Dr Tracy Westerman travels to Karratha for ‘Jilya’ book launch

Growing up in Tom Price, Nyamal woman Dr Tracy Westerman had never met a psychologist. Yet she went on to become the first Aboriginal person in Australia to complete a PhD in clinical psychology, rising to become one of the country’s leading practitioners. With a host of impressive achievements, such as recently establishing her charity, Westerman Jilya Institute for Indigenous Mental Health (mentoring Indigenous people from high-risk communities to become psychologists), Dr Westerman is now heading to Karratha for the launch of her memoir Jilya: How one Indigenous woman from the remote Pilbara transformed psychology. “I have spent my life challenging systems and that means the one-size-fits-all view of mental health that serves very few of those in mental health distress, and that’s frightening because those in distress are usually from our most marginalised communities,” Dr Westerman said. “These systems have been built by non-Aboriginal people to serve the needs of non-Aboriginal people. “From child protection to justice to mental health, it is a system that is unrelenting in its inability to understand and respond to difference.” Dr Westerman said she hoped readers would feel inspired by not only the story, but to also understand that with passion, energy and a sense of responsibility to our most vulnerable communities, great change can occur. “This has all been done without a cent of Federal government funding,” she said. “I want non-Aboriginal people to understand that as Aboriginal people we are capable of getting this done and my story shows that, for Aboriginal people I want them to see something that they can be optimistic about. “If you are frustrated with the pace of change; if you have lost belief that things can get better, this story shows that great change can occur without looking to governments to ‘save’ us. “I also hope that those who attend the launch have a deeper understanding of the mental health drivers around the disadvantage we are seeing in Aboriginal communities and that it’s vital that when Aboriginal people are in the driver’s seat, that’s our best opportunity to close the gap.” The Pilbara launch of Jilya will be held on Saturday, October 5 from 5.30-9pm at the Red Earth Arts Precinct. The event is free, but registration is essential. Click here to register.