Healing the past by nurturing the future

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples should be aware that this resource may contain audio or names of people who have passed away.

In this podcast, Catherine Chamberlain talks about the journey she and her team has been on, in developing culturally-based supports for mothers who maybe be experiencing complex trauma during the perinatal period.

Catherine currently leads a large community-based participatory action research project called ‘Healing the Past by Nurturing the Future’. The project aims to co-design perinatal awareness, recognition, assessment and support strategies for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents experiencing complex childhood trauma.

Catherine speaks of the strengths in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parenting practices, and how practitioners may value these strengths in their parental support strategies.

In this episode you will learn:

• the importance of including a cultural foundation in co-design research [24:37]
• the deep wisdom Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have in nurturing and parenting practices, and how practitioners may value this wisdom in their engagements with families experiencing complex trauma [23:04]
• to understand complex trauma for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers and how this may impact the perinatal period [14:25]
• how to understand attachment through the cultural lens of connectedness [18:02]

Further information and resources

• Healing the past by nurturing the future research project
• Growing up children in two worlds project 
• First 1000 days Australia
• Honouring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices in healing family violence framework guide

The preferred terminology used by Emerging Minds in our resources is Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, as guided by our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social and Emotional Wellbeing National Consultancy Group.