Lynore Geia

Yarning/Aboriginal storytelling: towards an understanding of an Indigenous perspective and its implications for research practice.

Abstract There is increasing recognition of Indigenous perspectives from various parts of the world in relation to storytelling, research and its effects on practice. The recent emergence of storytelling or yarning as a research method in Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island studies and other Indigenous peoples of the world is gaining momentum. Narratives, stories, storytelling and yarning are emerging methods in research and has wide ranging potential to shape conventional research discourse making research more meaningful and accessible for researchers. In this paper we argue for the importance of Indigenous research methods and Indigenous method(ology), within collaborative respectful partnerships with non- Indigenous researchers. It is imperative to take these challenging steps together towards better outcomes for Indigenous people and their communities. In the Australian context we as researchers cannot afford to allow the gap between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and mainstream Australia health outcomes to grow even wider. One such pathway is the inclusion of Aboriginal storytelling or yarning from an Aboriginal and Torres Strait perspective within Indigenous and non-Indigenous research paradigms. Utilising Aboriginal storytelling or yarning will provide deeper understanding; complementing a twoway research paradigm for collaborative research. Furthermore, it has significant social implications for research and clinical practice amongst Indigenous populations; thus complementing the biomedical medical paradigm.

Amazingly resilient Indigenous people! Using transformative learning to facilitate positive student engagement with sensitive material

Abstract If health professionals are to effectively contribute to improving the health of Indigenous people, understanding of the historical, political, and social disadvantage that has lead to health disparity is essential. This paper describes a teaching and learning experience in which four Australian Indigenous academics in collaboration with a non-Indigenous colleague delivered an intensive workshop for masters level post-graduate students. Drawing upon the paedagogy of Transformative Learning, the objectives of the day included facilitating students to explore their existing understandings of Indigenous people, the impact of ongoing colonisation, the diversity of Australia’s Indigenous people, and developing respect for alternative worldviews. Drawing on a range of resources including personal stories, autobiography, film and interactive sessions, students were challenged intellectually and emotionally by the content. Students experienced the workshop as a significant educational event, and described feeling transformed by the content, better informed, more appreciative of other worldviews and Indigenous resilience and better equipped to contribute in a more meaningful way to improving the quality of health care for Indigenous people. Where this workshop differs from other Indigenous classes was in the involvement of an Indigenous teaching team. Rather than a lone academic who can often feel vulnerable teaching a large cohort of non-Indigenous students, an Indigenous teaching team reinforced Indigenous authority and created an emotionally and culturally safe space within which students were allowed to confront and explore difficult truths. Findings support the value of multiple teaching strategies underpinned by the theory of transformational learning, and the potential benefits of facilitating emotional as well as intellectual student engagement when presenting sensitive material.

#IHMayDay: tweeting for empowerment and social and emotional wellbeing.

Objective: This paper examines the themes of #IHMayDay, a day-long Twitter discussion about Indigenous health led by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on 1 May 2014. Method: The Symplur analytics tool was used to identify the Twitter activity associated with #IHMayDay. This paper reviews the content of 423 tweets that were tweeted and retweeted by 346 individuals and 108 organisations. Results: Issues related to social and emotional wellbeing were dominant, and the analysis highlights the empowering nature of the strengths-based discourse. Conclusions: Twitter-based events such as #IHMayDay and initiatives such as the rotated, curated account @IndigenousX are powerful platforms for learning, exchange, advocacy and dialogue about the social and emotional wellbeing and mental health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Narratives of Twitter as a Platform for Professional Development, Innovation, and Advocacy

Objective To explore why and how Twitter engagement may be useful for health professionals with an interest in decolonising practice and for supporting the social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB) of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Method A narrative methodology is used to explore innovative uses of Twitter with relevance to the SEWB of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The authors present their personal and professional stories of engagement with Twitter as three inter‐related case studies. Results Thematic analysis of these narratives found that Twitter is enabling Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to share their stories and experiences, and to develop new connections and collaborations for change. It provides a platform for reflexivity, reciprocity, relationship‐building, strengths‐based learning and practice, advocacy, and other elements of decolonising practice. Conclusion Engaging with Twitter offers psychologists and other health professionals an opportunity for improving their understanding of the complexity of factors affecting the SEWB of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and for developing their professional practice into new spheres.

