The Westerman Jilya Institute for Indigenous Mental Health

To provide a world in which our most vulnerable Indigenous children, people, and communities, can have at the very least, an equal opportunity to thrive. Jilya was created in response to the 13 deaths of Aboriginal children in the Kimberley, the subject of the Fogliani Coronial Inquiry. These deaths, and the continuing deaths of Aboriginal people by suicide, compelled Dr Westerman to act and do something to support improved access to mental health services that were both clinically and culturally appropriate, and which could provide measurable outcomes for high risk communities. The Dr Tracy Westerman Indigenous Psychology Scholarship Program was launched first as a direct result of hearing the voices of decades of bereaved Indigenous parents and communities who were crying out for help not being able to access it. The Scholarship Program quickly became assured and started to grow, so the next step was to ensure there was capacity to train not just Indigenous practitioners but any practitioner who wanted to be guided around the best possible practice to make a difference to the lives of our most vulnerable communities.