Dr Josephine Lee is a proud Gudjula woman from North Queensland whose nearly 30-year career in social work stands as a powerful testament to cultural resilience, transformative healing, and a deep commitment to anti-oppressive practice. As a Senior Aboriginal Social Worker supporting children, families, and schools across remote Northern Territory communities, Josephine does not simply work in social services; she lives and breathes the values at its core.

In recognition of her extraordinary contribution to the profession and to communities across the NT, Josephine was recently awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Social Work by Charles Darwin University.

Growing up in Australia, Josephine’s understanding of social justice, healing, and community responsibility was forged from lived experience. Her approach to social work is shaped not by textbook theory, but by the wisdom passed down through her family, the strength of her cultural roots, and the realities of life on Country. Her practice is guided by an unwavering belief in the dignity, capability, and healing potential of her people.

At the heart of Josephine’s philosophy is a relationship-based approach grounded in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledges. She sees connection to self, to community, to culture, and Country as essential to wellbeing. Her work focuses on healing trauma by fostering those connections and by engaging in compassionate, strengths-based support that centres the voice and agency of the people she works with.

Josephine is committed to culturally safe, trauma-informed practice. She draws on therapeutic methods such as narrative therapy and compassionate inquiry, which seek to understand the person beyond the problem, respecting their story, and walking alongside them in a non-blaming, collaborative way. Her belief that “relationship is therapy” reflects her view that trust and cultural safety are the foundation of any healing work.

Rather than focusing on deficits, Josephine builds on the inherent strengths within individuals, families, and communities. She believes in hope-focused practice, restoring a sense of future, pride, and potential to those who have long been denied it. Her work is future-oriented, focused on generational change, and guided by the principle of “do no harm.”

Josephine Lee offers not just a model of best practice in social work, but a powerful invitation to rethink how we listen, engage, and respond. Her approach is both a reclaiming of Indigenous wisdom and a call for the broader profession to centre justice, healing, and cultural truth in its work.

Watch Josephine’s award presentation and her inspiring acceptance speech here.