Mapping Aboriginal Mental Health Journeys Through Psychiatric Care Systems

How are Aboriginal mental health care pathways structured, and how do network structure, care coordination, and experiences of cultural safety indicate where services should be redesigned?In this mixed-methods study of 20 Aboriginal patients, Aboriginal mental health workers occupied a unique central position in the care network, while patients served as connectors between fragmented services and followed nonlinear care pathways. Qualitative findings emphasized cultural safety, kinship, and trauma-informed care and highlighted inconsistent Aboriginal mental health worker presence.These results suggest that embedding culturally grounded roles and redesigning care pathways may improve coordination and cultural safety in fragmented health systems.

Corresponding Author: Blerida Banushi, PhD, School of Indigenous Studies, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia (blerida.banushi@uwa.edu.au).

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