Aboriginal Healing Unit

This first of its kind in an Australian prison, the Aboriginal Healing Unit (AHU) draws on Aboriginal knowledge to provide holistic support across all aspects of a woman’s life.

 

The AHU is designed to provide therapeutic care and support for Aboriginal women and gender diverse Aboriginal individuals in the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre (DPFC). The AHU will operate as a therapeutic community, fostering connections to community and culture while offering the necessary tools and assistance to develop essential life skills crucial for maintaining positive social connections after release from prison.

 

Aboriginal therapeutic case managers provide intensive support to women in our 2 residential units, qualified and culturally empowering facilitators deliver a range of workshops and activities in the group healing, from psycho education sessions, therapeutic peer yarning circles to cultural connection activities, aimed of supporting women to strengthen their connections to themselves and others. 

 

We have a team of therapeutic counsellors, experienced in supporting Aboriginal women to overcome challenges in their lives relating to grief, loss and trauma, ready to guide each woman on a journey back to herself. 

 

We will also be engaging with Aboriginal Elders and respected peoples to provide cultural oversight to the work we do, and act as cultural mentors for our women as they journey through the group space. 

 

Our whole approach is focused on supporting women to feel confident, stable and strong.  So when their time comes to return to our communities, they will feel supported and ready to do so. 

 

We welcome collaboration with services, Aboriginal and non Aboriginal, to support us to achieve good outcomes for Aboriginal women in DPFC. We want to open our space to invite other services in to facilitate sessions as well. We hope to provide something for our women that has been taken away from them - a positive and strong session of community.