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 […]
Culturally informed case conceptualisation: Developing a clinical psychology approach to treatment planning for non-Indigenous psychologists working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients
Background:In the context of the Australian Psychological Society’sformalapology and the increasing awareness of the need to develop interventions thatimprove the social and emotional wellbeing of clients who identify from Abo-riginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural backgrounds, this article considers theclinical psychology case conceptualisation. The primary aim of any case concep-tualisation is to inform intervention and, […]
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and well-being: implications for a cognitive behavioural therapy framework
Objective: It has been acknowledged that the mental health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people has been “bedeviled” by the inappropriate application of non-Indigenous models of mental health. To enhance Indigenous health and well-being it is necessary for non-Indigenous practitioners to find a culturally safe way to enter the negotiated space of cross-cultural mental […]
Men, hearts and minds: developing and piloting culturally specific psychometric tools assessing psychosocial stress and depression in central Australian Aboriginal men
Purpose The health inequalities experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians are well documented but there are few empirical data outlining the burden, consequences, experience and expression of depressive illness. This paper seeks to address the lack of accessible, culturally specific measures of psychosocial stress, depression or quality of life developed for, and validated […]
“You’ve got to make it relevant”: barriers and ways forward for assessing cognition in Aboriginal clients
Background: Reliable cognitive assessment for non-western cultures is difficult given that mainstream tests typically rely on western concepts, content and values. Despite recognition of the scarcity of appropriate tests for Aboriginal people over many years, limited practical development has occurred. This study aimed to identify barriers to assessment for clinicians working with Aboriginal people in […]
Principles of practice in mental health assessment with Aboriginal Australians
In this chapter, concepts and history of assessment and testing in the context of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social and emotional wellbeing and mental health are discussed. Importantly, recently revised diagnostic guidelines and the National Practice Standards for the Mental Health Workforce 20131 and their appropriateness for meeting the distinctive needs of Aboriginal people […]
Psychological and cognitive assessment of Indigenous Australians
Objective: The aim of the present review was to evaluate the psychological and cognitive assessments that have been considered suitable for Indigenous Australians. This will provide a basis from which future developments can occur, leading to improved mental health services for Indigenous Australians. Method: Literature searches of key health science databases were conducted using the […]
Psychometric validation of the Growth and Empowerment Measure (GEM) applied with Indigenous Australians
Objective: Empowerment is a complex process of psychological, social, organizational and structural change. It allows individuals and groups to achieve positive growth and effectively address the social and psychological impacts of historical oppression, marginalization and disadvantage. The Growth and Empowerment Measure (GEM) was developed to measure change in dimensions of empowerment as defined and described […]
Working with Indigenous Australians: A handbook for psychologists
A practical guide for psychologists and associated mental health professionals, addresses the practical issues of working in Indigenous settings and with Indigenous people in urban, rural and remote environments. Covers individual, family and community approaches and describes appropriate models of intervention.