Reflections from our August Community of Practice session 🤓

At Shapes and Sounds we acknowledge the importance of accessing up-to-date scientific evidence in the delivery of evidence-based mental health care. As such, we bring together Asian mental health practitioners each quarter in our Community of Practice (formerly Connect and Grow) - a professional development program where we collaboratively reflect and discuss the practical relevance of recent literature surrounding the mental health of Asian populations within Australia.

What did we discuss in our session?

For our August session, we were joined by Dr Betty Luu from Western Sydney University. Betty has been connected with the Shapes and Sounds community through her involvement in our Community Leads program in 2023, so we were honoured to invite her back to speak about her review: Effectively supporting Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) young people with their mental health and wellbeing – does this matter or exist in Australia? (Luu et al., 2023) 

Within their review, several key components were identified as beneficial to improving CALD youth mental health, including: 

• Recognising trauma and its impacts on identity 
• Avenues for creative expression 
• Cultural competence 
• Improving self-efficacy and empowerment 
• Social connection and relationships 
• Interactive and engaging content delivery methods 

They also highlighted the current barriers to responsive supports for CALD youth, with factors including: 

• Personal and societal barriers, such as stigma and a lack of mental health literacy and supportive networks
• Service barriers, such as limited cultural competency and trauma-informed approaches within mental health services (e.g., lacking understanding of settlement issues for migrant or refugee clients) 
• Systemic/Epistemological barriers, such as the dominance of a Western-centric definition of mental health 

Key discussion themes 

The conversations with our practitioners were rich and insightful, moving us beyond broad categories to a deeper, more nuanced understanding of cultural competence.

• A key theme that emerged was the need to challenge the language we use to understand culture and diversity. The term "CALD," for example, was highlighted as being vague, and often dismissive of the rich diversity which exists within this group. Practitioners reflected on how the term can lead to the othering of all non-Western individuals, while Eurocentric perspectives are implicitly considered the default. The group agreed that a more intentional approach is needed, using indicators that more accurately capture the diverse experiences of non-Western clients (e.g., languages spoken, intersecting identities such as gender).
• The role of creative and art therapies was also a central point of discussion. Given that there may be less opportunities for creative pursuits in some Asian communities, art therapies could be particularly liberating and empowering, offering a way for clients to express themselves in ways which they were previously unable to engage in. Practitioners also reflected upon how creative therapies may serve as suitable avenues of care for those who may lack the ability to verbally express distress. 
• Practitioners also reflected upon the idea that Eurocentric notions of wellbeing may differ from wellbeing concepts in Asian cultures. For example, Psychology is often considered as the study of the mind, but in Chinese and Japanese, it is often referred to as the study of the heart/soul. This means that subtle cultural difference in what is emphasised within non-Western wellbeing practices may be missed by Eurocentric notions of mental health.

Practitioner reflections and implications for practice 

To be truly culturally competent, practitioners must:

• Acknowledge intersectional identities and conflicts: This involves recognising that individuals hold multiple identities (e.g., race, gender, sexuality) and understanding how these identities intersect to create unique experiences of conflict and discrimination.

• Broaden the definition of mental health: It is vital to move beyond traditional, Eurocentric concepts of mental health and recognize that other cultures have their own valid definitions of well-being.

Practitioners also reflected on how it might be fruitful to help Asian clients better understand the links between their cultural identity and their own unique definitions of wellbeing. This can enable clients to reflect and draw upon their own unique cultural strengths.

Additionally, practitioners also noted that it may be useful to directly ask clients about cultural qualities they feel are important for the practitioner to know.

Finally, the centring young people's voices within support services is key to ensuring that they feel empowered and adequately connected to their culture.

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Shapes and Sounds is home to the largest Community of Practice for Asian mental health professionals in Australia and we meet quarterly to discuss papers as summarised above. You can learn more about our Community of Practice, and join our next session on November 6th, here.

Alternatively, if you're interested in connecting with Shapes and Sounds through our cultural-competency trainings, you can learn more about our trainings here.