Tikanga Maori in Aotearoa/New Zealand Clinical Psychology Training Programmes: A Follow-Up of Abbott And Durie's (1987) Study.

Abstract

In 1987, Max Abbott and Mason Durie investigated the taha Maori content in Aotearoa/New Zealand Clinical Psychology training programmes, and found it significantly lacking. The present research aimed to evaluate whether or not the tikanga Maori content in Aotearoa/New Zealand clinical psychology training programmes had improved over the last ten years. Clinical psychology training programme directors, and, past and current clinical psychology students from 1992 to 1998 were asked to participate in this research. Five Clinical directors and a total of 88 past and current clinical psychology students completed questionnaires that enquired about the tikanga Maori content in their training and their views and experiences of tikanga Maori. The findings from this research showed significant increases in tikanga Maori content in two of the six training programmes. The remaining four had also made improvements since Abbott and Durie's study, but these improvements were minimal. It was concluded that, unless the Psychology Departments within which these four training programmes resided adopted a comprehensive bicultural focus, these training programmes would continue to provide inadequate training in and support for tikanga Maori. In light of the requirements of te Tiriti o Waitangi and the New Zealand Psychological Society Code of Ethics, Psychology Departments have an obligation to address this issue. One training programme has already demonstrated how a commitment to te Tiriti o Waitangi has greatly improved it and provides an example for other programmes to follow.