Providing culturally informed mental health services to Aboriginal youth: The YouthLink model in Western Australia

Abstract

Through a strong role of Aboriginal practitioners, relationships with Aboriginal communities, and greater service flexibility that embraces cultural meaning and knowledge, YouthLink has sought to enhance its response to the needs of Aboriginal youth.

A scoping review about social and emotional wellbeing programs and services targeting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people in Australia: understanding the principles guiding promising practice

“…Aboriginal cultures are often collectivistic. Therefore, the mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health and wellbeing of the whole community is vital for the health and wellbeing of the individuals that comprise it [ 9 , 30 , 33 , 34 , 36 – 42 , 46 ]. Drawing on this, an all-inclusive and multidisciplinary approach based on the restoration of harmony and balance, rather than the reduction of symptoms or restoring of function, was identified as a significant factor in developing resilience, life skills, and improved SEWB [ 16 , 34 , 47 , 48 ].…”

“…Therefore, the mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health and wellbeing of the whole community is vital for the health and wellbeing of the individuals that comprise it [ 9 , 30 , 33 , 34 , 36 – 42 , 46 ]. Drawing on this, an all-inclusive and multidisciplinary approach based on the restoration of harmony and balance, rather than the reduction of symptoms or restoring of function, was identified as a significant factor in developing resilience, life skills, and improved SEWB [ 16 , 34 , 47 , 48 ]. Studies indicated that programs should address social, emotional, physical, spiritual, and cultural needs through a focus on familial and community interconnectedness as well as connections to the environment and the spiritual realm [ 8 , 49 , 50 ].…”

“…They also resulted in feelings of mistrust and discomfort; a lack of meaningful communication and engagement with health service providers; non-disclosure of information to staff; misdiagnosis or inappropriate treatment; and non-adherence with treatments/program [ 9 ]. To build trust and respectful relationships with clients, and thus improving access to services, studies highlighted the need for staff cultural education of Aboriginal history; placements within Aboriginal organisations; and mentoring with Aboriginal Elders or staff [ 16 , 34 , 57 , 58 ], “I was going to a doctor in Cleveland, and I didn’t feel comfortable there, but being here, where there’s other Aboriginal people around, yeah I felt so comfortable when I came here the first time … there were Aboriginal nurses as well … and you could relate to them a bit more. As if you’re talking to your own daughters or sisters” ([ 57 ]:62).…”

Intensive community treatment and support “Youth Wraparound” service in Western Australia: A case and feasibility study

“…Self‐reported change during therapy was captured with the outcome rating scales (ORS) (Miller, ; Miller, Duncan, Brown, Sparks, & Claud, ), which collects self‐reported information during therapy session via an electronic tablet. This brief questionnaire assesses self‐reported client functioning and well‐being, and is designed to evaluate progress made through the course of therapy, and has reliability in young marginalized people (Sabbioni et al, ).…”

“…Single-case study approaches rely on a visual inspection of graphed data (allowing an analysis of a change in the rate and level of change), together with inferential statistics (Nock, Michel, & Photos, 2007;Smith, 2012 Self-reported change during therapy was captured with the outcome rating scales (ORS) (Miller, 2014;Miller, Duncan, Brown, Sparks, & Claud, 2003), which collects self-reported information during therapy session via an electronic tablet. This brief questionnaire assesses self-reported client functioning and well-being, and is designed to evaluate progress made through the course of therapy, and has reliability in young marginalized people (Sabbioni et al, 2018).…”