Family-Centred Therapy on Substance Disorder for the Aboriginal People The health status of aboriginal people is strongly intertwined with their cultural practices. Keeping focus on cultural issues is helpful when handling policy issues that relate to the concerns of the Aboriginal people. According to their beliefs and practices, the health of an individual encapsulates the whole being. It relates to physical, emotional, spiritual and mental aspects of the individual. Consequently, assessment of the health needs of these people must be hinged to all the dimensions mentioned above. In the recent past, there has been a general acceptance of the unique identities manifested by the diverse groups of aboriginal communities. Experts, now, agree that cultural addiction strategies are the most effective when dealing with the Aborigines. Health programming strategies that are in line with appropriate cultural practices. Such health programming facilitates holistic frames for taking care of needs, strength, opportunities and alternatives in the healing process (Rapske, n.d).

Cultural competencies may be measured in terms of the ability to work with a focus that fully recognizes the crucial importance of identity and culture among the aborigines and the Torres Strait Islander people and the potential capacity to inculcate cultural values in the promotion of emotional and social well-being. The success of non-indigenous organizations in rendering services among the above communities is determined by their ability to establish mutual respect, understanding, collaboration and friendly partnerships with these communities. Cultural safety refers to a working environment that everyone feels secure and has no incidents of assault, denying of one's identity or other similar challenges. The elements mentioned above, i.e. mutual respect, sharing knowledge, partnerships, shared learning experiences and shared meaning cannot be underestimated in the bid to encourage the aboriginal and Torres Straight communities to seek for medical assistance (NADA, 2012). The lives of Torres Straight and aboriginal communities are tied closely to family and community....

Consequently, care givers must consider involving these units of the people's lives if they wish to fast track the integration process and encourage these communities to make such care services part of their lifestyle, and in particular when dealing with issues of substance abuse (NADA, 2012).
Family intervention strategies are a set of clinical approaches designed for working with family units that have specified supportive, treatment or educational function and incorporate solving problems, management of crisis, and clinical treatments. Psycho-education is an example of professionally led evidence-based practice (Family Mental Health and Substance Use Task Force, 2015).

Guiding Principles

The following list of principles and guidelines can assist practitioners to obtain better results when working with Torres Straight and aboriginal people. Service and systems workers should:

Openly recognize the importance of community and family contexts in granting support and services to adults, children, youth and infants. Families with close bonds such as interest, geographical proximity or other shared values are considered especially important because they play a critical role in fostering the well-being of the family members by providing support services to others in the community as directed and inspired by these groups.

Work in team mode with each other and the communities to cite and promote family and individual resilience and moderate their vulnerabilities in the span of life of these people, the lifecycle of family relationships and several generations that succeed earlier ones.

Collaborate effectively in a bid to guarantee, well-being, safety and better health for the individuals and families. The teams should also keep close focus on infants, youth, children and all vulnerable people including adults in volatile or generally unstable circumstances.

The teams of health care givers should also cooperate in delivering acceptable quality service to families battling with mental health and substance abuse challenges whenever and wherever they are needed.…