Embracing Social and Emotional Wellbeing Can Create Transformational Change in Psychology

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are one of the oldest continuous living cultures in the world, with knowledge systems that promote harmonious collective wellbeing. Colonialism, including the historical role of imposed Western knowledges such as psychology, disrupted these knowledges. This caused devastating effects to the wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Today, psychology must be used in a way to support wellbeing; therefore, it is tasked with decolonising the discipline, embedding cultural safety, and supporting the development of Indigenous wellbeing paradigms. This chapter discusses decolonising efforts in psychology within Australia. This chapter then articulates social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB) as a foundational model to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander wellbeing. The National Empowerment Project is given as an example of a culturally grounded SEWB programme. Together, this chapter shows that embracing Indigenous knowledges has the potential to transform systems to support the wellbeing of future generations.