Assessing violence risk with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offenders: considerations for forensic practice

Forensic professionals and courts have frequently expressed concern about the susceptibility of contemporary risk assessment tools to cultural bias. Furthermore, progress in the development of valid methods of assessment for offenders who identify from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural backgrounds has been slow. This paper considers how cultural perspectives on risk are essential to the development of assessment methods that have greater validity and acceptance by both courts and the community. This will involve considering the social, cultural and political determinants of risk in each cultural group and the identification of those risk factors that are most relevant to forensic decision-making.

Adolescent and young adult substance use in Australian Indigenous communities: a systematic review of demand control program outcomes

Objective: Identifying preventative approaches to substance use in Indigenous communities is the foundation for developing evidence‐based responses. This study reports the findings of a systematic review of the published literature evaluating the impact of substance use programs on Australian Indigenous youth.

Addressing perinatal mental health issues for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island parents and their families: Working towards better maternity outcomes

The disparities between birth outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island mothers compared with the wider Australian population have far reaching sequelae that most mainstream Australian health services are not able to address (FergusonHill, 2010; Makregiorgos, Joubert, & Epstein, 2013; Milgrom et al., 2008). Families have always been, and, still are the functional unit and foundational living environment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people along with their childrearing practices (Geia, Hayes, & Usher, 2011). Pregnancy and birth are major life changing events for the expectant parents and the family. Perinatal mental health morbidity is a significant public health issue that not only directly affects the mother and baby, it also negatively impacts on the rest of the family members as well as the wider Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island community (Austin, Reilly, Milgrom, & Barnett, 2010; Yelland, Sutherland, Wiebe, & Brown, 2009). Women tend to position their relationships with others as central to their sense of self and wellbeing (Kayser & Sormanti, 2002), and appraise themselves based upon their ability to nurture others. Therefore if mothering is disrupted there can be significant consequences for how a woman perceives herself (Power, 2012). Disruption makes it difficult to fulfil cultural ideals and ideologies which may have serious and long-term repercussions for women, their children and their families (Becker, 1997; Jackson, 2000; Power, 2012; Vallido, Wilkes, Carter, & Jackson, 2010). Nationally acclaimed beyondblue (2008) acknowledge the possible sequelae from perinatal mental health morbidity recognising that; ... vulnerability to psychological distress and disorder is accentuated in the perinatal period not only for the mother, EDITORIAL Addressing perinatal mental health issues for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island parents and their families: Working towards better maternity outcomes

