Contextual factors for research on psychological therapies for aboriginal Australians

This paper is to provide a commentary to Can cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) be effective for Aboriginal Australians? Perspectives of Aboriginal practitioners trained in CBT. It is inspiring that this study has found that CBT can play a useful role in therapy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people but the outcomes need to be considered with caution. CBT can provide a useful tool when working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, but in itself is not adequate for a number of reasons. Firstly, it is not culturally responsive but can be part of an approach that might be culturally appropriate. The authors are compelled at this point to give a history of mental health and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to provide a background context to the discussion and to illustrate why some psychological approaches such as CBT can only ever be part of the tools that might be used in a broader framework, that is required to address and strengthen Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people's well-being. © 2014 The Australian Psychological Society.