2009 Bursary recipient: Natasha Perry
Natasha Perry, 2009 Bursary recipient
The Bendi Lango bursary has had a significant impact on my life since commencing post-graduate study. The financial assistance allows me to have peace of mind that I am still able to maintain quality of life whilst studying. As studying takes up a vast amount of time both with course work and placements, the bursary reduces the pressure to continue with paid employment. This then allows me to concentrate further on my studies. The bursary allows me to continue voluntary placements in a full-time capacity without having to focus on earning an income. This enables me to continue the degree at a full-time capacity rather than stretching it out to part-time. By remaining full-time I am able to earn a living at the end of my degree, sooner.
Moreover, the bursary has given me the freedom to undertake more specific placements in line with my learning goals. I am now in Alice Springs completing a six-week placement here in Indigenous mental health. Having the additional financial assistance allows me to take leave of absence from work without worrying about finances. The living allowance enables me to meet all of my necessary livings essentials.
Since being supported by Bendi Lango I have been able to further enhance my learning and transfer to the Doctorate of Clinical and Health Psychology. This means that I am not only about to focus on clinical psychology but also on health, which impacts significantly on social and emotional well-being among the Indigenous community.
I am extremely grateful and proud to have such support by Bendi Lango and the Australian Psychological Society. Bendi Lango allowed me to commence and to continue my tertiary education. I am looking forward to learning more about clinical and health psychology to be able to better assist those in need of services.
2008 Bursary recipient: Graham Gee
Graham Gee, 2008 Bursary recipient
With a family to support there is no way I could have committed to full-time postgraduate study in 2008 and 2009 without the support of the Bendi Lango bursary. I would have been resigned to doing the whole degree part-time, a long process indeed.
That was an important period because it was when I first understood and began to take seriously the idea that things like culture, historical context, and policy are major factors that contribute to people's mental, social and emotional well being, or lack of. This is true, I believe, for all populations, and is particularly relevant for minority groups such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (among others).
During that period I also became involved with the Australian Indigenous Psychologists Association (AIPA), an organisation that is trying to increase the number of Indigenous trained psychologists, and promote the importance of developing cultural competence when working with Indigenous Australians in urban, regional and remote areas.
The Bendi Lango support for my two years of clinical psychology training and my continuing time on the steering committee of AIPA has helped to develop my professional skills, and along with my counselling work, has provided a basis for me to begin my PhD research on Resilience to Trauma. Part of this research involves investigating the way in which strength and protective factors such as cultural identity, social support, and having a sense of control in one's community and personal life, directly contributes to resilience and greater health outcomes within the context of significant trauma exposure.
At the end of 2009 I was asked to be on the Board of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Healing Foundation. The aims of the Foundation are to support the development of successful healing initiatives for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, to promote healing and provide skills training in the prevention and treatment of trauma, and to conduct community-driven, culturally-appropriate research and evaluation about what works. This has been some of the most meaningful and important work of my life, and I'm grateful to the Bendi Lango bursary for being a part of what has enabled me to work in this capacity.
2007 Bursary recipient: Belle Glaskin
Belle Glaskin, 2007 Bursary recipient
My name is Belle and I am a young Nyungar woman. My family descends from Bibulmun people from the South West of Western Australia, and my grandmother also has connections in Wongi country in the Goldfields.
Throughout my school years it never occurred to me that I wanted to be a psychologist, however I always knew that I wanted to “help people”. Following a death of a friend from suicide, I wanted to learn more about mental illness and decided to move to Perth to study psychology. While studying my undergraduate degree I was fortunate to work part time for Dr Tracy Westerman at Indigenous Psychological Services under the National Indigenous Cadetship Program. It was during this time that I became interested in trauma and social and emotional wellbeing. I particularly wanted to learn more about the impact of generations of trauma on Aboriginal communities and the ways in which Aboriginal people cope with trauma. It therefore made sense to continue to post graduate studies to begin acquiring the skills and knowledge necessary to work with people with trauma.
I feel extremely lucky to be awarded the first ever Bendi Lango scholarship because of what it represents – the APS is acknowledging the importance of supporting Indigenous students and the need for there to be more Indigenous psychologists working in the community. The financial support of the APS has been a lifeline for me while studying my Masters. It means that I am able to devote my time to full-time study, rather than working part-time to support myself. Without this scholarship I am unsure whether I would have been able to remain in the course.
My experience in the Masters program at Curtin University has been really positive. I have really enjoyed developing my clinical skills and knowledge, however it has been difficult at times. The majority of the course content does not include cultural perspectives on mental health and therapy, therefore certain approaches or skills being taught are not always appropriate when working with Indigenous people. On the positive side, because of the obvious absence of cultural perspectives in the curriculum, I have found that other students are extremely forthcoming and appreciative in learning more about Indigenous culture. It is encouraging to know that new psychologists are recognising the importance of learning culturally appropriate ways of working with Indigenous people and are wanting to learn these skills in the Masters program.