Decolonizing psychology education in Australia through the Australian Indigenous Psychology Education Project.

Abstract

There is a critical need for Indigenous knowledges in psychology as a matter of epistemic justice and achieving health equity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. In Australia, Indigenous psychologists are at the forefront of the decolonizing psychology movement by challenging the Western hegemony and privileging Indigenous knowledges in psychology. Situated within this movement, the Australian Indigenous Psychology Education Project (AIPEP) is an innovative Indigenous-led initiative that is decolonizing psychology higher education and practice. Through Indigenous leadership, relationality, and application of decolonizing theory into practice, AIPEP is a significant vehicle in changing the narrative about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and affirming Indigenous knowledge systems in psychology higher education. We outline the culturally grounded methodology and principles of practice that AIPEP is grounded in, the multilayered initiatives providing a framework for decolonial change in psychology, and some of the critical decolonizing outcomes AIPEP has achieved, specifically the AIPEP national community of practice. Finally, we highlight key challenges and further work required, necessary for the ongoing success of decolonizing psychology. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)