Conference Papers
Session HH2.3 Mental Health Awareness
1. Laura Hart: Development of Mental Health First Aid Guidelines for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
In 2007, the Mental Health First Aid Training and Research Program (MHFA) began a revision of its first edition training course for use in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. To ensure that the adaptation was culturally appropriate, from young adults to the elderly, a research program was designed to develop consensus-based guidelines for providing first aid to an Australian Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person, using expertise from communities across Australia. Methods: A panel of experts in Aboriginal mental health participated in six independent Delphi studies investigating depression, psychosis, suicidal thoughts and behaviours, deliberate self-injury, trauma and loss, and cultural considerations. Panellists were presented with questionnaires including statements about possible first aid actions. Statements were accepted for inclusion in a guideline if they were endorsed by ≥90% of panellists. Each study involved three questionnaire rounds, from which a guideline document was developed. At the end of the six Delphi studies, participants were asked to give feedback on the value of the project and their participation experience. Results: From a total of 1,016 statements, 536 statements were endorsed by the panellists. The methodology and the guidelines themselves were found to be useful and appropriate by the panellists. Conclusions: Aboriginal mental health experts were able to reach consensus about culturally appropriate first aid for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with mental illness. The Delphi consensus method could be useful for consulting with first national peoples about culturally appropriate practice in mental health services.
Author bio: Laura Hart is a non-Aboriginal person who was born in Sydney and grew up in country North East Victoria. Laura has a background in psychology, and recently completed her PhD at the University of Melbourne. In 2007, Laura began working as a Research Assistant with the Mental Health First Aid team. Her work focused on developing culturally appropriate Mental Health First Aid guidelines for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. She was also involved in the evaluation of the first edition Aboriginal Mental Health First Aid training program and the development the second edition of the program which incorporated the evidence developed in the guidelines studies. Laura co-authored the second edition Mental Health First Aid training manual for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. Laura has been a qualified Mental Health First Aid Instructor since 2008 and has a keen interest in the areas of mental health literacy and mental health first aid.
2. AJ Williams: Learning across Generations: Aboriginal Mental Health First Aid
The Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Mental Health First Aid (AMHFA) course teaches members of the public how to provide culturally appropriate assistance to an Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander person who is developing a mental illness or is in a mental health crisis. This presentation will highlight stories from Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander participants who have completed the 14 hour course will be presented to highlight how leanings from the course have been used across generations to assist family and community members to identify signs and symptoms of mental illness and to implement practical strategies to assist within mental health crisis situations.
Author bio: AJ Williams is a Wiradjuri / Wotjobulak man with over 20 years experience working within community services, hospital settings and Aboriginal communities in areas of nursing, social work, youth work, mental health and career education. Girraway Ganyi Consultancy was established in 2008 as aboriginal owned and operated consultancy service. Girraway Ganyi Consultancy was a finalist in the 2009 & 2010 Victorian WURRKER AWARDS as Private Sector Employer as well as the 2010 Finalist of the Victorian DARDI Awards for Aboriginal Small Business Award and Aboriginal Leadership Award.
3. Lindy Moffatt: Has our Trauma become Normalised? Mental Illness/Spiritual Illness: Our younger and older generation let’s talk about it!
Recognizing and supporting our young people who are suffering from mental/spiritual trauma is difficult because as Indigenous people we have all suffered this trauma and in some ways it has become normalised in our communities lives. Until we deal with the multiple layers of trauma that we have, it is difficult to see the pain and trauma of our young people and provide the necessary support to them. We understand that transgenerational trauma has contributed to the mental/spiritual unwellness of our younger and older generation. Being able to understand our trauma, acknowledge it, talk about it, makes it easier for us to see these conditions in others. As well as considering the relevant literature Lindy will talk about her family and community experiences using the Indigenous paradigm of relationality. She will bring to this session aspects of her award winning essay that she recently won through the Dr Ross Ingram Award Competition with The Medical Journal of Australia entitled ‘Mental Illness or Spiritual Illness: What should we call it?
Author bio: Lindy Moffatt is a Wakka-Wakka, Dunghutti and Gumbaynggir woman with family ties to both Cherbourg, Queensland and Grafton on the North Coast of New South Wales. Lindy has worked in Indigenous higher education for over 20 years in the area of student support and teaching. She has also worked in community welfare and counselling with women and children in Central Australia and more recently as a Leading Support Worker in Mental Health in the Moreton Bay region. Lindy is currently working as Research Officer, Language & Wellbeing at AIATSIS in Canberra.