Dr Peter Smith
Associate Professor in Indigenous Australian Health - Faculty of Medicine and Health
Biography
Peter Smith is a registered clinical psychologist with over 25 years' experience in clinical and forensic settings. At UNE in Faculty of Medicine and Health he is Associate Professor in Indigenous Australian Health where his role includes work within the Joint Medical Program. He is a descendant of the Gamilaroi Nation with cultural connections to the Walget community in northwest NSW. His work seeks to decolonise curricula and to embed Indigenous knowledges and values within the university sector. He is also a member of the Psychology Board of Australia National Examination Committee where he is a cultural advisor on examination content for those seeking registration as psychologists in this country. He has been presenting cultural responsiveness workshops to students, non-Indigenous psychologists and mental health workers around Australia for more than 15 years. His PhD at UNE researched cultural responsiveness and ways that mental health can be more culturally safe for Indigenous clients. This work included the development and validation of an assessment instrument that assists students and practitioners to understand heir strengths and deficits in cultural responsiveness; this instrument has gained national recognition and use for preparing students and practitioners to work with Indigenous people. Peter's work in cultural responsiveness has produced recent articles in peer reviewed journals, including the Cambridge Handbook of Psychology and Human Rights, and he has presented his findings at a number of conferences to groups of practitioners and students
