Dr Tracy Westerman, Managing Director of Indigenous Psychological Services (IPS) and is of the Nyamal people near Port Hedland, WA. She founded IPS in 1998 to address the inequity between the high rates of mental ill health amongst Aboriginal people and low rates of access to quality services.

Dr Westerman has a Post Graduate Diploma (Science, UWA) in Psychology, a Masters Degree (Clinical Psychology, Curtin University) and a Doctor of Philosophy (Clinical Psychology).

She is a recognised leader in Aboriginal mental health having won numerous awards including the NAIDOC National Scholar of the Year (2002); the Vice Chancellors Award for her PhD research; the National Health & Medical Research Council Post Doctoral Fellowship to investigate ADHD in Aboriginal people (2004; the only Aboriginal person to be awarded such a fellowship) and the Suicide Prevention Australia Award for Emerging Researcher (2006). She has been recognised in the “Who\'s Who of Australian Women” and “Who’s Who of the Worlds Women” from 2007 and won the WA Business News Strategic Alliance Award recognizing her as one of the foremost business leaders under 40 in WA.

Dr Westerman is widely sought after as a keynote speaker in Australia averaging six addresses per year, having presented thirty one invited keynote addresses to date. She has also been an invited international keynote speaker on FIVE separate occasions in Canada (2003); the USA (2004), Auckland, New Zealand (2006 & 2007) and Wellington (2009).

In 2005 the Canadian government sent a delegation to Australia to explore Dr Westerman’s innovative approaches resulting in recommendations that the same approach be adopted for Canadian Aboriginal people. The report can be downloaded here. Dr Westerman has worked on numerous state and federal tenders, research grants and community based interventions placing her at the forefront of understanding frameworks, policies, procedures and service delivery models that have demonstrated effectiveness with Aboriginal people.

Her PhD provided a much needed evidence base regarding the cultural manifestations of mental illness for Aboriginal people and the development of psychometric tests and assessment protocols which represent world ‘firsts’ for Indigenous people’s worldwide (Canadian Health, 2009). Dr Westerman’s training workshops attract an average of 800 people throughout Australia each year placing her at the forefront of Indigenous workforce development Australia wide and amongst the most in demand trainers and public speakers in the field.

Dr Westerman’s interview following her international keynote presentation in Wellington New Zealand. Click here to view video interview.

For Dr Westerman's recent Publications Click here.

DR WESTERMANS KEYNOTE PRESENTATIONS:

Westerman, T.G (2002).  Keynote Address:  Mental Health Promotion and what it means for Aboriginal People.  Mental Health Symposium, Perth

Westerman, T.G (2002)  Women’s Refuge Conference of WA, Inc.  Working with Aboriginal Youth and Children:  A community development approach to the prevention of suicide in the Derby region

Westerman, T.G (2002).  Keynote Address:  Assessment of Aboriginal People: how do we measure the success of intervention programs with Aboriginal people?  Auseinet Forum, Adelaide

Westerman, T.G (2002).  Keynote Address.  Women’s Refuge Conference of WA Inc.  Mandurah Performing Arts Centre, Mandurah.  Aboriginal Children and Domestic and Family Violence: An analysis of the nature of violence in Aboriginal communities and the psychological impacts on Aboriginal children

Westerman, T.G. (2003) Keynote Address. Alcohol and Other Drugs Conference.  Co-occurrence of Disorders in Aboriginal populations:  how does this affect diagnosis, prognosis and treatment.  Darwin

Westerman, T.G. (2003) Keynote Address and Expert Panel, Unchartered Territory Conference, Darwin, Northern Territory.  “A Model of Best Practice for Aboriginal Suicide Prevention.  Preliminary Results from work in Western Australia

Westerman, T.G. (2003). Keynote Address.  Why is it important to have specialist mental health services for Aboriginal people?  Pilbara and Kimberley Regional Education Conference – students with special needs. Karratha

Westerman, T.G. (2004).  Keynote Address.  Making a Difference Conference.  What is effective with Aboriginal people – ways forward.  Alice  Springs

Westerman, T.G. (2004).  Keynote Address.  Models of Intervention:incorporating traditional with westernized models of service delivery.  Armidale, NSW

Westerman, T.G. (2005). Keynote Presentation. Ethnic Child Care Resource Unit. Aboriginal families and the emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal children, Perth, WA

Westerman, T.G. (2005). Keynote Presentation. The Northern Territory Australian Psychological Society Branch Conference, Darwin. The parameters of culturally derived psychological and mental health assessment of Aboriginal people: where does the differential diagnosis come into play?

