Where are they now? Bendi Lango bursary recipients

What has receiving the bursary meant to you?

In 2008, as a mature-age student, I started my master’s degree in clinical psychology. It was a big decision given my wife and I had a newly arrived second daughter, and with mum still at home I was responsible for working while also studying. The Bendi Lango bursary allowed me to work less and concentrate on completing what eventually became a combined Master’s/PhD degree.

What are you doing now?

Training in psychology was the platform for 11 years of work as a clinician at the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service, the most rewarding period of my life. I was able to support members of the Victorian Aboriginal community in the area of mental health and social and emotional wellbeing, and eventually supervise and mentor other young emerging Aboriginal psychologists. During this time I also conducted Aboriginal community designed research, which included designing strength-based assessment measures and being involved in national Aboriginal led research projects. Working as a clinician-researcher has allowed me to contribute to the mental health and social and emotional wellbeing of our communities in ways I had never dreamed about. The Bendi Lango bursary helped make this possible.

What has receiving the bursary meant to you?

In 2009 I was extremely fortunate to be a recipient of the Bendi Lango bursary to study my clinical and health psychology doctorate. Having the financial support allowed me to maintain full-time coursework and placements and achieve a balance between life, work and study – for which I will be forever grateful.

What are you doing now?

Since the completion of my degree I have primarily worked for Hunter New England Local Health District in child protection, mental health, sexual assault, and drug and alcohol clinical services. In 2016 I was awarded a prestigious Churchill Fellowship which took me on an extensive worldwide trip investigating the effectiveness of treatment programs for young people with significant substance-use problems and related psychosocial complexities, which remain significant issues for the Aboriginal community. I am currently a senior clinical and health psychologist in an allied health clinical leadership position – a role that spans a large geographical area home to many Aboriginal communities. The role is dedicated to supporting clinicians to provide accessible, culturally safe and appropriate clinical care to improve social and emotional wellbeing and broader health and welfare outcomes. I hold the positions of Conjoint Lecturer at the University of Newcastle and NSW Health Children’s Court Clinician.

What has receiving the bursary meant to you?

When I was accepted into a Master of Psychology (Clinical Psychology) degree program I was proud of the achievement. However, I was also concerned about associated financial stress and I was unsure how it would impact me completing the program. Due to receiving the Bendi Lango bursary my financial stress reduced and this meant I had more time to focus on learning experiences and my growth as a provisional psychologist. I am thankful for the support from the Bendi Lango bursary and the APS.

What are you doing now?

I currently work at the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service as a clinical psychologist. As a Kuyani woman, I am passionate and committed to working within the Aboriginal community and decolonising psychology.

What has receiving the bursary meant to you?

It was an honour to be the recipient of the APS Bendi Lango scholarship in 2017–18 while completing a Master of Psychology at the University of Melbourne. Receiving the scholarship significantly reduced financial pressures associated with study whilst also providing the funds to set up a resource collection. I was able to purchase several therapy handbooks and resources which are now shared around at my workplace; including strength-based therapy practice and cross-cultural psychology handbooks.

What are you doing now?

Since completing my studies, I have been working as a psychologist in the Adult Social and Emotional Wellbeing team at the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service. I am extremely fortunate that this role allows me to work alongside other Aboriginal psychologists whilst directly servicing the Victorian Aboriginal Community. I also work part-time with the Weenthunga Health Network as the Victorian Aboriginal Health Education Network lead. In this role I contribute to the creation of an online platform for Victorian university health academics to collaborate on curriculum development for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s health and wellbeing. I have recently been named Adjunct Lecturer at Monash University’s Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health and was awarded the Ricci Marks Award in 2019 which recognises the achievements of young Aboriginal peoples living within Victoria.

What has receiving the bursary meant to you?

Being a successful applicant of the Bendi Lango scholarship in 2018–19 provided essential financial support during my Master of Clinical Psychology degree, and I am extremely grateful for all of the opportunities that it provided me. The provision of ongoing financial support throughout the degree allowed me to access resources essential for completion of the degree and engagement in professional development opportunities that I would have otherwise been unable to afford. Further, the scholarship provided me with financial means to access culturally specific workshops whereby I was able to connect with community which has led to my growth as an early career health professional. The financial support provided me the opportunity to return home to my family and community which is a great source of strength for me and allowed me to maintain social and emotional wellbeing during the course.

What are you doing now?

Since completing my degree, I started working with the community at the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service as a psychologist. I have also taken up a position as a lecturer in the First Nations health team at the University of Melbourne.

What has receiving the bursary meant to you?

For me, donations made by fellow APS members to the Bendi Lango Bursary have provided me with peace of mind financially so that I can focus all my efforts towards completing a combined Master’s/PhD in clinical psychology. Something I really appreciate – more so as I was very much in the opposite position when I first pursued a career in psychology straight out of high school to the detriment of my studies, so much so that I gave up on psychology as a career possibility.

What are you doing now?

Well, COVID-19 has definitely posed some additional challenges to my studies. In respect to my master’s, in 2020 I have been delivering individual and group therapy online, instead of in-person. I’m hoping that experience with this additional skillset means physical distance should not present as much of a barrier to my future work.

I recently found out that I have won the WA Premier’s Science Award’s 2020 Shell Aboriginal STEM Student of the Year which is a great honour. I have also started mentoring as part of a new program between the School of Indigenous Studies and School of Psychological Science and have been involved with my School’s Indigenous Working Group. As a result, I am now much more optimistic about the future of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander psychology student engagement within my university. However, much work needs to happen at both national and local levels as the goals out of the 2016 Australian Indigenous Psychology Education Project (AIPEP) guidelines are far from being realised (bit.ly/3kSL0Sa).