The disemPOWERed & out of CONTROL wheel: A trauma-informed approach to working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men

• Dispossession

  A colonisation process that has led to theft of/disconnection from: Land – Lore – Language – Culture

• Systemic Racism

  Policies and frameworks that create barriers and exclusions in the following mainstream systems: Judicial – Health – Education – Welfare – Others.

• Oppression

  A situation in which people are governed in an unfair and cruel way and prevented from having opportunities and freedom.

• Trauma & Intergenerational Trauma

  Trauma that the Aboriginal community has carried through generations since first contact, including stolen generation and genocide. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people colonisation and subsequent policies have created unresolved trauma which has been passed down from generation to generation

• Alcohol & Other Drugs

  Introduced substances that have led to overrepresented consumption use in the Aboriginal community.

• Intergenerational Poverty

  Not having enough material possessions or income for a person's or community’s needs. Poverty may include social, economic, and political elements. Intergenerational poverty reflects this as an ongoing state experienced from generation to generation.

• Poor Health Outcomes

  Reduced rates of childhood development, greater likelihood to suffer from mental illnesses, and overrepresentation of chronic illnesses that have reduced life expectancy.

• Shame

  A state of vulnerability and the feeling of being exposed, targeted or highlighted. A feeling of shame can totally overwhelm and disempower.