May organisational newsletter: Considering CALD presentations in emergency care

May: Considering CALD presentations in emergency care.

Hello!

Welcome back to our monthly newsletter! Our aim is to support you to feel confident and resourced in supporting the mental health needs of the Asian community, so please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any specific questions that you'd like us to answer.

Below you'll find some key dates relevant to our community, as well as an article discussing several considerations of CALD presentations in emergency care.

💡In other news, Shapes and Sounds has a community facing podcast called, The Asian Mental Health podcast which provides casual and (hopefully) engaging conversations to reach those in the Asian community who may be facing multiple barriers to accessing support.

Our next season launches soon, on Tuesday May 6th and we would be so grateful if you could share our podcast through your marketing or comms channels to help us reach as many people as possible! Please find our spotify page here.

Cheers,
Asami

🌱 Important dates and festivals this month

Some important cultural festival and dates this month include: 

May 23rd: Vesak: Also known as Buddha's day, Vesak is a day for spiritual reflection and cultivation of inner peace within Asian countries.

May 26th: National Sorry Day: A day of remembrance and acknowledgement of the Stolen Generations, highlighting the ongoing need for reconciliation with Indigenous communities. 

May 27 - June 6: National Reconciliation Week: A week promoting understanding and respect between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians. This year's theme is "Bridging Now to Next," which will encourage Australians to reflect upon past histories and continue the push towards a more united and respectful nation.

May 31st: Dragon Boat Festival: A traditional Chinese holiday promoting unity and strength, which is typically celebrated by eating sticky rice (Zongzi) and dragon boat racing. 

May 31st: Dano Festival: A Korean celebration of spring and community, encouraging well-being and the warding off negative energy through traditional rituals and games.

How will your organisation be marking these important dates this month? Feel free to reach out to us if you'd like some ideas!

Check out other community events here! 

🦉 Research perspectives to strengthen your culturally-responsive practice:

In this recent article by Orygen, CALD presentations in the emergency department (ED) following suicide ideation/self harm were found to comprise of only 1.3% of total presentations. Those of CALD status were more likely to present during business hours, less likely to be triaged as urgent, and more likely to report occupational stressors. The paper also identified limitations in how CALD status is currently recorded in EDs, which may potentially lead to oversimplification of CALD identity and impact initial triaging and assessment.

What does this mean for clinicians and the community? 

In this recent article by Orygen, CALD presentations to the emergency department (ED) following suicide ideation/self harm were found to comprise of only 1.3% of total presentations. Those of CALD status were more likely to present during business hours, less likely to be triaged as urgent, and more likely to report occupational stressors. The paper also identified limitations in how CALD status is currently recorded in EDs, which may potentially lead to oversimplification of CALD identity and impact initial triaging and assessment.

What does this mean for clinicians and the community? 

For practicing clinicians, this study highlights the importance of culturally-sensitive data collection during assessment/triage, as a holistic understanding of one's CALD identity and relevant sociocultural factors (in addition to just ethnicity/languages spoken) is crucial to providing culturally-appropriate care. Practitioners should also remain aware of how CALD status may influence service access, help-seeking behaviours and types of presentation etc.

Reflective prompt: Bearing in mind the importance of intersectionality, what other sociocultural factors (in addition to CALD status) might play a role here in ED use following self-harm? Within the article, CALD individuals had lower repeat presentations, and were less likely to be triaged as urgent - what may be some sociocultural factors influencing help-seeking behaviours for CALD populations? 

You're welcome to reach out to us by replying to this email, if you'd like some perspective on this.

Reflective prompt: Bearing in mind the importance of intersectionality, what other sociocultural factors (in addition to CALD status) might play a role here in ED use following self-harm? Within the article, CALD individuals had lower repeat presentations, and were less likely to be triaged as urgent - what may be some sociocultural factors influencing help-seeking behaviours for CALD populations? 

You're welcome to reach out to us by replying to this email, if you'd like some perspective on this.

💡Build your team's cultural-competency in 2025.

In addition to our online public trainings, we can work closely with your organisation to address your team's questions and needs.

In 2024, organisations like headspace Syndal and The Australasian Genetic Counsellors Society saw improved team understanding and new strategies for delivering better services to Asian clients.

This option is extremely suitable for organisations based in areas with a high Asian population.

Ready to learn more? Download our info and pricing pack today to find out how we can help your team make a real impact.

🔎 Connect with our new therapists.

Our Asian Australian mental health practitioner list introduces you to private practitioners who are skilled in supporting the Asian community's mental health needs.

Our private practitioners are available for referrals. Please contact them directly via their profile.

✨Thank you for reading up to this point!

We rely heavily on your generous support to provide ongoing and free mental health resources to Asian communities in Australia.

Support Shapes and Sounds HERE.

Creative Community Care!

Do you work with international students from Asia, currently studying in Victoria?

If so, you may be able to refer them to our Creative Arts Therapy workshops, which will run until May 6th. Sessions hosted in partnership with La Trobe University and the Victorian Department of Health.

🐌 And last but not least:

Recently on Linkedin,

We shared our practitioner interview with Counsellor Yonglong Morty Ni. Click here to read our full interview with her!