Unit rationale, description and aim
Culturally responsive mental health practice is essential for supporting the social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and for ensuring mental health professionals work in culturally safe and respectful ways. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander conceptions of wellbeing emphasise the interconnectedness of culture, Country, community, family and spirituality, alongside traditions of resilience and continuity. At the same time, mental health practice must be understood in the context of colonisation, dispossession, systemic racism and intergenerational trauma, which continue to shape experiences of mental distress, help‑seeking, service access and outcomes.
This unit examines culturally responsive mental health practice, grounded in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, being and doing and social and emotional wellbeing frameworks. Students explore how historical, social and policy contexts shape practice and how systems and services can enable or constrain culturally responsive practice. The unit emphasises reflective and relational practice, including cultural humility, reflexivity, ethical responsibility, and awareness of roles, power and limits. Students examine implications for assessment, formulation, communication and shared decision‑making, and the importance of working in respectful partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, communities, services and Cultural Advisors.
The aim of this unit is to equip students to apply culturally responsive approaches that promote cultural safety, respect and accountability in mental health practice.
Campus offering
No unit offerings are currently available for this unit.Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
Critically analyse the implications of Aboriginal ...
Learning Outcome 01
Critically evaluate how colonisation, systemic rac...
Learning Outcome 02
Apply culturally responsive and relational approac...
Learning Outcome 03
Critically evaluate practice responses and profess...
Learning Outcome 04
Content
Topics will include:
Social and emotional wellbeing and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, being and doing
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social and emotional wellbeing concepts and domains
- Ways of knowing, being and doing, including culture, country, family, community and spirituality
- Strengths‑based perspectives, including cultural continuity, identity, belonging and resilience
Historical, social and systemic contexts shaping social and emotional wellbeing
- Colonisation, dispossession and systemic racism
- Trauma: historical, intergenerational, developmental, collective/community and institutional/systemic
- Social determinants, policy contexts, self‑determination and community control in mental health responses
- Help‑seeking and service engagement, including trust‑building and culturally safe pathways
Cultural safety, cultural humility and critical reflexivity in mental health practice
- Cultural safety as defined by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, including accountability and responsibility
- Cultural humility, reflexivity and professional positioning, including power, privilege and limits
- Ethical practice, scope and avoiding harm in culturally responsive mental health work
Relational practice and culturally responsive communication
- Relational approaches to engagement grounded in respect, trust and deep listening
- Culturally responsive communication to support shared decision‑making
- Working respectfully with individuals, families, and communities
- Language, interpreters and health literacy in culturally safe communication
Social and emotional wellbeing‑informed assessment, formulation and recovery planning
- Assessment informed by social and emotional wellbeing domains and cultural context
- Cultural safety in crisis, risk assessment and acute care contexts
- Formulation integrating history, culture, strengths, determinants and service‑system influences
- Collaborative recovery planning aligned with strengths and community‑led supports
Working in respectful partnership and across systems
- Partnering with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, communities and services
- Roles of Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations and Cultural Advisors
- Referral pathways, coordination and advocacy that respect cultural governance
Accountability, reflection and culturally responsive systems
- Indicators of culturally safe and responsive practice
- Service-level cultural safety systems: policy, quality improvement, feedback/complaints and culturally meaningful data
- Identifying and addressing institutional racism and cultural safety risks
- Cultural load, vicarious trauma and workforce wellbeing
- Reflective practice, culturally informed supervision and accountability to communities
Assessment strategy and rationale
To pass this unit, students must attempt and submit both assessment tasks, demonstrate achievement of every unit learning outcome, and obtain a minimum mark of 50%.
The assessment strategy for this unit is designed to support the progressive development of advanced knowledge, reflexivity and professional judgement required for culturally responsive mental health practice with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. Assessment 1 focuses on critical analysis of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social and emotional wellbeing frameworks and the historical, social and service‑system contexts that shape mental health experiences, help‑seeking and service engagement (LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4). This task supports students to critically examine the implications of these frameworks and contexts for culturally responsive mental health practice. Assessment 2 builds on this foundation by requiring students to apply culturally responsive approaches to assessment, formulation, communication and shared decision‑making, and to critically evaluate their professional positioning to identify appropriate and accountable practice responses (LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4). This task emphasises reflexivity, ethical responsibility and systems awareness, reflecting the realities of contemporary mental health practice.
Overview of assessments
Assessment 1: Critical analysis Students cr...
Assessment 1: Critical analysis
Students critically analyse Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social and emotional wellbeing frameworks and relevant historical, social and service‑system factors to examine implications for culturally responsive mental health practice.
50%
Assessment 2: Culturally Responsive Practice Resp...
Assessment 2: Culturally Responsive Practice Response
Students apply culturally responsive approaches to assessment, formulation, communication and shared decision‑making, and critically evaluate their professional positioning to identify accountable actions that strengthen cultural responsiveness, equity and ethical practice in mental health services.
50%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
The unit has been co-designed in collaboration with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Advisors. Learning and teaching strategies utilised in this unit will support students in meeting the aim and achieving the learning outcomes relevant to this unit, as well as to the broader course learning outcomes. This unit uses an active learning approach to support students in the exploration of knowledge essential to culturally responsive practice with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. Delivered as fully online, asynchronous learning allows students to learn at their own pace within the parameters of the teaching term. Weekly modules are structured around an inquiry cycle (engage, explore, apply and reflect) that guides students from key concepts and evidence to analysis of authentic scenarios. Learning is further supported through facilitated asynchronous discussion forums, weekly online drop-in sessions, and an online assessment session for each assessment task, which will be co-facilitated by Indigenous and non-Indigenous staff. The discussion forums provide students with activities that encourage students to critically discuss concepts, share practice-based examples (including from their own professional contexts), and provide constructive peer feedback. These activities are designed to build a learning community and deepen critical reflection in a supported online environment. Students receive regular and timely feedback on their learning, which includes information on their progress.