Westerman, T.G. (2005). Keynote Presentation. Aboriginal Child Behaviour Management – how to make the most of cultural strengths in the classroom. Association of Independent Schools. Broome, WA

Westerman, T.G. (2006). Keynote Presentation. Association of Independent Schools of WA & Catholic Education Office Child Protection Conference. Aboriginal Family Violence: Demystifying Culture from Abuse. Fremantle, WA

Westerman, T.G. (2006). Keynote Presentation. Mater Community Youth Mental Health Services Conference. The Assessment of Attachment Disorders in Aboriginal People: does culture play a role? Brisbane, QLD

Muuji Forum (2007). Keynote Presentation. Self- care and Worker Burnout. How to address compassion fatigue in the helping profession, Canberra, ACT

Westerman, T.G. (2007). Keynote Presentation. Effective Practice in Indigenous Suicide: What impacts can be made by adopting a unique cultural approach,  Suicide Prevention Australia, Sydney, NSW

Westerman, T.G. (2007) Keynote presentation. The value of unique service provision for Aboriginal Australians – the benefits of starting from scratch. Psychology and Indigenous Australians: Effective Teaching and Practice Conference, Adelaide

Westerman, T.G. (2007). Keynote presentation. Developing and validating services and programs from within the Aboriginal culture - the origins of Indigenous Psychological Services and impacts. Making Waves 33rd International Conference of the ACMHN, Cairns

Westerman, T.G (2008). Keynote presentation. Psychometric Assessment of Aboriginal People: validation of tests and getting it right. The Victorian Transcultural Psychiatry Unit, Melbourne

Westerman T.G. (2009). Keynote Presentation. Culturally competent forensic mental health assessment: where are we at? Australian Institute of Criminology, Sydney

Westerman, T.G. (2009).Keynote Presentation. Development of sustainable and effective models of mental health service delivery: taking an evidence based approach. Australian Community Support Organisation Conference, Melbourne

Westerman, T.G. (2009). Keynote Presentation. Unique Aboriginal mental health service provision – what are the benefits and what has been achieved? Western Australian Country Health Service, Kalgoorlie, WA

Westerman, T.G. (2010). Keynote Presentation. Aboriginal Parenting Differences and how to recognize the value in terms of effective intervention and prevention. QEC Early Parenting Program 6^th Annual Conference.  Melbourne

Westerman, T.G. (2012). Keynote Presentation. Cultural Competence in Aboriginal Mental Health: the predictors of best practice and the research of IPS in determining the predictors. Western Australian Drug and Alcohol Conference, Perth, Western Australia

Westerman, T.G. (2012). Keynote Presentation. “ A culturally competent mental health workforce: the work of IPS in delivering best practice workforce development programs across Australia” Western Regional Alcohol and Drug Dual Diagnosis Conference, Warnambool, Victoria

INTERNATIONAL KEYNOTE PRESENTATIONS:

Westerman, T.G. (2003).  International Keynote Address.  How do we as Indigenous People Prevent Suicide – models of best practice and intervention.  Iqualuit, Nunavut Province, Canada

Westerman, T.G. (2003).  International Keynote Address.  How do we as Indigenous People Prevent Suicide – models of best practice and intervention.  Iqualuit, Nunavut Province, Canada

Westerman, T.G. (2003).  International Keynote Address.  Therapeutic Interventions with Aboriginal clients.  Nome, Alaska, USA

Westerman, T.G. (2003).  International Workshop Presentation:.  How do we as Indigenous People Prevent Suicide – models of best practice and intervention.  Nome, Alasksa, USA

Westerman, T.G (2006). International Keynote Presentation. Can Psychology services meet the needs of Indigenous people? The Australian Psychological Society and New Zealand Psychological Society Combined Conference, Auckland

Westerman, T.G. (2007). International Keynote presentation. The value of unique service provision for Aboriginal Australians – the benefits of starting from scratch. Two Nations, Ten Cultures? Combined APSAD & Cutting Edge Addiction Conference, Auckland NZ

Westerman, T.G. (2009). International Keynote Presentation. Is best practice really elusive when working with Indigenous people? Wellington,  New Zealand, September