Interim findings from a mixed methods evaluation of a social and emotional wellbeing model of service pilot in Western Australian Aboriginal community-controlled health services

Objectives To evaluate the establishment and early implementation phases of a pilot of the Aboriginal Health Council of Western Australia’s Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHS) social and emotional well-being (SEWB) model of service. Design A mixed-methods study framed by an Aboriginal Participatory Action Research lens. This entails Aboriginal leadership and governance; capacity building; and researcher reflexive […]

Self-determination in programmes of perinatal health for Aboriginal Communities: A systematic review

Objective The importance of self-determination in restoring the wellbeing of Australian First Nations peoples is becoming understood. For thousands of years, Aboriginal women gave birth on Country and Grandmothers’ Lore and Women’s Business facilitated the survival of the oldest living civilisations on earth. Following colonisation, however, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander practices of maternal and […]

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, […]

What does decolonisation within psychology mean for me?

Overview This panel discussion will explore the definitions and application of decolonisation in Australia. Specifically, it asks: What role can psychology and psychologists carry out within a decolonisation agenda?What does it look like for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples & for non-Indigenous Australians? What actions/attitudes/behaviours are involved?, and What can the discipline do to […]

Cultural safety in Trauma-Informed Practice: What’s culture got to do with it?

Overview This webinar explores the importance of culture in therapeutic practice, and will cover: concepts of cultural awareness levels cultural protects holistic client conceptualization cultural worldviews the journey from unconscious incompetence through to unconscious competence taking a systems approach historical trauma 6 guiding principles of Trauma-Informed Practice the 5R’s of Trauma-Informed approach cultural practices of […]

“Getting It Right: Creating Partnerships for Change”: Developing a Framework for Integrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Knowledges in Australian Social Work Education

This article proposes a theoretical framework for integrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledges in Australian social work education as a central focus of the Getting it Right: Creating Partnerships for Change project. This article presents analysis from a literature review to suggest ways Australian schools of social work can adapt their curriculum in order […]

School psychological practice with Indigenous students in remote Australia

This chapter presents a brief snapshot of Australian Indigenous culture and history and discusses the challenges and opportunities of providing school psychological services in remote Indigenous communities in Australia. It is a unique and rewarding experience to work as a school psychologist in this context. Available research on this topic is limited, and some of […]

Working Together with Remote Indigenous Communities to Facilitate Adapting to Using Energy Wisely: Barriers and Enablers

A $12 million Commonwealth funded consortium project trialled energy efficiency initiatives in six remote Indigenous communities over three years. This project, which won several awards, employed and educated over 80 local Yolŋu to educate their fellow community members to use power wisely. The research and evaluation component was designed together by Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers […]

Housing and Overcrowding in Remote Indigenous Communities: Impacts and Solutions from a Holistic Perspective

Over three years, a $12 million Commonwealth funded consortium project implemented energy efficiency initiatives in six remote Indigenous communities. An ecological community-based participatory action research design that utilized qualitative and quantitative research approaches in a multiple methods design was employed to clarify how Yolŋu use power, to identify the barriers and enablers of Yolŋu using […]