Dr Tracy Westerman is a multi-award-winning psychologist who has transformed mental health outcomes for Aboriginal communities.
As the first Aboriginal person to earn a master's and PhD in clinical psychology, she founded Indigenous Psychological Services, funding Australian-first programs and assessments including the only culturally and clinically valid screening tool for at-risk Aboriginal youth.
Her groundbreaking work includes publishing the first Indigenous youth mental health and suicide behaviours clinical database, the validation of culture-bound syndromes, and Indigenous suicide prevention programs with measured whole community outcomes. She has trained over 50,000 practitioners ensuring exponential reach into Australia’s highest risk communities.
She funded the Dr Tracy Westerman Indigenous Psychology Scholarship, enabling greater access to Indigenous psychologists, and founded her charity, Jilya, which employs her graduated students. Jilya has supported 64 Indigenous psychology students, achieving Australian record graduation rates. She has personally raised over $9 million and donated 15,000 volunteer hours. Her bestselling, award-winning memoir Jilya, chronicles her journey.