Masterclass Topic 8: djanbabu-dha ngumbudhaa
(Culturally Responsive Psychology with Indigenous Australians)

The workshop is in line with the nationwide adoption of the first regulatory code of conduct for psychologists in Australia and updated competencies for general registration, which specify the requirement to adopt a human rights approach and work towards eradicating racism in working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, families and communities.

Workshop goals

To increase supervisors’ understanding of central tenets necessary for the provision of psychological care that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities experience as culturally safe and effective. Such knowledge is necessary in order to provide supervision to Indigenous Australian psychologists and to all psychologists providing care to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This workshop aims to further supervisors’ understanding and development of their own cultural responsiveness and the facilitation of this for their supervisees, and the skilful integration of Western and Indigenous psychologies into competent, humble, respectful and self-determining practice. 

The workshop is in line with the nationwide adoption of the first regulatory code of conduct for psychologists in Australia and updated competencies for general registration, which specify the requirement to adopt a human rights approach and work towards eradicating racism in working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, families and communities.

Teaching method

  • The workshop will include a range of teaching methods and Indigenous Australian relational processes including deep listening, respect, ganma and yarning.
  • Participants will be provided with pre-reading and -watching and be expected to engage in critical self-reflection.
  • They will work in groups to consider appropriate culturally responsive case conceptualisations and interventions, based on the Social and Emotional Wellbeing framework (SEWB) of Indigenous Australian psychology, for lived experience vignettes.
  • Highly interactive with participation and conversation encouraged.

Evaluation

  • Pre-and post-workshop completion of the Cultural Responsiveness Assessment Measure (CRAM), a self-reflection tool in development for mental health practitioners when working with First Nations people (Smith et al., 2023)
  • Active participation in the development of culturally responsive case conceptualisations and interventions based on the Social and Emotional Wellbeing framework (SEWB) of Indigenous Australian psychology.
  • Opportunities for personal reflection of learning and discussion of same.

Learning objectives

  • Describe the principles of culturally responsive psychological care experienced as culturally safe by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities.
  • Explain the relevance of the Social and Emotional Wellbeing (SEWB) framework within Indigenous Australian psychology and its implications for supervision practice.
  • Critically reflect on cultural identity, worldview, and positionality, and consideration of  how these influence supervisory relationships, feedback and decision-making.
  • Recognise the impacts of colonisation, systemic racism, and institutional power dynamics within supervision and psychological practice.
  • Apply the SEWB framework in supervision discussions to guide supervisees’ case conceptualisation, formulation, and intervention planning.
  • Integrate Indigenous Australian and Western psychologies within supervision to support culturally grounded, self-determining, and contextually attuned practice.
  • Utilise culturally grounded relational processes (e.g., yarning, ganma, deep listening) within supervisory practice to build trust, relational depth, and mutual learning.
  • Support supervisees to identify and address racism, bias, and inequities within their professional contexts and client work.
  • Foster an environment of cultural respect and humility within supervision that empowers supervisees to engage with Indigenous Australian knowledges and practices confidently and respectfully.
  • Advocate for culturally safe, anti-racist, and self-determining approaches within teams, organisations, and professional communities.
  • Develop a plan for ongoing learning and supervision practices that sustain growth in cultural responsiveness, humility, and competence.

Mary Goslett

Mary is a Yuin Budawang woman from the south-east coast of NSW. She has a private psychology, supervision and consultancy practice specialising in Indigenous psychology, emotional dysregulation, performing arts psychology, PTSD and Complex Trauma. Mary has been a psychotherapist for 30 years and a psychologist for 12, with a long and varied history in community work, adult education and mental health services. She lectures in Indigenous psychology as well as conducting training workshops and programs for journalists, creatives, and psychologists and other mental health and social services professionals.

Mary is a Professional Practice Fellow of the University of Western Australia, and a Director of the Australian  Indigenous Psychologists Association (AIPA). She is a co-author of the Listening More suite of resources for providing culturally responsive supervision for psychologists. She also has a chapter in publication, “wangii wadhan biyay” – bringing Indigenous and non-Indigenous psychologies together within a decolonising framework; another on “Deep Yarning”, an Indigenous psychotherapeutic model; and is co-developer of the 6Ps x 8 domains formulation tool for working with Indigenous Australians.
Patrick Jones - Course author