The first culturally and scientifically validated psychological test developed specifically for Aboriginal Australian youth aged 13–17.
The WASC-Y identifies Aboriginal youth at risk of depression, suicidal behaviours, alcohol and drug use, impulsivity, and anxiety. It also measures cultural resilience as a moderator of risk.
The WASC-Y was developed by Dr Tracy Westerman AM as part of her PhD in 2003 and has since been validated with over 1,200 Aboriginal youth. It was cited by Canadian Health (2009) as a “substantial contribution” to Aboriginal youth suicide research.
What the WASC-Y Has Made Possible
The development of the WASC-Y and the large-scale screening of Aboriginal youth that followed have delivered a number of important firsts:
- Population-level risk and protective factors specific to suicidal behaviours, depression, anxiety, and alcohol and drug use in Aboriginal youth.
- Early-stage screening of Aboriginal youth, allowing risk to be identified and addressed proactively rather than reactively.
- The validation of cultural resilience as a moderator of risk, including the specific components that protect Aboriginal young people.
- Unique Aboriginal youth intervention programs built directly on the risk and protective factors the WASC-Y identifies.
- Whole-of-Community Suicide and Mental Health Intervention Programs delivered across Australia, informed by WASC-Y data and outcomes.
Related publications:
- 📄 The Westerman Aboriginal Symptom Checklist Youth Version: National Data from a Clinical Sample of Aboriginal Youth (PDF)
- 📄 Engaging Australian Aboriginal Youth in Mental Health Services (Westerman, 2010) (PDF) — the cultural engagement model validated with over 104 Aboriginal youth
- 📄 Culture-bound Syndromes in Aboriginal Australian Populations (PDF) — winner of the APS Altmetric Award for greatest reach of a published paper
Validation
Validation Study 1: Little, J. (2007). Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Westerman Aboriginal Symptom Checklist, Youth (aged 13–17 years). The WASC-Y Manual (2nd edition). Cultural and clinical validation guidelines for the administration of the WASC-Y. IPS, Perth, WA.
Validation Study 2: Westerman, T. G. (2003). The development of an inventory to assess the moderating effects of cultural resilience with Aboriginal youth at risk of depression, anxiety and suicidal behaviours. PhD thesis, Curtin University.
Add the COMPREHENSIVE CLIENT INTERVIEW AND TREATMENT PLAN Digital Suite
The NEW digital WASC-Y is now available alongside two unique digital add-on products that extend the screening tool into a complete clinical interview and treatment planning pathway.
Watch this short video of Dr Westerman explaining how the Digital WASC works with the Culturally Informed Guided Interview and Culturally Informed Treatment Plan – this is a COMPLETE approach to assessment and intervention with at risk Aboriginal people.
product 1: a digital Culturally Informed Treatment Plan
Generates a tailored treatment plan from each WASC-Y result. Plans are culturally informed, clinically structured, and downloadable — practitioners can add their own observations and use them as a foundation for therapeutic work with the client.
product 2: a digital Culturally Informed Guided Interview
Provides item-level pop-up prompts triggered by the client’s WASC-Y responses. The Guided Interview walks practitioners through a culturally safe risk and clinical interview, with procedural and cultural guidance specific to interviewing at-risk Aboriginal adults.
Both add-ons can be purchased as pay-per-use packs or as annual unlimited subscriptions.
How to Access the digital WASC-y and digital products
Step 1 — Complete accreditation TRAINING
The WASC-Y is only accessible to practitioners who have completed Indigenous Mental Health, Complex Racial Trauma and Attachment accreditation training (previously known as the Aboriginal Mental Health Assessment and Suicide Prevention Workshops). WASC-Y accreditation is included in this training. Practitioners already accredited in the WASC-Y are automatically accredited in the WASC-A.
Step 2 — Purchase the digital WASC-Y Start-Up Pack
The WASC-Y Start-Up Pack is a one-off purchase that gives you the WASC-Y Manual and 30 digital WASC-Y tests.
Step 3 — Add DIGITAL tests as you need them
Once you have your Start-Up Pack, you can purchase additional WASC-Y tests, Treatment Plans, and Guided Interviews in 30, 50, or 100 packs — or move to an unlimited annual subscription.
ORDER your digital WASC-Y here
To order the Digital Culturally Guided Interviews or Treatment Plans contact us at admin@indigenouspsych.com.au
To discuss organisational or individual subscription contact us at admin@indigenouspsych.com.au