in Australian university classrooms. The Reconciliation Australia Barometer report (2022, p. 5) recently noted that experiences of racial prejudice have increased for Indigenous people with 60% of Indigenous people who responded to the survey experiencing at least one form of racial prejudice in the past […]
Exploring bonding and attachment in Aboriginal families
Objective Bonding and attachment relationships are essential to how children develop in society. These relationships have primarily been understood through the “Attachment Theory” which frames parent-child relationships, and the ways a child can be supported to develop within a secure base. Attachment theory (M. D. S. Ainsworth, 1978; Bowlby, 1969), has extensive literature supporting its […]
Learning from community voices about lateral violence and lateral empowerment: a scoping review of grey literature
Background Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth are vulnerable to racism, trauma and Lateral Violence (LV) where negative feelings and behaviours are directed towards members within their own oppressed group. Conversely, Lateral Empowerment (LE) is the collective prevention and repair of the effects of LV and promotes resilience and strength. There is limited peer reviewed […]
Workforce Wellbeing Guide: A self-reflection and self-care resource for Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services in the Kimberley
This guide is designed to provide the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service (ACCHS) workforce in the Kimberley with information about wellbeing in the workplace. The guide focuses on the role of self-reflection and self-care in safeguarding and promoting worker wellbeing. It includes practical activities and resources that can be used in a range of settings, […]
Psychologists’ experiences towards culturally responsive practices to strengthen social and emotional wellbeing with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients
Objective This study aimed to explore psychologists experiences when providing culturally responsive psychological practice working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients. Method Psychologists (N = 108, Female 83.2%, Male 16.8%, Aboriginal 13.9%, non-Indigenous 86.1%, age range 22–83) responded to an electronic mixed method survey. Statistical and content analysis were undertaken using data gathered to address the […]
Report 1 – Focus Group findings: Monitoring of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health and wellbeing during the Voice to Parliament Referendum
A review of Evidence-Based Evaluation of Measures for Assessing Social and Emotional Well-Being in Indigenous Australians
Addressing low levels of social and emotional well-being (SEWB) in Indigenous communities has been a national strategic priority for over 10 years and yet progress in assessing the impact of interventions has been slow. One of the key factors limiting the development of evidence-based practice has been the lack of well-validated instruments to assess SEWB […]
Weaving Wayapa and cognitive behaviour therapy: applying research topic yarning to explore a cultural interface between Western and Indigenous psychology practice in Australia
Background Indigenous Psychology within Australia reflects the traditional knowledges of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and their understanding of the cultivation of relational social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB). However, these perspectives are poorly incorporated into dominant “Western” psychological theories and practice, such as Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT). This represents a barrier to the cultural […]
A theoretical conceptualisation of connection to culture in Australian First Peoples children
Connection to culture in Australian First Peoples children is an important social determinant of health in child development and wellbeing. The current study draws upon the collective knowledge of Australian First Peoples Elders and community leaders to collaboratively develop the first theoretical conceptualisation of connection to culture in Australian First Peoples children. Through participatory action […]
Glossary of healing terms
Timeline of Trauma and Healing in Australia
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ understandings, experiences and impacts of lateral violence within the workplace
Lateral violence is the act of directing one’s dissatisfaction inwards, towards another member of an oppressed group. Lateral violence is believed to be an ongoing and intergenerational consequence of colonisation and oppression for many Indigenous peoples around the world. Within Australian, oppression in the form of racism and negative stereotypes has consequently enabled lateral violence […]
Attachment and the (mis)apprehension of Aboriginal children: epistemic violence in child welfare interventions
Child protection systems in Australia continue to disproportionately investigate Aboriginal families and intervene to remove Aboriginal children, applying non-Indigenous constructs and understandings of child development that contribute to these enduring inequities. Attachment theory is one such prevalent framework with significant applications in child protection. While constructions of attachment have attempted to grapple with diversity, its […]
“Language Breathes Life”-Barngarla Community Perspectives on the Wellbeing Impacts of Reclaiming a Dormant Australian Aboriginal Language.
Traditional languages are a key element of Indigenous peoples’ identity, cultural expression, autonomy, spiritual and intellectual sovereignty, and wellbeing. While the links between Indigenous language loss and poor mental health have been demonstrated in several settings, little research has sought to identify the potential psychological benefits that may derive from language reclamation. The revival of […]
Development and validation of the Cultural Responsiveness Assessment Measure (CRAM): A self-reflection tool for mental health practitioners when working with First Nations people.
BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to develop and to validate a measure of cultural responsiveness that would assist mental health practitioners across a range of disciplines, in Australia, to work with Indigenous clients. AIM: The Cultural Responsiveness Assessment Measure (CRAM) was developed to provide a tool for practitioners and students to evaluate their […]
Aboriginal perceptions of social and emotional wellbeing programs: A systematic review of literature assessing social and emotional wellbeing programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians perspectives
Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities have been targets of social and emotional wellbeing programs for many years. However, the few health-care programs and services that are evaluated rarely provide insight into the participants’ perspectives of program success or failure. This systematic review assessed 33 social and emotional wellbeing programs across Australia to better […]
Indigenizing and Decolonizing the Teaching of Psychology: Reflections on the Role of the Non-Indigenous Ally
Canada’s 2015 Truth and Reconciliation Commission published 94 Calls to Action including direction to post-secondary institutions “to integrate Indigenous knowledge and teaching methods into classrooms” as well as to “build student capacity for intercultural understanding, empathy, and mutual respect.” In response, Canadian universities have rushed to “Indigenize” and are now competing to hire Indigenous faculty, […]
Sharing and valuing older Aboriginal people’s voices about social and emotional wellbeing services: a strength-based approach for service providers
Objective: Over the last decade, the literature relating to older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s preferences for social and emotional wellbeing services has grown. However, little evidence exists in relation to older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s experiences of services relating to social and emotional wellbeing. This paper highlights older Aboriginal and Torres […]
Listen, look & learn: Exploring cultural obligations of Elders and older Aboriginal people
It is likely that young people who are both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and LGBTQA+ would be at increased risk for poor mental health outcomes due to the layered impacts of discrimination they experience; however, there is very little empirical evidence focused on the mental health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander […]
Conceptualising Wellbeing for Australian Aboriginal LGBTQA+ Young People
It is likely that young people who are both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and LGBTQA+ would be at increased risk for poor mental health outcomes due to the layered impacts of discrimination they experience; however, there is very little empirical evidence focused on the mental health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander […]
Justice, culture, and relationships: Australian Indigenous prescription for planetary health
Indigenous communities shoulder a disproportionate burden of ill health compounded by climate change. In Australia, the oldest surviving cultures have adapted their ecological knowledge over millennia and across climatic ages. However, European colonization has severely curtailed Indigenous peoples’ ability to adjust to climate change. An effective response to the climate crisis requires decolonizing processes to […]
Evaluating a social and emotional well-being model of service piloted in Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services in Western Australia: an Aboriginal Participatory Action Research approach
Introduction The delivery of services to improve Aboriginal health and well-being must centre culture and integrate a social and emotional well-being understanding and approaches. These approaches are essential in increasing access to, and engagement with, health services, as well as ensuring culturally safe, person-centred and community-centred care. This study will evaluate the Aboriginal Health Council […]
