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Multicultural Issues

Influences on Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Wellbeing

There are many things that influence Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social and emotional wellbeing including poverty, racism and disregard for traditional practices. The ongoing effects of colonisation have created a burden that extends across generations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, families and communities. The determinants of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social and emotional wellbeing are complex and interrelated. 

Counselling Immigrants in Australia: Context and Clinical Considerations

If you are a counsellor, you will always be faced with the challenge of counselling someone who comes from a different culture. So, what do you do if you feel you are unequipped to take these clients on? Will it be too difficult to work with someone who speaks a different language, or who comes from a vastly different culture? How can you be sure that you are giving them the assistance they require? Should we avoid these clients, or refer them elsewhere?

Counselling and Racism: Stopping the Pandemic

For months, prior to this writing, the daily news feeds have been rife with grim updates on the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet it appears that there is a parallel pandemic occurring: that of racial discrimination unleashed because of COVID-19. Researchers at the Australian National University are inviting people to record their experiences of racism following on […]

Recognising Radicalisation Toward Extremism

If you’ve been a professional helper for a while, you have probably sensed that the fields we work in (counselling/psychotherapy, psychology, social work, etc.) have changed in recent years. As the world we live in becomes increasingly polarised, so too do the beliefs and values of people drawn to radicalisation toward extremism; for many of […]

The Dangers of Teen Sexting (And How to Help Their Parents Help Them)

You may have faced this scenario before: anguished parents turn up in your rooms and plead with you for help: their cherished teenager, they find, is now sending and/or receiving sexually explicit text messages, photos, or videos. Oh, what to do? Unfortunately, this phenomenon is now common and increasing in frequency, even as the average […]

Tolerance and Social Inclusion: Calling All Individuals

November 16th is “International Day for Tolerance”, for which U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon declared: “I call on all people and governments to actively combat fear, hatred and extremism with dialogue, understanding and mutual respect. Let us advance against the forces of division and unite for our shared future.” November 21-29 is “Social Inclusion Week”, which […]

Psychologist Q&A: Counselling Indigenous Clients

Q. I am a non-Indigenous practitioner counselling Indigenous clients. Can I really do this effectively and what is the best way for a non-Indigenous therapist to counsel Indigenous clients? A. Many non-Indigenous practitioners “genuinely struggle” when working with Aboriginal people. They may lack the degree of cultural competence necessary to effectively counsel Indigenous clients (i.e. […]

Common Stages of Disaster Recovery

Disasters and mass disruptive events can be extremely unpredictable and chaotic. Even though that is a valid characterisation of catastrophe, disaster experts have discerned a general pattern or cycle of phases that a community and the individuals in it go through from the time of impact of a disaster to establishing a newly reconstructed life. […]

Core Actions of Psychological First Aid

In the first video of this two-part series (Principles of Psychological First Aid), Richard Hill looked at the five principles that are the basis for all Psychological First Aid: that is, promoting safety, calmness, self-efficacy, connectedness, and hope. In this talk, Richard will be putting you into the field: that is, the explorations will take […]

Principles of Psychological First Aid

Psychological First Aid is a means of providing psychosocial support to individuals and families immediately after a disaster, terrorist or traumatic event, or other emergency. It consists of a set of helping actions which are systematically undertaken in order to reduce initial post-trauma distress and to support short- and long-term adaptive functioning. Based on the […]