Title

Working Together: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health and Wellbeing Principles and Practice

Publication Date

2010

Comments

Editors: Nola Purdie, Pat Dudgeon and Roz Walker

Foreward by Tom Calma

This book was funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing, and was developed by the Australian Council for Educational Research, the Kulunga Research Network, and Telethon Institute for Child Health Research.

978-1-74241-090-6 (print)

978-1-74241-091-3 (online)

Abstract

There is a lack of suitable resources to educate and assist health professionals to work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experiencing social and emotional wellbeing issues and mental health conditions, across all life stages. Further, those resources currently used by clinicians in mental health have little cross-cultural validity.

The purpose of Working Together: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health and Wellbeing Principles and Practice is to provide an appropriate resource for a range of health professionals who work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers, counsellors, and other staff of Indigenous health services. It provides a comprehensive, culturally relevant, and specific resource to support the provision of services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who are striving to effectively deal with the effects of past policies and practices. The book is also suitable for students studying in relevant fields.

The book has been written by a range of acknowledged experts in the mental health field and thus presents a variety of perspectives relating to the social and emotional wellbeing and mental health issues for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. A strong Indigenous voice permeates the book. Indeed the high number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors and collaboration between authors has made this text unique.