A model of therapeutic intervention with Indigenous Australians

Many non-Aboriginal mental health practitioners are confronted by the lack of practical information pertaining to interventions with Aboriginal clientele. Subsequently, this may have engendered uncertainty in potential therapists and counsellors due to the lack of reliable, practical and culturally appropriate information. Those non-Aboriginal mental health practitioners working in the field with Aboriginal clients do so with varying degrees of success and build upon their knowledge base through personal experience and anecdotal information. Unfortunately, this information is often not made available to others working in the field through journal publication. This Practice Note examines a model of intervention aimed at developing relationships to enhance therapeutic interventions at the individual, family and systems level. As a way of clarification, the model is described via a case study involving a psychological intervention with a remote Aboriginal community.