Rate My Professor Peter Smith

Peter Smith is an Associate Professor in Australian Indigenous Health in the Faculty of Medicine and Health at the University of New England. A proud member of the Gamilaroi Nation with ties to the Yuwaalaraay clan, he is a registered clinical psychologist with more than 25 years of experience working in private practice and government agencies in clinical and forensic settings. Prior to academia, Smith pursued tertiary studies in philosophy and theology, including Latin and Greek, in preparation for pastoral ministry, and provided services in hospital and palliative care. He completed a master’s degree in forensic psychology and his PhD in Psychology at the University of New England in 2024 after over two decades of study, supported by a Higher Degree by Research scholarship and supervised by Kylie Rice, Professor Kim Usher, and Nicola Schutte.

Smith’s academic interests center on cultural responsiveness and cultural safety in mental health care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients, spirituality and social-emotional wellbeing for Indigenous Australians, reflexivity as a model for teaching cultural responsiveness, and help-seeking behaviors among young rural males disengaged from education. His key publications include “Development and validation of the Cultural Responsiveness Assessment Measure (CRAM): A self-reflection tool for mental health practitioners when working with First Nations people” (2024, International Journal of Social Psychiatry), “Reflexivity: a model for teaching and learning cultural responsiveness in mental health” (2022, Australian Psychologist), “Healing through meaning as an aspect of spirituality for Indigenous Australians: a qualitative study” (2023), “Cultural responsiveness for mental health professionals working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients: A concept analysis” (2021, Australian Psychologist), and “The Australian Psychological Society’s apology to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people” (2017, Australian Psychologist). Smith received the Chancellor’s Doctoral Research Medal for PhD research excellence. For over 10 years, he has delivered cultural competence workshops for the Australian Indigenous Psychologists Association and is an ongoing member of the National Psychology Examination Committee and APAC Standards Review. He advocates for systemic changes to ensure equitable access to culturally safe mental health services for Indigenous communities.