Country revealing the way: evaluating Elder-governed cultural therapy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people with mental health conditions

Objectives

To assess the effectiveness of an Elder-governed cultural therapy program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people with mental health conditions.

Study design

A cultural therapy program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people was designed, delivered and qualitatively evaluated.

Setting

The cultural therapy was conducted in two locations: Royal Park, a traditional camping area for members of the Kulin Nation adjacent to the Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne; and a psychology and animal-assisted therapy practice located on a rural property 50 km north-west of Melbourne.

Participants

Twenty Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people aged 7–18 years with mental health conditions completed the cultural therapy program between October 2021 and April 2024.

Main outcome measures

Yarns were conducted with the young people, their parent or carer and the cultural therapist before, immediately after and 3 months following completion of the therapy. In addition, fieldnotes and photographs were used to record the sessions. Effectiveness of the cultural therapy was assessed based on participation and engagement of the young person in the cultural therapy; their social and emotional wellbeing over the course of the cultural therapy; and their social and emotional wellbeing 3 months after completion of the cultural therapy.

Results

All participants willingly attended and actively engaged in the cultural therapy. Social and emotional wellbeing of participants improved over the course of the cultural therapy, and 3-month follow-up sessions revealed these improvements to be lasting. Centring Aboriginal ways of knowing, doing and being and actively engaging Country as a co-therapist were key to the effectiveness of the therapy.

Conclusion

The cultural therapy was found to be beneficial for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people with mental health conditions and should be offered alongside but separate from Western mental health management.