Australian Journal of Psychology

Psychology in Australia and globally is experiencing a profound paradigm shift, where the dominant settler colonial standpoint is being radically challenged and de-centred as a matter of epistemic justice. The epistemological Indigenous turn seeks to privilege Indigenous knowledges systems in psychology education, policy, practice, and research. Indigenous knowledges are transforming systems across disciplines with the intent to empower and enrich the lives of Indigenous peoples, and dismantle the hegemony of settler colonial views that are epistemically violent. In accordance with UNDRIP, Indigenous psychologists are asserting epistemological and ontological sovereignty within psychology. In Australia, the groundswell of Indigenous knowledges in psychology and necessity to dismantle racism, improve cultural safety, and enhance social and emotional wellbeing, is being supported across national psychology bodies (APS, APAC, HODSPA, Ahpra, PsyBA).

We recognise the diversity of Indigenous peoples in Australia and globally. We acknowledge the diversity of voices, positionalities, and place-based knowledges. Therefore Indigenous knowledges in psychology will reflect this diversity, and this is welcomed and celebrated in this Article Collection.

The Indigenous Knowledges in Psychology Collection is situated within this Indigenous turn and aims to amplify epistemic justice in psychology. We welcome Australian and International articles discussing Indigenous knowledges and related topics in psychology, including:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander truth-telling, self-determination, and sovereignty in psychology.
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledges, research and practices within psychology including social and emotional wellbeing, healing, trauma, mental health, and racism.
• Cultural safety in psychology when working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
• International movements in decolonising psychology and Indigenous knowledges, research and practice in psychology.

Keywords: Indigenous psychology; Decolonising psychology; Social and Emotional Wellbeing; Mental Health; Strengths based approach

The AJP Indigenous Knowledges in Psychology Collection aims to amplify epistemic justice in psychology, in a number of important ways:

• All articles accepted in this collection must have an Indigenous person as FIRST author. The first author does not have to be a psychologist specifically and can be working in a professional role in Indigenous knowledges that relates to psychology (for instance researchers in social and emotional wellbeing).
• All authors are required to state their cultural background and positionality within the article to clearly articulate whose voice and knowledges are being represented.
• It is recommended that Indigenous Elders and community members who were central to the body of work presented in the article (e.g. knowledge sharing, community connections, data collection, mentoring) are appropriately acknowledged through authorship and intext. However, it is acknowledged that in some instances Elder and community members may prefer to be acknowledged or remain anonymous.
• Indigenous governance and oversight of a body of work is clearly outlined in the article.
• It is recommended that literature cited in articles are authored/co-authored by Indigenous peoples, and this is stated in text where appropriate (for examples: “Indigenous researcher/scholar/researcher, [Name], writes….”).
• Authors are encouraged to utilise an Indigenous quality appraisal tool/s to critically assess research in Indigenous health. See below for an example:
  • Harfield, S., Pearson, O., Morey, K., Kite, E., Glover, K., Canuto, K., Streak Gomersall, J., Carter, D., Davy, C., Aromataris, E., & Braunack-Mayer, A. (2018). The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Quality Appraisal Tool: Companion Document, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute. https://create.sahmri.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Aboriginal-and-Torres-Strait-Islander-Quality-Appraisal-Tool-Companion-Document-1.pdf
  • Harfield, S., Pearson, O., Morey, K., Kite, E., Canuto, K., Glover, K., Gomersall, J. S., Carter, D., Davy, C., & Aromataris, E. (2020). Assessing the quality of health research from an Indigenous perspective: the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander quality appraisal tool. BMC medical research methodology, 20, 1-9. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-020-00959-3

About the Guest Advisor Team

• Belle Selkirk is a Noongar woman from the Southwest of Western Australia. She is a Research Fellow in the Transforming Indigenous Mental Health and Wellbeing (TIMHWB) grant and the Australian Indigenous Psychologist Education Project (AIPEP). The TIMHWB and AIPEP projects are led by esteemed Aboriginal Psychologist and leader, Professor Pat Dudgeon AM. She is a Clinical Psychologist in private practice with extensive experience in psychotherapy, social and emotional wellbeing, trauma-informed and culturally-informed clinical care. She is a member of the Australian Indigenous Psychologists Association (AIPA).
• Dr Yvonne Clark is a Kokatha/Wirangu woman from South Australia and a clinically endorsed psychologist with her PhD. Yvonne has extensive experience as a psychologist, academic and researcher within government, private, community controlled, university and institutional sectors. As a clinician, and now as a researcher, she has worked and focuses mainly on Aboriginal parents, children, adolescents and their families and in decolonising systems. Her research generates new knowledges as well as improve Aboriginal parents and young people’s journey. Yvonne is a Director with the Australian Indigenous Psychologists Association, co-chair of the APS Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People and Psychology Interest group, and member of the South Australian Child Development Council (a ministerial appointment).
• Dr Joanna Alexi is a non-Indigenous woman living and working on Whadjuk Noongar Boodja (Country), Perth, Western Australia. She is a Research Fellow within the Transforming Indigenous Mental Health and Wellbeing (TIMHWB) grant and the Australian Indigenous Psychology Education Project (AIPEP), at the University of Western Australia’s School of Indigenous Studies. The TIMHWB and AIPEP projects are led by esteemed Aboriginal Psychologist and leader, Professor Pat Dudgeon AM.
• Dr Graham Gee is an Aboriginal-Chinese man, also with Celtic heritage, originally from Darwin. His Aboriginal-Chinese grandfather was born near Belyuen on Larrakia Country. Graham is a clinical psychologist and worked at the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service for 11 years before taking up a Senior Research Fellow position at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. His area of research is healing and recovery from complex trauma among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, with an increasing focus on child sexual abuse. In 2022/23, Graham received a Fellowship from the Eisen Family Private Fund and an NHMRC Emerging Leadership grant to support his team to partner with six Victorian Aboriginal services dedicated to healing child sexual abuse. Among other advisory roles, Graham is a member of the National Clinical Reference Group under the National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse 2021-2030 (National Strategy), and the Research Advisory Committee for the National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse.

In the Article Collection of Indigenous Knowledges in Psychology, Article Processing Charge (APC) waivers are available upon request for papers with Australian Indigenous Psychologist Association members, or Australian Psychological Society (APS) full members as one of the authors. Additionally, a limited number of special waivers are also available. Please email the Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Justin Kenardy < [email protected]>, to request a special wavier.

Please review the journal scope and author submission instructions prior to submitting a manuscript.  

The deadline for submitting manuscripts is December 31st, 2023. 

Please contact Menghan Li at [email protected]  with any queries and discount codes regarding this Article Collection. 

Please be sure to select the appropriate Article Collection from the drop-down menu in the submission system. 

Instructions for AuthorsSubmit an Article