Aboriginal Mental Health Assessment & Suicide Prevention in Aboriginal Communities (Copy)

Aboriginal Mental Health Assessment & Suicide Prevention in Aboriginal Communities

Combined 3 Day Workshop 2020

Adjunct Professor Tracy Westerman is a proud Njamal woman from the Pilbara named 2018 WA’s Australian of the Year,  Curtin University's Lifetime Achievement Award Winner (2018) and inducted into the WA Women’s Hall of Fame. She holds a Post Grad Dip in Psychology, a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology and Doctor of Philosophy (Clinical Psychology). Despite having to undertake her tertiary entrance subjects mostly by distance education, she is a recognised leader in Aboriginal mental health, cultural competence and suicide prevention achieving national and international recognition for her work. A/Prof Westerman is a widely sought‐after keynote speaker having delivered to over 60 national conferences and internationally in Canada (2003); the USA (2004), Auckland (2006 & 2007) and Wellington (2009). In 2005 the Canadian government sent a delegation to Australia resulting in recommendations that A/Prof Westerman’s approaches be adopted for Canadian Aboriginal people (Nunuvut Taskforce, 2006). She was then recognised by Canadian Health, 2009 for her substantial contribution to the field of Aboriginal youth mental health and been cited in numerous reports highlighting her work as best practice. She has been an expert witness to many Parliamentary Enquires throughout Australia; developed unique tools enabling the identification of Aboriginal people at suicide and mental health risk and developed unique programs to ensure whole of community responses to these issues. She has trained over 24,000+ clinicians meaning they can reach many thousands more Aboriginal people at risk. Her most notable awards include:

• Finalist in Australian of the Year 2018
• WA Australian of the Year 2018
• Curtin University Lifetime Achievement Award, 2018
• Inducted into WA Women’s Hall of Fame 2018
• 40 under 40 Business Leaders Strategic Alliance Award
• Suicide Prevention Australia Award for Emerging Researcher (2006)
• The National Health & Medical Research Council Post‐Doctoral Fellowship to investigate ADHD in Aboriginal people
• NAIDOC National Scholar of the Year (2002);
• Mark Liveris Award, Curtin University, Health Sciences for best Oral Presentation of PhD (2002)

For further information about Dr Westerman click here.

Aboriginal Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Workshop Outcomes:

The training has evidence of improving cultural competencies of participants. Participants complete the Aboriginal Mental Health Cultural Competency Profile (CCP: Westerman, 2003) which provides a baseline of cultural competencies and generates a cultural supervision plan.

• How to ensure ‘cultural compatibility’ and minimise the impact of common client‐practitioner barriers
• Assessing for culture‐bound syndromes using evidence based tests and assessments
• ACCREDITATION in the Acculturation Scale for Aboriginal Australians – determining the relevance of cultural connection in assessment
• Culture Bound Depression – how to assess and treat from a clinical and cultural best practice perspective.
• The link between Depression and Suicide in Aboriginal People
• Cultural Grieving and spiritual visits – understanding unresolved cultural grief and the relevance of clinical intervention
• Understanding the clinical difference between self‐harm and cultural ‘sorry’ cutting
• Post‐Traumatic Stress – cultural impacts on assessment and treatment. How racism compounds the trauma experience
• ACCREDITATION in the Acculturative Stress Scale for Aboriginal Australians – assessing the impacts of racism, marginalization as hopelessness and helplessness for Aboriginal people at risk of suicide.
• Understanding cultural attachment theory and how to use these differences to address the intergenerational transmission of trauma
• The nature of Aboriginal suicide –translating differences into effective assessment and intervention strategies.
• An overview of Dr Westerman’s research on suicidal behaviours in Aboriginal communities – what it tells us about the relevant risk and protective factors and how these differences necessitate a unique approach to Aboriginal suicide prevention
• Ensuring effective engagement with suicidal Aboriginal clients – an empirically tested engagement model.
• Determining and discussing suicide intent – the additional challenges with Aboriginal clients
• Cultural differences in Suicide Risk Assessment: applied case studies using a culturally validated suicide risk assessment tool.
• Postvention – what can be done after a suicide attempt or death
• IPS’ Whole of Community Suicide Intervention Programs– an effective community intervention model.

BOTH WORKSHOP INCLUDE ACCREDITATION in the Westerman Aboriginal Symptom Checklist ‐ Youth aged 13‐17 (WASC‐Y) ‐ the ONLY uniquely developed and validated psychological test for Aboriginal youth worldwide (Canadian Health, 2009) and the Westerman Aboriginal Symptom Checklist ‐ Adult (WASC‐A). INCLUDED IN WORKSHOP: Aboriginal Mental Health Cultural Competency Profile; pre‐workshop reading materials; participant workbook (over 200 pages); morning tea, lunch & afternoon tea.
TO SEE WHAT OUR PARTICIPANTS HAVE TO SAY CLICK HERE.