Marumali Program®
Healing Through Community, Culture and Connection
The Marumali Program® delivers culturally grounded programs that support healing, understanding, connection and personal growth for First Nations peoples, communities, families and organisations across Australia.
What is Culturally Grounded Trauma Healing?
The Marumali Program® is a culturally grounded healing approach developed from the lived experience, ancestral and cultural knowledge and healing journey of Aunty Lorraine Peeters a a Gamilraay Wayilwun, Stolen Generations Survivor, Elder and creator of the program.
At its heart is the understanding that healing is holistic. It brings together mind, body and spirit, with culture, identity and reconnection to family, community and Country at the centre.
Each part of the program identifies the key issues to be explored, the types of support that may be needed, potential harms and risk and then identifies the indicators of readiness to move forward. This provides a framework for understanding where a person may be on their healing journey and how they can be supported safely and appropriately.
“It gives people direction in life; to reclaim their connections to everything the past generation had lost. Often the spiritual and cultural aspects of the program are what’s missing from people’s lives.”
– Aunty Lorraine Peeters
Culturally Safe and Trauma Informed Healing
The Marumali Program® brings together Aunty Lorraine’s ancestral and cultural knowledge and lived experience with contemporary understandings of trauma. It recognises that the impacts of colonisation and forced removal are not experienced only by individuals, but can affect families, communities and systems across generations.
As a trauma-informed healing approach, the program focuses on three key principles:
Realise
Realise the prevalence and widespread impact of trauma.
Recognise
Recognise how trauma affects individuals, families, communities and systems.
Respond
Respond in culturally safe, trauma-informed ways that avoid re-traumatising Stolen Generations Survivors, their families and communities, and support healing and reconnection.
Proven Programs
The Marumali Program® delivers culturally informed programs that support healing, understanding, connection and personal growth for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, communities, families and organisations across Australia.
Grounded in lived experience and developed through the work and vision of Aunty Lorraine Peeters, the Marumali Program creates safe spaces for individuals and communities to better understand the impacts of intergenerational trauma, grief, loss and disconnection, while supporting pathways toward healing, identity, resilience and cultural strength.
Marumali Program® also works with organisations, services and communities to build greater understanding of trauma informed practice, cultural safety and the impacts of historical and intergenerational experiences on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Programs support participants to develop deeper awareness, empathy and culturally informed approaches within health, education, justice, community and workplace settings.
The program continues to evolve to support broader access to culturally informed education and healing pathways across Australia.
A recent evaluation highlighted the program's impact:
Builds understanding of colonisation, transgenerational trauma, and grief.
Strengthens individual, family, and community capacity.
Encourages proactive rather than reactive approaches to healing.
Addresses the specific needs of local communities.
Participants consistently report that the program has made a profound difference in their lives. By increasing awareness, understanding, and knowledge of the trauma of forced removal, the program plays a crucial role in strengthening the healing process and fostering long-term recovery.
Join the Journey of Healing
Discover the transformative power of the Marumali Program® and become part of a program that fosters healing and resilience. Embrace the opportunity to learn, grow, and contribute to a culturally safe environment for all.
