Jilya

Book excerpt: From humble beginnings in the remote Pilbara, psychologist and Nyamal woman Tracy Westerman has redefined what' s possible at every turn. Despite neither of her parents progressing past primary school, and never having met a psychologist before attending university, Tracy was the first Aboriginal person in Australia to complete a PhD in Clinical Psychology, rising to become one of the country' s foremost psychologists. Against significant odds, she commenced her own private business to challenge the way the mental health profession responds to cultural difference, and recently established a charitable foundation and scholarship program to mentor Indigenous people from our highest-risk communities to become psychologists. Tracy draws on client stories of trauma, heartbreak, hope and connection from her years of practice, offering a no-holds-barred reflection on how the monocultural, one-size-fits-all approach to psychology is failing Aboriginal people and how she' s healing those wounds. Jilya is a story of drive and determination, of what it takes to create change when the odds are stacked against you. Above all, it is a story of one woman' s love for her people.