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Suicide prevention in Aboriginal communities
This workshop is presented by Dr Tracy Westerman, a descendant of the Nyamal people near Port Hedland, WA. She holds a Post Graduate Diploma (Science) in Psychology, a Master's Degree (Clinical Psychology) and a Doctor of Philosophy (Clinical Psychology). As a recognised leader in the Aboriginal mental health field she has achieved both national and international recognition.
The workshop will cover the following:
- the nature of Aboriginal suicide - taking the differences that are clear and translating them into effective assessment and intervention strategies
- depression - its cultural manifestation and relationship with Aboriginal suicide
- the components of cultural resilience and how to develop interventions inclusive of these factors
- ensuring effective engagement with suicidal Aboriginal clients - an empirically tested engagement model
- learn how to determine and discuss suicide intent - the additional challenges this brings when suicide is incompatible with the Aboriginal belief system
- learn how to translate cultural differences into suicide risk assessment: applied case studies and a uniquely developed and validated suicide risk assessment tool
- postvention - what can be done after a suicide attempt or death in a community - a practical model for the prevention of copycat suicides
- Indigenous Psychological Services' (IPS) success in the development, delivery and evaluation of whole of community
- suicide intervention programs in four states of Australia with over 2,000 community members - an effective community based model of intervention
- 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. These tests have suicide risk and cultural resilience subscales.
Dates and locations:
- Darwin: 7-8 June
- Melbourne: 21-22 June
- Brisbane: 26-27 July
- Adelaide: 20-21 September
- Sydney: 1-2 November
- Perth: 29-30 November.
Indigenous Psychological Services
Ph: (08) 9362 2036
Fax: (08) 9362 5546