Pat graduated as a psychologist in 1987 and was first registered as a psychologist in June 1990. She joined the Australian Psychological Society in June 1994. Pat is acknowledged as the first identified Indigenous psychologist in Australia. In 2008 Pat was awarded a PhD entitled ‘Mothers of Sin: Indigenous Women's Perceptions of Their Identity and Gender' and in the same year became the first Indigenous Fellow of the Australian Psychological Society.
Pat has made substantial contributions to the discipline of psychology and the Australian Psychological Society over the past 19 years in the area of Indigenous people and issues and psychology.
Pat co-wrote the first Indigenous psychologist paper that was presented at a symposium on the Psychology of Indigenous People at the 25th Conference of the APS in Melbourne in 1990.
Pat was the first Indigenous convenor of the APS Interest Group called Aboriginal Issues, Aboriginal People, and Psychology, and was active in the Interest group until 1999. Under her leadership, activities included the development and promotion of Indigenous issues at the APS annual conferences, mini conferences in Perth in 1993 and 1998, professional development programmes with psychologists and other professionals such as Aboriginal health workers and psychiatrists.
Pat was also instrumental in developing the Guidelines for the Provision of Psychological Services for and the conduct of Psychological Research with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People of Australia, which were adopted by the APS in February 1996.
Pat was co-editor and contributor of the special issue of the Australian Psychologist: Australian Indigenous Psychologies in 2000, also producing the landmark text Working With Indigenous People: A Handbook for Psychologists (Dudgeon, Garvey & Pickett, 2000). She has numerous publications in journals in psychology and general Indigenous issues.
Pat instigated and sought special funding for the development of an accredited Indigenous counselling course in 1994 at Curtin University, and has been responsible for various psychology course units and lectures in Perth and continues to guest lecture in her area. She has mentored and been involved in many post graduate students both Indigenous and non-Indigenous and continues to do so.
Pat was appointed as Head of the Centre for Aboriginal Studies at Curtin University in 1990 and for the next 17 years led the organization through significant growth and change to become a national leader and important provider of Indigenous higher education. Amongst many projects, grants and awards achieved during her time as Head, of significance was the Curtin Indigenous Research Centre (CIRC), established in 1997.
Pat is actively involved with the Aboriginal community and has a commitment to social justice. She has participated in numerous community service activities of significance. Pat was a member of the Parole Board of Western Australia for several years, and was a psychologist in the defence forces.
Pat has undertaken many projects and has publications in the areas of psychology, education and women's issues. Currently, she is a private consultant and an adjunct associate professor at the University of Western Australia.
Pat was the editor and a major contributor of Working Together: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health and Wellbeing Principles and Practice (In press). Office of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health, Department of Ageing: Canberra.
Pat was chief editor and major contributor of Dudgeon, P., Garvey, D and Pickett, H. (2000). Working With Indigenous Australians: A Handbook for Psychologists, Perth: Gunada Press.
Oxenham, D., Cameron. J., Collard. K., Dudgeon, P., Garvey, D., Kickett, M., Kickett, T., Roberts, J. and Whiteway, J. (2000). A Dialogue on Indigenous Identity: Warts ‘n’ All. Perth: Gunada Press.
Kelly, K., Dudgeon, P., Gee, G. & Glaskin, B. (In press) Living on the Edge: Social and Emotional Wellbeing and Risk and Protective Factors for Serious Psychological Distress among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People, Discussion Paper No. 10, Cooperative Research Centre for Aboriginal Health, Darwin.
Pederson, A. and Dudgeon, P. (2003). Indigenous Children at School: A Look Beyond the Scenes. Perth: Gunada Press.
Rickwood, D., Dudgeon, P. & Gridley H. (In press) ‘A History of Psychology in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health’. Chapter 2 in Working Together: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health and Wellbeing Principles and Practice. Office of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health, Department of Ageing: Canberra.
Dudgeon, P., Wright, M., Paradies, Y., Garvey, D. & Walker, I. (In press) ‘The Social, Cultural and Historical context of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians’. Chapter 3 in Working Together: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health and Wellbeing Principles and Practice. Office of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health, Department of Ageing: Canberra.
Zubrick, S., Dudgeon, P., Gee, G., Glaskin, B., Kelly, K., Paradies, Y., Scrine, C. & Walker, R. (In press) ‘Social Determinants of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social and Emotional Wellbeing’. Chapter 6 in Working Together: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health and Wellbeing Principles and Practice. Office of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health, Department of Ageing: Canberra.
