Generally, a mainstream understanding of health is applied when mental health (illness) presentations are considered, assessed, and treated using a biomedical Western perspective and standpoint (Wilson & Waqanaviti 2021). This chapter explores mental health through an alternative First Nations lens, that of social and emotional well-being (SEWB). While there is a scarcity of national data that specifically measure the social and emotional well-being of First Nations people, data that are available paint a consistent picture: one of much higher rates of use of mental health services by First Nations people, compared to other Australians (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare [AIHW], 2009).This chapter sets the context for further discussion regarding First Nations people and explores issues relating to social and emotional well-being and mental health. Colonisation and its history are discussed, as well as the subsequent decimation/devastation that followed and continues today. The resilience and struggle that has taken place, along with cultural recognition and renewal, ultimately shapes the present.

Generally, a mainstream understanding of health is applied when mental health (illness) presentations are considered, assessed, and treated using a biomedical Western perspective and standpoint (Wilson & Waqanaviti 2021). This chapter explores mental health through an alternative First Nations lens, that of social and emotional well-being (SEWB). While there is a scarcity of national data that specifically measure the social and emotional well-being of First Nations people, data that are available paint a consistent picture: one of much higher rates of use of mental health services by First Nations people, compared to other Australians (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare [AIHW], 2009).This chapter sets the context for further discussion regarding First Nations people and explores issues relating to social and emotional well-being and mental health. Colonisation and its history are discussed, as well as the subsequent decimation/devastation that followed and continues today. The resilience and struggle that has taken place, along with cultural recognition and renewal, ultimately shapes the present.

In Australia, the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous mental health and well-being is a major human rights issue, and escalating suicide rates represent a national emergency. This chapter describes the Australian human rights context and developments within the discipline and profession of psychology to address these inequities, with the reconciliation action plan developed by the Australian Psychological Society (APS) as one commitment to change. The focus on respectful relationships, cultural safety, and promoting self-determination is part of the background leading to the APS apology to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The apology highlighted the importance of a commitment by all psychologists to reconciliation and to modifying their attitudes and work practices to ensure a culturally appropriate, responsive, and safe workforce. The Australian Indigenous Psychology Education Project (AIPEP) represents a focus on the education and employment of the psychology workforce and illustrates collaboration with key stakeholders in psychology education to provide frameworks and guidelines for embedding cultural awareness, responsiveness, and competence throughout all psychology education.