The boriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have been in Australia for more than 60,000 years. In this time, the ways of being, knowing and doing kept families and communities well and ensured their survival for thousands of generations.
The health and wellbeing of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is lower than that of other Australians.
Compared to other Australians, people from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islands are three times more likely to experience high psychological distress, twice as likely to be hospitalized for a mental health condition, and twice as likely to die by suicide. This rate is higher for young people.
The disproportionate mental health risks experienced by the peoples of the Northern Territory are addressed by system changes and Indigenous paradigms of wellbeing.
Social and emotional wellbeing is considered to be a part of wellbeing for the people of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Mental health is inseparable from one's physical health and one's connections to family, community, Country, culture, and spirituality. The total wellbeing of an individual and their community can be brought about by each of these domains.
The context in which people live and grow is considered by SEWB. The impact of colonisation, racism, poverty, inadequate access to water, food, housing, and healthcare are some of the historical and political determinants of health.
The importance of SEWB to improving the wellbeing of Indigenous people is articulated by scholars, practitioners and communities. Western conceptions of wellbeing and the disease-deficit model were the basis of Australia's mental health systems. Education systems have not taught much about SEWB.
It's important to have culturally responsive clinicians and psychologists for culturally safe mental health care. Despite this, less than 1% of psychologists identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. If we are to meet the identified needs of people and communities, we need to address this underrepresentation.
The Australian Indigenous Psychologists Association (AIPA) is committed to achieving equitable participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples within the psychology profession in Australia.
Where do we go from here?
The movement to decolonize the mental health system has gained traction in recent years. It is a movement that seeks to restore harmony to the knowledge taught and practised to the benefit of all Australians.
The provision of culturally safe care will be improved if the mental health system is decolonised. We need to decolonize our education systems so that psychologists get an inclusive and broad education that will allow them to work effectively. It also means addressing the under representation of psychologists.
The Australian Indigenous Psychology Education Project is trying to do this. The integration of Indigenous psychology in higher education is one of the aims of the Artificial Intelligence for Population Enhancement.
More than 70% of higher education providers nationwide have been working with the AIPEP to support psychology students with cultural responsiveness. Providers are trying to decolonise curricula.
AIPA has a vital role to play in representing psychologists from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community on national boards and key stakeholder working groups. Recent collaborations with peak psychology bodies to address cultural responsiveness competencies of current and emerging psychologists have been included. The Australian Psychological Society has apologized and made a statement about Black Lives Matter.
AIPA is proud to be involved in many initiatives and to provide expertise on national matters that affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander psychologists, our people, and communities. AIPA relies on volunteer experts. AIPA needs funding to continue to do important work and to continue to be a national voice for psychologists of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent.
healing is a journey that we walk together. The journey to fair representation and culturally safe care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is part of decolonising the mental health system. We need to work with and empower the Aboriginal community controlled health services. Government partnerships and needs-based funding of these services are crucial to changes in mental health.
There are a number of crisis support services that can be reached 24 hours a day.
The chair of the Australian Indigenous Psychologists Association, a registered psychologist, and a director on the board of the Aboriginal wellbeing and mental health leadership body are just some of the things that Vanessa Edwige does.
Dr Alexi is a research associate at the University of Western Australia.
The University of Western Australia has a school of Indigenous Studies and a Poche Centre for Indigenous Health.
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