Simone Harrington is the 2019 recipient of the APS Bendi Lango bursary.
Simone is a proud Kidja woman and part of the Bridge family from Halls Creek in the East Kimberley region of Western Australia. Her nanna was one of the stolen generations taken to ’Moola Bulla Native Station’. As one of only a few non-‘Kartiya’ clinical psychologists, Simone plans to contribute her personal insight into the ongoing effect the stolen generations continue to have on subsequent generations, and to work towards enhancing the social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Simone is the first Aboriginal student enrolled in the combined Master of Clinical Psychology and Doctor of Philosophy program at the University of Western Australia. Since commencing her studies Simone has been actively involved with the School of Indigenous Studies as a student ambassador, tutor, camp supervisor, and through introducing psychology activities at high school outreach events, and providing culturally informed content and resources for psychology coursework.
Before she graduates, Simone hopes to see the Australian Indigenous Psychology Education Project (AIPEP) guidelines realised through alternative study pathways, increased Indigenous course content, and cultural acknowledgement practices included in course programs. These changes would increase the number of Indigenous psychologists, and Kartiya psychologists alike, who would be better equipped to understand and provide mental health care options for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Simone wishes to encourage more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to follow in her footsteps.
The APS bursary is funded through generous donations from APS members. Since the launch of the Bendi Lango initiative in 2006, eleven Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students have been supported in their postgraduate psychology studies.
More about the Bendi Lango initiative, including previous bursary recipients and how to make an online donation.