Use of the Westerman Aboriginal Symptoms Checklist – Youth (WASC-Y) to screen for mental health problems in Indigenous youth in custody
The primary aim of this study was to screen for mental health problems in Australian Indigenous young people in a youth detention centre using the Westerman Aboriginal Symptoms Checklist – Youth (WASC-Y). Over the study period, all Indigenous young people admitted into custody were referred for screening with the WASC-Y, a culturally validated fivescaled instrument […]
The need for culturally valid psychological assessment tools in Indigenous mental health
A clear understanding of the nature and extent of suicidal behaviour and other mental health issues in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations has been limited by the national failure to develop clinically and culturally valid assessments and to ensure the cultural competence of practitioners. The default position for Australian mental health researchers is to […]
The Westerman Aboriginal Symptom Checklist – Youth Version: national data from a clinical sample of Aboriginal youth
To produce national clinical norms for WASC-Y, examine the internal consistency of the WASC-Y scales, compare scores from a clinical sample with previously published community sample data, and test the degree to which other scales predict the Suicide Scale. We analysed WASC-Y data from 1226 Aboriginal youth who had presented to mental health services between […]
Strategies for coping and dealing with lateral violence among Aboriginal people living in south-east Australia
Objective Lateral violence, a group of behaviours directed towards people of the same group, is considered endemic among Aboriginal people. Behaviours include bullying, gossiping, isolation or exclusion of certain group members, and challenges to one’s Aboriginal identity. Lateral violence impacts all aspects of one’s life. Due to its pervasiveness, this qualitative study investigated strategies employed […]
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Complex Trauma and Strengths Questionnaire: psychometric evaluation
Objective Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (complex trauma) describes a cluster of symptoms frequently associated with prolonged exposure to inescapable threats or abuse. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia impacted by complex trauma, there may be compounding factors, such as experiences of historical trauma, loss and socio-economic deprivation stemming from colonisation. However, there […]
The interactive effects of Indigenous identity and lateral violence on youth adjustment in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children
Lateral violence is the potential for members of a group to engage in practices that are harmful to other members of their own group. Evidence indicates that lateral violence can affect Aboriginal children?s social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB); however, little is known about the potential for ethnic-racial identity (ERI) to protect against harmful effects of […]
Listening more: Embedding Cultural Safety in Supervision. A Guide for Psychology Supervisors.
The Listening More: Embedding Cultural Safety in Supervision. A Guide for Psychology Supervisors is designed to support supervisors in being culturally safe and responsive in their supervision of Australia’s psychologists, specifically when working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This project was led by the Australian Indigenous Psychology Education Project (AIPEP), in collaboration with […]
Listening more: Embedding Cultural Safety in Supervision. A Reflective Journal for Psychology Supervisors.
Welcome to the one of two companion documents to the Listening More: Embedding Cultural Safety in Supervision. A Guide for Psychology Supervisors. (hereafter, the Guide). This document is the Listening More: Embedding Cultural Safety in Supervision. A Reflective Journal for Psychology Supervisors (hereafter, the Journal). The second companion document is the Listening More Manual of […]
Listening more: Embedding Cultural Safety in Supervision. Manual of Resources for Psychology Supervisors.
Welcome to the one of two companion documents to the Listening More: Embedding Cultural Safety in Supervision. A Guide for Psychology Supervisors (hereafter, the Guide). This document is the Listening More: Embedding Cultural Safety in Supervision. Manual of Resources which includes a sample of recommended reading and resources to assist psychology supervisors’ learning journeys. The […]
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 […]
Working alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care through a culturally safe framework [Webinar]
Working alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care through a culturally safe framework
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 […]
Healing Our Way Podcast
The Healing Our Way podcast was created in close consultation with The Healing Foundation’s Youth Reference Group. Season one explores topics relating to intergenerational trauma, racism, identity, culture, and healing. Season two takes a deep dive into intergenerational healing and the strengths and challenges that many First Nations youth are currently experiencing. The series features […]
Glossary of healing terms
Stolen Generations Resource Kit for Teachers and Students
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 […]
Supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples experiencing intergenerational trauma
Having the Hard Conversations: A guide to good practice in Indigenous health and cultural safety education
This ‘Guide to Good Practice’ (the Guide), is one of the major educational resources arising from a National Senior Teaching Fellowship awarded to Professor Dennis McDermott in 2014 by the (then) Australian Government Office of Learning and Teaching (OLT). The programme of work, Having the Hard Conversations: Strengthening pedagogical effectiveness by working with student and […]
Ngara. Deep listening. Seeing ‘two ways’. What can Indigenous knowledge, mindfulness and observational skills training bring to medical practice?
What can Indigenous knowledge, mindfulness and observational skills training bring to medical practice? This third Slice of LIME Seminar took place on Friday, 12 September 2014 at Flinders University South Australia, facilitated by Prof Dennis McDermott from the Poche Centre for Indigenous Health and Well-Being, Flinders University, South Australia, as part of the A.K.A. (Aboriginal […]
Slice of LIME Seminar 2: Having the Hard Conversations
This second Slice of LIME Seminar took place on Tuesday 12 August 2014 at the University of Melbourne, presented by Professor Dennis McDermott and Mr Dave Sjoberg from the Poche Centre for Indigenous Health and Well-Being, Flinders University, South Australia. This video recording shows the presentations, along with PowerPoint slides and the chat function used […]
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 […]
Webinar 45 | Using online resources for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health & wellbeing
Our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities have always adapted to new technologies and are finding creative ways to maintain their health and wellbeing in the digital world. There are a range of websites, apps, videos and other online resources that our health and community workforce can use with their Indigenous clients to help them […]
Culture-bound syndromes in Aboriginal Australian populations.
Objective: This paper describes the validation of culture-bound syndromes with Urban (N=34) and Rural (N=31) Aboriginal participants. While culture bound syndromes have long been discussed in the international literature (see Cuellar & Paniagua, 2000), published empirical research with Aboriginal Australian populations remains absent. Critically, the secret nature of Aboriginal cultural practices presents additional research challenges […]
