Mental Health Rights Manual
An online guide to help explain your legal and human rights in the mental health and human services systems in New South Wales.
Read moreRecovery Oriented Language Guide
Words are important. The language we use and the stories we tell have great significance to all involved.
See the guide
We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we live, learn and work – the lands of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. This resource has been produced to help carers, supporters and organisational leaders in mental health services, work collaboratively and respectfully with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
For those working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the community, mental health workers, carers, supporters and organisational leaders, it is critical that organisational culture and practice approaches are culturally safe and sensitive.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people disproportionately experience significant mental health and psychosocial disability from a history of colonisation, oppression, racism and discrimination. Having an understanding and being aware of the cultural norms and values, and the experiences of trauma and loss, is critical for organisations and workers to more effectively support the social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their communities.
It is always best to deliver support services with people from the same cultural background as those they support. However, where this is not possible, the range of resources below will assist non-Aboriginal workers to better engage, communicate and support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
If there is a resource you would like added to this list, please email to let us know.
Working Collaboratively with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Hub from Reimagine.today
Reimagine.today is a web resource to help people living with mental health conditions to access the National Disability Insurance Scheme. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Hub, a part of the website, was co-designed with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with lived experience of mental health concerns, and their mobs.
An e-Learning component is available for workers that may be new or continuing their learning for working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities. It was built from a lived experience perspective, using the advice given by people in the Cherbourg community in Queensland. The Hub also contains information, stories and yarns in Pitjantjatjara, Torres Straits Creole, Walpiri, Western Arrernte and Yolngu.
Aboriginal People in NSW living with mental health conditions
This chapter of MHCC’s Mental Health Rights Manual highlights mechanisms and services that are available to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to maximise their access to mental health care, treatment and support in NSW.
Find information on racial discrimination, why it is important to consider culture in relation to mental health, support services for Aboriginal people with mental health conditions, Stolen Generation issues: reparations, healing and tracking down lost relatives, and more.
The ‘Aboriginal and Islander Mental Health Initiative’ from Menzie’s School of Health Research provides a great range of resources to build resilience and address healing through strengths-based approaches to wellbeing and mental health promotion and treatment.
The Healing Foundation has a number of resources on trauma and healing, bringing together information about what is working in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander healing and provides culturally appropriate information for workers.
Training resources from WellMob support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community workers to look after their own wellbeing and support non-Indigenous workers who want to learn more about culturally safe practices.
A range of resources from Emerging Minds to support workers with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living with a mental health condition. Includes videos, fact-sheets, online learning modules and more.
A video series and discussion guide designed to assist organisations and individual workers in gaining knowledge and skills in working with Aboriginal people.
This page provides an overview of factors that affect the social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and includes links to specific mental health problems.
