Marumali - Indigenous-led trauma healing program

The intergeneration trauma of Indigenous Australians continues to impact the lives of families and communities. Stolen Generations survivor Aunty Lorraine Peeters is pioneering an Indigenous-led culturally sensitive trauma healing program called Marumali. The program addresses the gap in mental health care when it comes to Indigenous experiences of trauma, particularly the intergenerational scars left by forced removal of children from their families. The 1997 Bringing Them Home report documented the trauma experienced by children who were forcibly removed. Rather than focus on immediate behaviours, such as family violence or addiction, the program seeks to scratch beneath the surface and look into deeper sources of pain. The approach also accounts for Indigenous grief processes.

You can also tune in to an interview with Aunty Lorraine and hear her talk about her pioneering program as well as hear Kelleigh Ryan, Indigenous psychologist and a specialist in trauma healing talk about what is needed to support Indigenous people’s trauma through culturally sensitive approaches. You can also read more about the program and intergenerational trauma on ABC Sciences article called ‘Indigenous people take the lead in healing the trauma of the Stolen Generations’.