Tanja Hirvonen Mental Health Academic for Centre for Remote Health attended the Australian Psychological Society, College of Clinical Psychologists Conference on 28 April, to present a workshop with Professor Pat Dudgeon, University of Western Australia and Sam Wild, e-Mental Health in Practice consultant.
The conference content was around intergenerational trauma, psychological assessment and working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
The workshop covered many of the key national documents around Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social and Emotional Wellbeing, Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Policy. The documents shared were the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social and Emotional Wellbeing framework and paradigms of working, ATSISPEP report, the Working Together book, Guyaa Dhuwi Declaration, the Australian Psychological Society Apology in 2016 and the National Strategic Framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ Mental Health and Social and Emotional Wellbeing 2014–2019.
In addition, the workshop included the considerations for assessment, screening and diagnosis when working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Discussions included the long-standing debate around the utility of clinical assessment with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.