For fans of a certain afternoon cooking show, the title of this article may bring to mind the frantic preparation of apparently delectable meals relying on a restricted range of ingredients within a restrictive time frame. The notion that good things may be achieved in a short period is applied in this article which proposes that it is the choices made within the minutes of our psychological practice that contribute and accumulate to better working relationships with Indigenous Australian peoples. I discuss the impact that an expectation of criticism may have on health professionals and students when confronting the overwhelming prospect of working with Indigenous Australian peoples. The idea that a great deal of effort is required to bring about what only ever seem to be small (if any) improvements in the wellbeing of Indigenous Australians is challenged by suggesting that it is the enactment of small, repeated efforts which have the potential to produce important and sustainable relationships, and a platform for ongoing, collaborative ventures. To begin, readers are encouraged to endure a number of confronting ‘truths’ about the psychological profession and its members. Although the statements are delivered here to a community psychology audience, their relevance for the profession is arguably broader than that, spanning academic and applied domains, as well as the concerns of students. These provide a challenging precursor to the development of the idea of ‘three minutes’, including several activities aimed at setting readers on a path to making every minute count.
The information contained on this website has been sourced by the Australian Indigenous Psychology Education Project (AIPEP) and AIPEP 2. The first AIPEP was funded by the Australian Government Office of Teaching and Learning. AIPEP 2 is part of the Transforming Indigenous Mental Health and Wellbeing Project, funded by the Million Minds Mission Grant. The views expressed in this website do not necessarily reflect the views of the Australian Government Office of Teaching and Learning or the Million Minds Mission Grant.
Several of the images used throughout this website are credited to Chris Lewis