9 March 2025
In the Drama Theatre
Talks and Ideas
Leading a movement and training a generation of lived experience experts, Dr Tracy Westerman is transforming Indigenous mental health practice.
Update 8 March: Bridget Brennan is unfortunately unable to emcee this talk by Tracy Westerman, due to the impacts of Cyclone Alfred.
| Date | Time |
| Sunday 9 March 2025 | 1pm |
| Ticket | Price |
| Standard | $35 |
$8.95 booking fee applies per transaction
Prices correct at the time of publication and subject to change without notice. Exact prices will be displayed with seat selection.
The only authorised ticket agency for this event is Sydney Opera House. For more information about Authorised Agencies, see the frequently asked questions below.
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Wheelchair accessible:
There are a number of wheelchair and companion seating locations in our theatres. To book accessible seating contact Box Office:
Telephone
+61 2 9250 7777
(Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm AEST)
Email bookings@sydneyoperahouse.com
Find out more about accessibility at Sydney Opera House.
Run time
This talk runs for approximately 60 minutes.
Event duration is a guide only and may be subject to change.
Age
Recommended for ages 15+.
Narelda JacobsDr Tracy Westerman’s lived experience is our learning moment.
Useful information:
a mental health revolution born in the remote Pilbara
An inspirational force for positive action, Nyamal woman and renowned psychologist Dr Tracy Westerman is growing the understanding and innovative treatment of Indigenous women’s trauma. As the first Aboriginal person in Australia to complete a PhD in Clinical Psychology, Dr Westerman has opened the floodgates, inspiring others to follow her into a professional field truly in need of community-based Indigenous psychologists.
In this solo talk, Dr Westerman will share some of the innovative approaches she has developed and the many lightbulb moments she’s switched on throughout her career, creating revelations that have shaken the industry and created momentum for real change. Drawing from her decades working with clients through their often-heartbreaking stories, Dr Westerman uncovers the deep-seated and complex racial trauma that has occupied her work as a psychologist. She examines its profound effects generationally on Aboriginal women and why she believes that hope and optimism is the essence of the survival and resilience of the world's oldest living culture.
Presented by Sydney Opera House
Dr Tracy Westerman AM (she/her)
Dr Tracy Westerman AM is a proud Nyamal woman from the Pilbara region in Western Australia. She has a PhD in Psychology and is the founder of Indigenous Psychological Services and the charity, the Westerman Jilya Institute for Indigenous Mental Health. She is a recognised world leader in Aboriginal mental health, cultural competency and suicide prevention, achieving national and international recognition for her work. Westerman has received many awards including an Order of Australia, Telstra Women’s Business Award Winner (Western Australia) and Australian of the Year (Western Australia).
She is the author of the memoir, Jilya: How one Indigenous woman from the remote Pilbara transformed psychology.
Plan your visit
Venue information
Our foyers will be open two hours pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Refreshments will be available for purchase from our theatre bars.
You may bring drinks into the venue to enjoy during the performance. Hot beverages, red wine, glassware and food however cannot be brought in due to safety and to help maintain the character of the building.
All Sydney Opera House foyers are pram accessible, with lifts to the main and western foyers. The public lift to all foyers is accessible from the corridor near the escalators on the Lower Concourse and also in the Western Foyer via the corridor on the Ground Level (at the top of the escalators). Pram parking will be available outside the theatres in the Western Foyer.
Getting here
The Sydney Opera House Car Park, operated by Wilson Parking, is open and available to use. Wilson Parking offer discounted parking if you book ahead. Please see the Wilson Parking website for details.
Please check the Transport NSW website for the latest advice and information on travel. You can catch public transport (bus, train, ferry) to Circular Quay and enjoy a six minute walk to the Opera House.
Frequently asked questions
Ticket purchases and collection at our Box Office is discouraged and eTicket or postal delivery methods should be used, wherever possible. However, if you are collecting your tickets from the Box Office, we recommend doing this at least 60 minutes before the event starts. If you have already received your tickets, the venue doors will be open 45 minutes pre-show for Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 30 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Please take your seats as soon as you arrive.
If you are late, we will seat you as soon as we can and, where possible, in your allocated seat. However, to reduce movement in the venue as well as minimise disruption to the performance and other patrons, ticketholders may be seated in an allocated latecomer’s seat. Please be aware that some events have lock-out periods. In these cases, latecomers will be admitted at a suitable break in the performance. On occasions, this may not be until the interval, or at all where there is no interval.
Details of our right to refuse admission can be found in our General Terms and Conditions for Tickets and Events.
In accordance with our venue security procedures, Opera House security will be scanning and checking bags under the Monumental Stairs, prior to entering the building. Bags will be scanned by an x-ray machine, and staff will wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) when handling your belongings, such as gloves. Cloaking facilities will be open 60 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 60 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. However it is strongly encouraged that you travel lightly to minimise contact and queuing. Any bags larger than an A4 piece of paper will need to be checked into the Cloak Room.
The authorised agency for this event is the Sydney Opera House.
Only tickets purchased by authorised agencies should be considered reliable. If you purchase tickets from a non-authorised agency such as Ticketmaster Resale, Viagogo, Ticketbis, eBay, Gumtree, Tickets Australia or any other unauthorised seller, you risk that these tickets are fake, void or have previously been cancelled. Resale restriction applies. For more details, please refer to our General Terms and Conditions for Tickets and Attendance at Events.
Please contact Box Office on +61 2 9250 7777 as soon as possible to advise if you can no longer attend.
Foyers will be open 90 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and two hours pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Refreshments will be available for purchase from our theatre bars.
The venue doors will be open 45 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 30 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances.
Please bring a credit or debit card for any on site purchases to enable contactless payment. You’re welcome to bring your own water bottle but no other food and drinks are permitted inside our venues.
The health, safety and wellbeing of everyone at the Sydney Opera House is our top priority. In line with this commitment, the Opera House became a smoke-free site in January 2022. Read our Smoke-free Environment Policy.
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