Interactive Online Learning modules by Victorian Transcultural Mental Health

International students face unique stressors, including a greater risk of depression, financial and housing stress, academic pressures, and navigating cultural and language differences far from home. These stressors, combined with barriers to seeking help, can increase their risk of suicide. Addressing these challenges requires, a multi-faceted, student-empowered approach across systems, services, and agencies. Since 2022, the International Students’ Wellbeing Taskforce, led by The Victorian Suicide Prevention and Response Office at the Victorian Department of Health, has worked to support international students’ wellbeing in Victoria. The taskforce has now concluded and has produced many valuable wellbeing and suicide prevention resources. This Journey mapping project aims to build a shared understanding of issues, driven by international students' lived experiences​ (funded by the Department of Health)

Cultural responsiveness is an integral component of recovery-oriented service delivery and a critical consideration in improving the quality and safety of mental health services.

When providing mental health services to people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities a range of additional risk and protective factors need to be taken into consideration. The factors that are particularly important are migration and acculturation, racial discrimination and equity, language acquisition, and refugee experiences. These factors are inter-related and can exacerbate the likelihood of a mental illness or conversely protect against the development of a mental illness.

Mental health services and individual workers who work within them will often have very different understandings and explanations of mental illness from consumers who are from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds. Culturally responsive workers must seek to understand the illness experience of CALD consumers in order to gain their trust and respect, determine shared priorities, and plan and implement sensitive and effective intervention, treatment and recovery.

Consumer and carer participation with culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities needs to be approached in a way that respects cultural differences and shows understanding of the needs of CALD consumers, carers and their families. Consumer and carer participation with CALD communities needs to start with the mental health services actively engaging with their local CALD communities to build trust and tailored partnerships. Strategies for improving participation need to be multifocal and address jointly agreed goals.

Mental health services play an important role in supporting culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) consumers in their recovery by reducing impediments and barriers, and creating opportunities. To assist CALD consumers on the recovery journey, mental health services need to understand that recovery and its principles are not universal concepts and as a result may present challenges for mental health workers and CALD consumers.

Visit the DHA website to find out more about translation and interpreting services available nationally, including the Free Translating Service and Free Interpreting Service programs.

LGBTIQ Intersect and more broadly the Out in the CALD Harmony Grant is part of a larger initiative across Victoria to promote increased dialogue, shared understandings and the development of culturally safe and inclusive practice among multicultural, faith-based and LGBTI communities, health and wellbeing providers and community organisations. LGBTIQ Intersect has been developed by Victorian Transcultural Mental Health (VTMH) in collaboration with GLHV@ARCSHS, La Trobe University (GLHV)

This literature review has been drawn from academic and grey literature available within Australia and internationally. It focusses on good practices that are considered to improve the lives of young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds that are experiencing mental ill-health and are being supported in the community, including primary care settings. This aligns with the role and mandate of primary health networks (PHNs) to: Support region-specific, cross sectoral approaches to early intervention for children and young people with, or at risk of mental illness (including those with severe mental illness who are being managed in primary care) and implementation of an equitable and integrated approach to primary mental health services for this population group.

Mental Health Australia commissioned research to investigate the mental health of three specific culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. These were the Italian, Turkish and Vietnamese communities. We are delighted to present the Final Report detailing the research findings and recommendations. This research was conducted by Whereto, commissioned by Mental Health Australia and funded by the National Mental Health Commission.

Mental Health Australia commissioned research to investigate the mental health of three specific culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. These were the Italian, Turkish and Vietnamese communities. We are delighted to present the Final Report detailing the research findings and recommendations, and the one page infographic. This research was conducted by Whereto, commissioned by Mental Health Australia and funded by the National Mental Health Commission.

Full report of the Localities Embracing and Accepting Diversity (LEAD) Experiences of Racism Survey, published by the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (2013)

This study examines: • What is known about the mental health of immigrant and refugee communities in Australia; • Whether Australian mental health research pays adequate attention to cultural and linguistic diversity (CALD) in the Australian population. • Whether national mental health data collections support evidence-informed mental health policy and practice and mental health reform in multicultural Australia. The recommendations, based on the main findings, aim to contribute to the development of a culture of inclusion in Australian mental health research.

The purpose of the Migrant and Refugee Health Partnership is to develop and promote strategies to enhance health access, experience and outcomes for migrant and refugee community. To achieve this, they support sharing of good practice and collaboration among clinicians, community, health care services, and government agencies. They provide focus both on the capacity of clinicians and health service organisations to provide culturally responsive care, as well as on the capacity of migrant and refugee communities to understand their health and navigate the healthcare system.

This resource has been developed by Mind Australia Limited (Mind)

CALD Lived Experience Research Stage 1 Report

This publication was produced by the Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA), 2019

The National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards User Guide for Health Service Organisations Providing Care to People from Migrant and Refugee Backgrounds aims to support health service organisations to implement the NSQHS Standards and provide safe and high-quality care that meets the needs of people from migrant and refugee backgrounds.

The Transcultural Mental Health Centre (TMHC) Knowledge Hub aims to link you with the latest research and resources relevant to the mental health of culturally and linguistically diverse people in Australia.