- UTS hosted a HoDSPA & AIPEP Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health workshop focused on creating and sustaining cultural change in psychology education and representation
- The workshop was conducted by Associate Professor Gregory Phillips and featured presentations from esteemed colleagues Professors Pat Dudgeon, and Nigel Bond.
- Attendees discussed strategies to better integrate Indigenous knowledge and content into undergraduate and postgraduate psychology training
An important workshop focused on creating and sustaining cultural change within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander psychology education and representation in Australia was hosted today by the UTS Graduate School of Health.
The workshop was headlined by Associate Professor Gregory Phillips of AbStarr and others from the AIPEP (Australian Indigenous Psychology Education Project) who have worked extensively to address the under-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the profession of psychology; and the under-preparedness of psychology graduates for working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The Australian Psychological Society (APS) was represented by Professor Sabine Hammond.
Head of UTS Clinical Psychology at the Graduate School of Health Professor Ian Kneebone said it was an honour to welcome such esteemed colleagues to the university for this important inaugural workshop.
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“This event reflects UTS’s whole-of-university approach to promoting Indigenous education and employment," said Professor Kneebone.
Professor Kneebone also announced that the Graduate School of Health has confirmed the appointment of two Indigenous staff members and two PhD stipends, which will in part support its objective for not only the discipline of clinical psychology but also orthoptics, pharmacy and physiotherapy to include Indigenous content by the end of 2017.
AIPEP was first established and funded in 2013 with three principal aims: to better integrate Indigenous knowledge and content in undergraduate and postgraduate psychology training; to identify current and best practice for the recruitment and retention of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander psychology students; and to enhance the professional development of psychology graduates to ensure that they are equipped with the workforce capabilities required for appropriate and effective work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the community.
At the workshop, Associate Professor Gregory Phillips outlined a number of key recommendations to address the project’s central mission. These included the development of inclusive curriculums reflecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledges and realities (including Australia’s Indigenous and colonial history and its lasting health impacts); the creation of pathways, financial incentives and support services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander psychology students; the elevation and promotion of role models in the field; and the rejection of racism in all its forms through improved cultural engagement and cultural safety strategies.
Professor Phillips noted that whilst there is considerable interest and support for cultural change in the psychology education sector, there remains a clear need to for co-ordination of practical solutions to move this forward into action consistently across the sector.
Ultimately the workshop concluded that incorporating Indigenous knowledge of health care into psychology training will strengthen the Australian healthcare system, resulting in better health care for all Australians.