Dudgeon, P. & Ugle, K. (In press) ‘Communication and Engagement: Urban Diversity’. Chapter 13 in Working Together: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health and Wellbeing Principles and Practice. Office of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health, Department of Ageing: Canberra.
Glover, M., Dudgeon, P., and Huygens, I. (2005). Colonization and Racism. In G. Nelson and I. Prilleltensky (Eds). Community Psychology: In Pursuit of Liberation and Well-being (330-344). New York: Palgrave and Macmillan.
Dudgeon, P., Mallard, J., Oxenham, D., and Fielder, J. (2002). Contemporary Aboriginal Perceptions of Community. In A. Fisher., C, Sonn., and B. Bishop. Psychological Sense of Community: Research, Applications, and Implications Psychologist, Volume 35, Number 2, July 2000.
Dudgeon, P. Abdullah, J., Humphries, R. and Walker, R. (1998). Social Capital and Increasing Aboriginal Participation in Mainstream Courses: Weaving the Threads of the Social Fabric or Spinning Another Yarn? In R. Walker, D. Elliot, K. Seymour and G. Worby (Eds). Indigenous Education and the Social Capital: Influences on the Performance of Indigenous Tertiary Students. Adelaide: Australian Federation of University Women Inc.
Dudgeon, P. Oxenham, D. and Grogan, G. (1997). Learning Identities and Differences. In C. Luke. (Ed) Feminisms: Pedagogies of Everyday Life. New York: State University of New York Press.
Dudgeon, P. (1993). Patricia Lynette Dudgeon: An Autobiography. In R. Sykes (Ed) Murawina: Australian Women of High Achievement. Sydney: Doubleday
Ugle, K., Glaskin, B., Dudgeon, P., and Hillman, S. (2009). Discussion Paper on a Statewide Aboriginal Suicide Postvention Project. Perth: Active Response Bereavement Outreach.
Dudgeon, P. (2008). Empowering research with Indigenous communities. Ngoonjook: a Journal of Australian Indigenous Issues, 32, 8-26.
Crawford, F., Dudgeon, P., and Briskman, L. (2007). Developing Therapeutic Communities for Abused Aboriginal Children and Their Families: An Indigenous Practitioners’ Cooperative Inquiry. Ministerial Advisory Council on Child Protection, Western Australia.
Wright, M., Dudgeon, P., D’Antoine, H., and Wilkes, E. (2007). Letters: Would the Northern Territory plan pass the Government’s own ethical guidelines? Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health. Vol, 31 (5). 430-431
Dudgeon, P., McGlade, H. and Boladeras, J. (2006). Cultural Protocols: Centre for Aboriginal Studies, Curtin University of Technology. Perth: Centre for Aboriginal Studies, Curtin University of Technology.
Pedersen, A., Dudgeon, P., Watt, S., and Griffiths, B. (2006). Attitudes Towards Indigenous Australians: The Issue of Special Treatment. Australian Psychologist. 41(2), 85-94.
Dudgeon, P. and Fielder, J. (2006). Third Spaces Within Tertiary Places: Indigenous Australian Studies. The Journal of Community and Applied Psychology, 16: 396-407.
Pedersen, A., Clarke, Dudgeon, P., and Griffiths, B. (2005). Attitudes Towards Indigenous Australians and Asylum Seekers: The Role of False Beliefs and Other Social-Psychological Variables. Australian Psychologist, 40 (3), 170-178.
Dudgeon, P. (2003). Australian Psychology and Indigenous People. Network, 14 (1). 38-43.
Dudgeon, P and Pickett, H. (2000). Psychology and Reconciliation: Australian Perspectives. Australian Psychologist, 35, 82 - 87.
Gridley, H., Davidson, G., Dudgeon, P., Pickett, H. and Sanson, A. (2000). The Australian Psychological Society and Australia's Indigenous Peoples: A Decade of Action. Australian Psychologist, 35, 88 - 91.
Dudgeon, P. (2000). Psychology and Cultural Awareness. Psychologically Speaking. March, 13 - 15.
Dudgeon, P. (2000). The Park Across the Road From My House. In Discriminations, meanings, implications, and directions. Conference Proceedings (165-168). Perth: Western Australian Commissioner for Equal Opportunity.
Davidson, G., Dudgeon, P., Garton, A., Garvey, D and Kidd, G. (1995). Guidelines for the Provision of Psychological Services for and the Conduct of Psychological Research with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People. Melbourne: Australian Psychological Society.
In 2011 Pat was awarded a 3-year Australian Research Council Discovery Indigenous Research Grant to complete a project titled 'Cultural continuity and change: Indigenous solutions to mental health issues'.