Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men's groups

Domain V · Systemic, relational, group & community · 2013 · Australia

What it is

These are not a therapy or a manualised programme. They are a family of community-owned, community-led healing initiatives for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men. Formats include men's groups, camps on Country, cultural revival, yarning circles, counselling, behaviour-change groups,…

Format

• Wurrumiyanga (Tiwi): counselling, group programs, yarning circles, community events and cultural camps on Country.
• Ngukurr (Men's Cultural Healing Program): a safe-space group offering counselling, social and emotional wellbeing support and advocacy, with cultural camps where Elders shared knowledge.

Evidence status, as the guide reports it

• Who holds cultural authority. Cultural authority rests with the local Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander men, Elders and Traditional Owners of each community, and with the community-controlled organisation that hosts the group. Examples are the Malabam Health Board at Maningrida, Dardi…

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Does it involve fasting, a special diet or 'detox'? Have you discussed this with your doctor?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• How do you and the practitioner understand what is happening, in spiritual or cultural terms? Is that a source of comfort, worry, or both?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• clinical services treating cultural absence as non-adherence.
• lists without action. It is working when actions are completed and reported back.
• shame about seeing a counsellor. It is working when men self-refer and bring others.
• burnout in a few leaders. It is working when the group is consulted by agencies in its own right.
• extracting knowledge without return. It is working when local workers run the reflection themselves.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.