Why we need more Indigenous psychologistsWhy we need more Indigenous psychologists
All In The Mind
Indigenous people in Australia are having a very difficult time finding a psychologist who understands Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and history. Sometimes Indigenous patients seeking treatment have been denied a voice, and the reality of their situation. There are about 800,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia, but only 218 Indigenous psychologists. Australia needs more of them—and we look at what many mainstream psychologists fail to understand about Indigenous patients.
29:09•16 Feb 2020
Why Culturally Safe Therapy Matters for Indigenous Australians
Episode Overview
- Indigenous clients can be harmed when psychologists lack understanding of racism, history and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
- There are only 218 Indigenous psychologists in Australia, leaving a huge gap in culturally safe care for around 800,000 Indigenous people.
- Suicide and depression can look different in Indigenous communities, with high rates of impulsive suicide linked to trauma, attachment issues and racism.
- Cultural practices such as spiritual visits from the deceased and sorry cutting may be misdiagnosed as psychosis or self-harm without proper cultural knowledge.
- Culturally adapted assessment tools, visual therapies and large-scale training programmes are helping both Indigenous and non-Indigenous psychologists respond more effectively.
“If you get assessment wrong, you get treatment wrong.”
What emotional and inspiring tales of recovery are out there? This conversation shines a light on mental health care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and why having more Indigenous psychologists matters so much. You’ll hear Sarah, an Aboriginal woman, describe the toll of constant microaggressions at work — “death by a thousand cuts” — and three painful attempts to get help from non-Indigenous psychologists.
One cried while Sarah comforted her, another flatly denied systemic racism, and a third treated her like a cultural specimen. Her story shows how harmful it can be when a therapist doesn’t understand racism, culture or history. Host Sana Kadar then talks with Dr Tracey Westerman, an adjunct professor and founder of Indigenous Psychological Services.
Dr Westerman explains that there are just 218 Indigenous psychologists for around 800,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and that Aboriginal people are often “invisible in the training” of mainstream practitioners. The discussion looks at how suicide, depression and grief can present differently in Indigenous communities — from culture-bound syndromes like spiritual visits from the deceased, to grief-related practices such as sorry cutting that can be mistaken for self-harm.
Dr Westerman stresses that “if you get assessment wrong, you get treatment wrong”, and shares how she’s developed culturally validated tools and training for tens of thousands of psychologists. There’s also hope: Sarah eventually finds a culturally responsive psychologist who names her experience as racism, helping her reconnect with her strength and values; and Dr Westerman describes her mission to “build an army of Indigenous psychologists” through scholarships and mentoring.
If you’ve ever wondered why cultural understanding in therapy can be the difference between harm and healing, this episode asks some important questions and offers practical ways forward.
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