Cultural Therapeutic Ways is a culturally specific healing and wellbeing practice framework developed by the Victorian Aboriginal Child and Community Agency (VACCA) that focuses on culturally based practices, trauma awareness, and self-determination.
This presentation provides an overview of the Cultural Therapeutic Ways practice framework, and the ways in which the Victorian Aboriginal Child and Community Agency’s Nugel program has applied culture, trauma, and self-determination in practice to enable Indigenous healing.
This presentation also summarises findings from a systematic scoping review undertaken to determine the measurable empirical impact of Cultural Therapeutic Ways, which included 42 studies with Indigenous participants from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States of America. The presentation of findings includes a summary of what interventions based on domains of Cultural Therapeutic Ways look like, how services that incorporate culture, trauma, and self-determination enable Indigenous healing, and how programs based on domains of Cultural Therapeutic Ways impact Indigenous healing and wellbeing.
Caley Callope
Project Lead Cultural Therapeutic Ways, VACCA
Cal Callope is a Butchulla, Angutheremri women who has been living and working on Wurundjeri Country for over nine years and supports the implementation of VACCA’s Cultural Therapeutic Ways. Cal has a training and facilitation background and has led the development of VACCA’S CTW outcomes and practice framework.
Emily James
Nugel Practice Training Lead, VACCA
Emily James is a Gunditjmara, Yorta Yorta woman from Central and South Western Victoria. Emily has worked in and alongside our VACCA Nugel Program (Section 18) for over seven years.
Sarah Wise
Professorial Fellow, The University of Melbourne
Sarah Wise has Anglo-Celtic ancestry. She has worked in research intensive roles in government, community and higher education organisations for almost three decades.