Creating connections: Enhancing Indigenous education through collaboration

It was heartening that the call for papers for this special edition attracted so many quality papers focused on education. Not only is this focus from the health delivery level it is now espoused at Australian Federal and State Governments, the need for Indigenous people to access quality education as intrinsic to improving Indigenous health at every level is paramount. This includes educating and empowering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in addition to educating non-Indigenous people about Indigenous culture and history. The commitment to producing culturally competent health professionals was reflected in the papers by Virdun, Gray, Sherwood, Power, Phillips, Parker, and Jackson (2013), Jackson, Power, Sherwood, and Geia (2013) and Thackrah and Thompson (2013). Virdun et al. (2013) reported on an alliance formed between Indigenous and non-Indigenous academics to create safe collaboration spaces that facilitated the sensitive design of health care curricula. These academics have made producing culturally competent health professionals a faculty priority, through the introduction of an Indigenous graduate attribute. The commitment to producing culturally competent health professionals is reflected in the way this graduate attribute sits at a course rather than a subject level. This means that every health course must address the Indigenous graduate attribute and it is not relegated to a single core Indigenous health subject. Continuing with the theme of Indigenous and non-Indigenous academic collaboration, Jackson, Power, Sherwood, and Geia (2013) provided evidence that an intensive workshop facilitated by a EDITORIAL Creating connections: Enhancing Indigenous education through collaborationIt was heartening that the call for papers for this special edition attracted so many quality papers focused on education. Not only is this focus from the health delivery level it is now espoused at Australian Federal and State Governments, the need for Indigenous people to access quality education as intrinsic to improving Indigenous health at every level is paramount. This includes educating and empowering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in addition to educating non-Indigenous people about Indigenous culture and history.The commitment to producing culturally com- petent health professionals was reflected in the papers by Virdun, Gray, Sherwood, Power, Phillips, Parker, and Jackson (2013), Jackson, Power, Sherwood, and Geia (2013) and Thackrah and Thompson (2013). Virdun et al. (2013) reported on an alliance formed between Indigenous and non-Indigenous academics to create safe collabo- ration spaces that facilitated the sensitive design of health care curricula. These academics have made producing culturally competent health profession- als a faculty priority, through the introduction of an Indigenous graduate attribute. The commit- ment to producing culturally competent health professionals is reflected in the way this graduate attribute sits at a course rather than a subject level. This means that every health course must address the Indigenous graduate attribute and it is not rel- egated to a single core Indigenous health subject.Continuing with the theme of Indigenous and non-Indigenous academic collaboration, Jackson, Power, Sherwood, and Geia (2013) provided evi- dence that an intensive workshop facilitated by a team of Indigenous academics had the power to transform the perceptions about Indigenous people, held by a large Masters level postgraduate class. The evidence drawn from both solicited and un-solicited feedback from students reveals the power of personal stories and the value of engaging students emotion- ally as well as intellectually with Indigenous content.The success of Jackson et al.s (2013) use of trans- formational learning and Indigenous team teach- ing is remarkable when you compare it to findings by Thackrah and Thompson (2013). Observing an undergraduate midwifery class engage with Indigenous content, taught by a non-Indigenous academic, Thackrah and Thompson (2013) reported this style of content delivery failed to address issues of racism in the class. Validating the approach taken by Virdun et al. (2013) these authors also concluded that Indigenous health should be threaded through- out curricula rather than siloed to a single subject.It is widely acknowledged that increasing par- ticipation of Indigenous people in the health dis- ciplines is crucial to improving Indigenous health. In response to a limited increase in the numbers of enrollments and completions of a pre-r egistration Bachelor of Nursing course by Indigenous students, West, Usher, Foster, Buettner, and Stewart (2013) compared completion rates of non-Indigenous and Indigenous students and explored barriers and enablers to successful graduation. Enablers to suc- cessful graduation included individual student characteristics, Indigenous academic leadership, understanding of inequity from non-Indigenous aca- demics, and sustainable relationships that spanned family and community and university and industry. Indigenous Education Support Units were found to be intrinsic to success as they provided a network of Indigenous people and links to community.Furthermore, in response to low completion rates of a nursing degree by Indigenous students, Felton- Busch et al. (2013) reported on a research team comprised of local and Indigenous members, using mentoring circles to enhance self reflection, time management, and communication. …

Epilogue: Indigenous special editions – benefitting a community of scholars

According to Contemporary Nurse Journal, ‘the goal of running special issues in Contemporary Nurse Journal is to provide a coherent outlet for high quality research in a coherent thematic area of topical or practical significance’. Special editions represent a convenient reservoir of research, easily accessible to those interested in the field. When preparing papers for this special edition it was remarkable how often papers from the previous 2011 special edition, ‘Advances in Contemporary Indigenous Health Care (2nd ed.) Vol. 37/1’ featured in our literature searches. Across diverse databases, papers from that single edition recurred and recurred in search results. Reflecting upon this made us realise that this current special edition will serve several purposes. As intended by Contemporary Nurse Journal, special editions amalgamate papers under a theme. However, special editions also unite a community of scholars working towards a common goal. In this case, the voices of Indigenous researchers have been combined, privileged and amplified. A particular source of editorial pride stems from the fact that the majority of papers in this special edition were authored or co-authored by Indigenous scholars. The volume of Indigenousled research scholarship in Australia is steadily increasing, as Indigenous communities move beyond being researched upon, to increasing selfdetermination and self direction, taking control of our own research agenda. Having an Indigenous editorial team in a mainstream journal, further contributes to Indigenous perspectives shaping the EPILOGUE Indigenous special editions – benefitting a community of scholars