This corporation offers an autonomous, Aboriginal-specific community-based counselling and referral service.
We provide an environment to enhance the healing process for Aboriginal individuals and their families experiencing emotional distress, and working towards empowerment collectively and individually.
At all times we operate within the framework of Aboriginal Terms of Reference.
Yorgum has taken on the principals of trauma-informed and is working towards being a trauma informed service.
The name “Yorgum” is a Noongar name for a large red flowering gum tree which has healing properties. Aboriginal people have used the gum for many years in the treatment of numerous ailments, including diseases of the eyes.
The name is an expression of the life-sustaining image of the living tree. The deep roots, rising sap, branches reaching to the sky, the shelter given and the home provided to the many forms of life-insects, reptiles, birds and other animals. It is a symbol of connectedness and inter-dependence in the diversity of living beings. This image conveys the philosophy of the Yorgum staff and the way in which they work.
Abuse can be compared to a tree with the root system being affected by some of the factors such as loss of culture, identity, low self-esteem, unresolved cultural traumatic experiences.
The lack of consistent, supportive and loving relationships and the absence of positive life enhancing values are like the soil in which the tree grows. A tree is an organic system. If the whole system is diseased, you can’t just treat one of the roots and expect the rest of the tree to be healthy. You must treat the whole tree as well as the soil within which it grows.
The underlying philosophy is the valuing of our diversity; in different individuals, different families; language groups and people from places who are included and respected; that human differences can be accepted as expressions of our uniqueness and capacity to survive.