MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health and Wellbeing

Name of the Writer

Name of the Institution

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health and Wellbeing

Module 5

Activity 1

Colonisation was an absolute disaster for Australian Indigenous peoples. It was so rapid and has a devastating effect over millennia. These processes resulted in two significant traumas such as transgenerational trauma and Racism trauma and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Transgenerational trauma results in mental disorders and Aboriginal Australians are three to five times more probably to be reluctantly admitted to psychiatric care as compared to Non-aboriginal Australians. It was also reported that 77 percent of Aboriginal Australians were more exposed to stressor such as witnessing violence, family member incarceration, death of family member and trouble with police (Garvey, 2008). This unequal and discriminated behavior is badly impacted the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It is evident that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are immensely exposed mental health.

Razijn, et. al., (2009) described racism as the “oxygen” that keep transgenerational trauma lively. Racism refers to poor mental and physical health recognized through psychological distress, depression and substance abuse. Furthermore stated that scrutiny by authorities, law and police, as account of alcohol, child abuse, corruption, drug dependency, embezzlement, low school attendance, petrol sniffing, uncontrollable youth and welfare dependency have been strongly contributed in causing trauma for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Activity 2

After reading “Working Together: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health and Wellbeing Principles and Practices,” it can be stated that models are responses by people groups and individuals to a recognized need. A number of them are based on the experiences of people; others are based on the existing healing models, which have been reexamined to fulfill the specific needs and context of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

The two-fold process of healing transgenerational trauma, engaging contemporary Indigenous healing practices development and a sustained and deliberate effort on the non-indigenous Australians part to confront prejudice in preventing perpetuated via succeeding generations. According to Ranzjin, et. al., (2009) reveals the chief need to make sure that health services are welcoming places and culturally safe by not perpetuating racism in health services.

Maria Morgan and Neil Drew sketch an engagement model in Chapter 17 by means of remote Aboriginal communities who lived in the Western Australia (East Kimberley region). This model was built and put into practice more than the last four years as a partnership between the University of Notre Dame Australia and Aboriginal communities. The model of engagement is depended on reliable program possession by the Aboriginal communities to decrease the youth incidence suicide. This model is holistic, founded on a comprehensive framework wellness that takes account of group, personal and shared wellness.

Rosemary Wanganeen in Chapter 19 explains the holistic loss potential and grief model to heal violence, rage and anger and authorize individual who find and see themselves as victims. Healing model of spiritual reconnection and self-healing has seven phases give a foundation for elements linked to process of ...