Other · 2000
Social and Emotional Wellbeing (SEWB)
To heal is to reconnect: with the country, the history and the relationships that give meaning to who you are.
The Social and Emotional Wellbeing (SEWB) framework is the Australian Indigenous reference point for understanding mental health and wellbeing. Psychological health is understood as a balance between interconnected dimensions: connection to land, culture, spirituality, family, community and collective identity. Suffering is conceptualised as a rupture of these connections, frequently associated with historical trauma, colonisation, cultural loss and social exclusion. Intervention gives priority to relational, community-based and culturally safe approaches: narratives, rituals, community support and practices of cultural reconnection. Change is conceived as the restoration of bonds, dignity and continuity of identity, rather than as individual treatment of symptoms.
Influences
- Australian Indigenous world views
- Indigenous mental health
- Historical and transgenerational trauma
- Relationship with land and community
- Community and relational psychotherapy
- Cultural safety
Key references
- Gee, G., Dudgeon, P., Schultz, C., Hart, A., & Kelly, K. (2014). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social and Emotional Wellbeing. Commonwealth of Australia.
- Dudgeon, P., Milroy, H., & Walker, R. (Eds.). (2014). Working Together: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health and Wellbeing Principles and Practice.
- Australian Government Department of Health. (2017). National Strategic Framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ Mental Health and Social and Emotional Wellbeing.