College of Medicine and Dentistry Identifying Domestic and Sexual Violence Working with First Nations Australians

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Working with First Nations Australians

This scenario demonstrates how a student dentist applies knowledge and skills in working with a First Nations Australian patient who is a victim-survivor of domestic and sexual violence. This scenario also highlights important historical information to guide understanding, and includes current contextual factors to consider when working with First Nations Australians.

Objectives of the Scenario

  • Demonstrate skills that promote culturally safe practice  when working with First Nations Australians
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the ongoing impacts of colonisation, inter-generational trauma, and systemic racism and how these contribute to the current rates of domestic and sexual violence within First Nations communities.

Video resource

This scenario demonstrates how a student dentist applies knowledge and skills in working with a First Nations Australian patient who is a victim-survivor of domestic and sexual violence. This scenario also highlights important historical information to guide understanding, and includes current contextual factors to consider when working with First Nations Australians. The length of this video is 10:54 minutes

Print resource

lady looking to camera.

This print resources includes:

  • Prompts to discuss the content in the video
  • Critical reflective questions
  • Links to relevant resources
Download the print resource

The following scripts are examples of how you can communicate with patients who are victim-survivors of DSV:

  • Screening
  • Opening the conversation
  • Risk assessment
  • Confidentiality
  • Potentially breaking confidentiality
  • Documentation
  • Trauma informed practice (following a disclosure of DSV)

Download the example scripts.

Please note

Each of the following scripts are examples only, and you will need to adapt them so they sound more ‘natural’ to you. Each time you use these scripts with a patient, you need to consider:

  • the patient’s particular circumstances
  • organisational policy and procedure
  • State/Territory legislative requirements
  • National legislative requirements
  • Requirements of your professional association.

Points to consider

  • self-care refers to activities to take care of our mental, emotional, and physiological well-being.
  • when working with people who have / are experiencing DSV, be attentive to signs of vicarious trauma.
  • concepts related to vicarious trauma include stress, secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, empathetic distress, and burnout.
  • see the resources below for detailed information on the indicators of vicarious trauma and associated concepts.
  • ensure your workplace is enacting strategies to mitigate negative impacts of your work in general, and specifically in relation to vicarious trauma.

Relevant resources

There are many excellent resources on self-care and worker well-being available online or through specific worker training. Here are a few places you can start building your knowledge and skill set in relation to self-care, and mitigating vicarious trauma:

Acknowledgements

This collaborative project to develop video scenarios and print resources involved many people from dentistry, social work, the domestic and sexual violence sector, and victim-survivors of domestic and sexual violence. We extend our sincere appreciation to:

  • The following organisations: James Cook University Social Work; James Cook University Dentistry; JCU Dental Clinic; Cairns Regional Domestic Violence Service; Be Conscious; Warringu Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation, Hudson Films; ADA-Dental Health Foundation.
  • The dentists who provided expert advice: Adjunct Associate Professor Andrew Lee, JCU; Dr Julee Birch, Australian Dental Health Foundation.
  • The people and organisations who participated in research that informed, and evaluated, the video scenarios and print resources.
  • The research team: Dr Ann Carrington, Senior Lecturer, Social Work, James Cook University (JCU); Dr Felicity Croker, Adjunct Associate Professor, Dentistry, JCU; Dr Alex Dancyger, Lecturer, Dentistry, JCU; Simone Dewar, Research Assistant, Social Work, JCU; Dr Vinnitta Mosby, Lecturer, Social Work JCU – First Nations advisor.

We also acknowledge the kindly contributions of the dentist, dental staff, actor, and featured expert in this video:

  • Dentist: Dr Holly Henson
  • Actor: MJ Laifoo
  • Supervisor: Associate Prof Geoffrey Booth
  • Featured Expert: Davina Hickling

With special thanks to the victim-survivors of domestic and sexual violence who participated in this research, and generously and courageously shared their stories.

QLD Gov coat of arms

This project was funded by Queensland Government Department of Justice and Attorney General.

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