Rainbow Mandala Clinic acknowledges, with deep respect, the Traditional Custodians of the country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community.
We pay our respects to their culture, and their elders past and present, and extend this respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today. We recognise a history of truth which acknowledges the impacts of colonisation on Aboriginal people resulting in the forcible removal from their lands.
We stand for a future that profoundly respects and acknowledges Aboriginal perspectives, culture, language and history.
We are deeply grateful for all that Aboriginal people have taught us, and continue to seek their teachings with openness and humility.
RMC stands against the forcible removal of Peoples from their ancestral land and acknowledges the pain of intergenerational trauma, Complex Trauma, loss of identify, family, culture and homes and physical pain perpetuated by past and current colonisation.
Acknowledgement of Country, by Phil, Accredited Social Work Practitioner and Clinical Director.
Cultural safety is determined by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals,
families and communities.
Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) statement
The Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) statement
The Continuous Improvement Cultural Responsiveness Tools
(CICRT): Creating More Culturally Responsive Social Workers.
Bindi Bennett & Claire Morse (2023) The Continuous Improvement Cultural
Responsiveness Tools (CICRT): Creating More Culturally Responsive Social Workers, Australian
Social Work, 76:3, 315-329,
Five principles of cultural safety as defined by AHPRA
To ensure culturally safe and respectful practice, health practitioners must:
This translates to :
RMC embraces Culturally safe practise through the ongoing critical reflection of health practitioner knowledge, skills, attitudes, practising behaviours and power differentials in delivering safe,
accessible and responsive healthcare free of racism.
RMC philosophy embraces the The Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW)
cultural safety approach as a core professional responsibility.
This involves creating environments where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
can express their identity and needs without judgment.
This requires all our clinicians, to reflect on their own biases, actively implement principles like
self-determination and truth-telling, and ensure culturally appropriate and safe practices
are integrated into their work, such as supervision and service delivery
RMC embraces the culturally appropriate information on the social and emotional
wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples explored in this guidance.
The Framework is intended to guide and inform mental health and wellbeing reforms affecting First Nations people in Australia. It describes the importance of social and emotional wellbeing for First Nations peoples.
The principles and practices covered aims to educate and assist health professionals who
provide services to Indigenous peoples experiencing mental health and social and
emotional wellbeing issues
RANZCP
GDL 11 PPC Principles and Guidelines for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Mental Health.
Ethical Guidelines: Principles and Guidelines for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health
The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan 2021–2031.
Framework
The National Strategic Framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Peoples’ Mental Health and Social and Emotional Wellbeing 2017-2023
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health and wellbeing principles and practices
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health and wellbeing principles and practices,
Dudgeon, P., Milroy, H., & Walker, R. (2014). Working together: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health and wellbeing principles and practices. Commonwealth of Australia.
https://timhwb.org.au/working-together-book/
National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation. Position Paper: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health and wellbeing. Canberra: NACCHO;2021.
National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation. Position Paper: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health and wellbeing. Canberra: NACCHO;2021.
Loh PR, Hayden G, Vicary D, Mancini V, Martin N, Piek JP. Australian Aboriginal perspectives of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2016;50(4):309-310. doi:10.1177/0004867415624551
Loh PR, Hayden G, Vicary D, Mancini V, Martin N, Piek JP. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: an Aboriginal perspective on diagnosis and intervention. Journal of Tropical Psychology. 2017;7:e2. doi:10.1017/jtp.2017.1
Loh PR, Hayden G, Vicary D, Mancini V, Martin N, Piek JP. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: an Aboriginal perspective on diagnosis and intervention. Journal of Tropical Psychology. 2017;7:e2. doi:10.1017/jtp.2017.1
https://adhdguideline.aadpa.com.au/subgroups/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islanders/
Dudgeon P, Milroy H, Walker R. Working together: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health and Wellbeing Principles and Practice.Commonwealth of Australia. Canberra: 2014
At RMC we are deeply aware of The lack of research on understanding, identifying, assessing
and treating Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Australian ADHD Professionals Association. (2024). ADHD in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples: Factsheet. https://adhdguideline.aadpa.com.au/ (see subgroup page & factsheet).
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2025). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Performance Framework: Summary report (June 2025). AIHW.
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2025). Mental illness burden of disease: First Nations. AIHW.
Loh, P-R., Hayden, G., Vicary, D., et al. (2011). ADHD: The Aboriginal Australians perspective. James Cook University. (Qualitative perspectives on diagnosis/intervention acceptability).
Telethon Kids Institute. (2005). Western Australian Aboriginal Child Health Survey (WAACHS), Vols 1–2: Summary booklets. (Includes SDQ hyperactivity findings context).
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. (2025). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health: Practice resources and guidelines. RACGP. (Cultural protocol guidance for clinical encounters).
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