July Organisational Newsletter: Resources for Chinese-speaking communities.

July: Resources for Chinese-speaking communities.

Hello,

I'm delighted to share two free resources that may be of benefit to any Chinese-speaking community members that you may be working with:

Mindfulness resources for Mandarin-speaking children.

Featuring a long-time Shapes and Sounds community member, Nikki Zhang, Soundwalks (Mandarin) by ABC Kids and ABC International, paints rich, audio landscapes for children to explore, with different guided relaxations.

From working through big feelings and letting go of stress, to finding joy or navigating ways asking for help, Soundwalks uses the soothing sounds of nature to help kids connect with the present, and themselves. 

Gambling support for people from Chinese communities.

I recently had the pleasure of meeting the team from the Chinese Peer Connection - Financial and Gambling Support Services, by Each. I learned that gambling addiction and distress are often exacerbated in Chinese-speaking communities where shame and stigma hold people back from seeking help early.

Furthermore, "gambling" can be quite layered in many Chinese communities, where it can be both highly normalised (eg. Mahjong culture), but also illegal (eg. in Mainland China), which highlights the need for services like the Chinese Peer Connection program that deeply understand these intersecting experiences.

~

If you would like further information or an introduction to the relevant parties above, please reply to this email as I would be happy to help.

Cheers,
Asami

🌱 Important dates and festivals this month

Some important cultural festival and dates this month include: 

July 6-13: NAIDOC week. A celebration of the rich history, culture, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. See events in your local state here!

July 10: Dhamma day. Considered as one of the most important celebration for Theravada Buddhists, Dhamma day marks the day which Bhudda first shared his sermon after his enlightenment. It is a time to reflect upon one's connection to their Buddhist beliefs. 

July 30: International Day of Friendship. Officially beginning in 2011, the International Day of Friendship is a celebration of the incredible power of connection, uniting diverse cultures and sparking meaningful bonds worldwide.

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:

Through both quantitative and quanlitative approaches, Daluwatta et al. (2023) found that trust in providers, culturally safe services, and community awareness initiatives are key factors that enable help-seeking in Sri Lankan Australians. The research highlights the importance of addressing stigma and improving mental health literacy within the Sri Lankan Australian community to enhance service access.

What does this mean for clinicians and the community? 

This article highlights the importance of ensuring confidentiality and building strong trust within clinical practice, as these were deemed as a primary enablers to mental health service utilisation by the Sri Lankan Australian participants. The article also highlighted the community-based approach to increasing mental health literacy and addressing stigma beliefs within this community, suggesting it may be of particular importance for clinicians to consider the interpersonal context of their Sri Lankan clients within therapeutic settings. 

Reflective prompt:

- How can you work to ensure that client confidentiality is clearly communicated to clients of Asian backgrounds in culturally-appropriate ways?

- Outside of your therapeutic engagement with clients, how do you conceptualise and address what mental health stigma might look like in CALD communities? 

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.

🐌 And last but not least:

Recently on Linkedin,

We shared our practitioner interview with registered psychologist Lily (Jijia) Zhu. Read our interview with her here.