The programme now called We Al- Li evolved out of the need to help heal the individual, family and community pain and trauma resulting from colonial domination and power abuse. The concept behind We Al- Li came from the knowledge that where there is pain there must be healing. We Al- Li wanted to provide a healing approach to the needs of those Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people presently suffering post- traumatic stress disorder,...read more
This chapter describes and critiques, from the perspective of an Indigenous global scholar, the development and delivery of a series of degree courses of study designed to respond to the historical, social and cultural trauma consequent to colonial worldviews interfacing with Aboriginal Australian Peoples and the expressed need for healing – not a word commonly used in the academy. Indigenous pedagogical approaches have confronted the power and privilege of the academy, in a creative tension...read more
This chapter considers the removal of Indigenous children as a global colonial and neocolonial tactic. The history of the Australian Stolen Generations is focused on, from the beginning of the abduction of children in the early 1900s up until 2015. The landmark 1997 Bringing Them Home: Report of the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from their Families was central to the emergence of national and international awareness of...read more
This chapter outlines the growth and development of the Djirruwang Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health Worker Education and Training Program (The Djirruwang Program) in Australia. The chapter describes what can be achieved when individuals, organisations, health disciplines and Aboriginal communities work in close partnership and learn from each other. We emphasise the importance of recognising Aboriginal cultural experiences and knowledge within the mental health curriculum, and providing a culturally safe environment to facilitate...read more
This chapter outlines the role of policy in setting directions for, and achieving change in, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health and social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB). Key national policies, frameworks and reports addressing mental health and SEWB up until mid 2013 are presented. Historical milestones surrounding key policies together with their effects on individual and community health and mental health outcomes and circumstances are described. These include the specific aims of key policies...read more
This chapter discusses how the discipline and practice of psychology has been part of the colonising process influencing the mental health of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It outlines events where the discipline of psychology has been supportive of, and responsive to, the Aboriginal mental health movement, heralding the empowerment and inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples at all levels of mental health service provision. The chapter identifies key milestones in...read more
This chapter discusses some of the complex issues surrounding the notion of cultural competence—and the critical need for practitioners to develop knowledge, skills, understandings and attributes to be responsive in diverse cultural settings. The argument for culturally competent mental health practitioners and services is situated within a human rights framework which underpins the principles, standards and practice frameworks intended to facilitate/contribute to the capacity and empowerment of mental health practitioners and clients, families and communities...read more
An essential form of psychological literacy that is required in all psychology courses is an understanding of and ability to work with the many cultural groups that make up a given society. Psychology as a profession is part of a society that is shaped and directed by the history, values, norms and biases that characterise a cultural and temporal location in history. Therefore, this chapter argues that cultural competence should be the foundational lens through...read more
