May Community Newsletter: A gentle reminder

May: Small ways to look after yourself

Hello there,

Over the past few weeks, one idea keeps coming up again and again in my discussions: mental health support doesn't always need to begin with a professional.

Often, it starts with a friend, sibling or with someone who's been through a similar experience to you.

I feel this reflects something familiar across many Asian communities in that we often look after each other through friendship groups, student networks, and trusted community connections.

These connections can make it easier to overcome mental health stigma.

And because we look to these informal pathways of support, I can also see that many of us carry a lot for our families, friends, and communities.

That's amazing but, can be overwhelming too. So, today's message is that if things are feeling heavy, 1. you're not alone and 2. small moments of care for yourself count too.

An hour of silencing your phone notifications, six minutes of closing your eyes, one special serve of tea/matcha/wine (?!) ... I hope this message sparks some inspiration to prioritise your peace as you care for the people around you.

❤️ Asami

Mental health resources

📖 A research article you might be interested in: 

Park and colleagues recently reviewed 31 studies that explored mental health help-seeking behaviours among East Asian immigrants in Western countries, and found that they often sought help from informal sources such as friends, family, and religion. Those who were 1) more likely to acknowledge the benefits of professional support, 2) reported more severe symptoms, and 3) reported longer times since migration were more likely to access professional support. These findings suggest that while better mental health education and less stigma may encourage East Asian immigrants to seek help sooner, a reluctance to access services until symptoms become severe may also reflect a general mistrust of the mental health system. Therefore, services must become more culturally safe and recognise how different personal and cultural factors affect decisions to seek help. 

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Here you can also find fact sheets aimed to raise awareness, reduce stigma, and offer practical insights for your wellbeing. They’re all free on our website so keep an eye out!

P.S. Have a topic you'd like us to create a resource around? Email us at hello@justshapesandsounds.com! 

🔎 Searching for a therapist?

Connect with our new practitioners via the Asian Mental Health Practitioner List, or share this page with someone who may need this.   
 

🎤 Therapist spotlight.

Get to know accredited mental health social worker, Matthew Dellosa, via our interview:

"Remember to give yourself the same compassion you offer others, and it's okay to slow down and rest." 

Get to know registered psychologist, Vini Ramesh, via our interview:

"It's okay to not feel fully competent (or confident) in everything you do!"

✨Have you tried Schema therapy before?✨

Daniela Ho Tan is one of the practitioners on our Asian Mental Health Practitioner List and as part of her PhD, she's conducting a research study exploring the experiences of individuals who are of Asian heritage and who have had psychological treatment which includes schema therapy or who are currently receiving treatment which includes schema therapy.

The research is interested in understanding if and how cultural factors have been addressed in your experience of schema therapy.

Taking part in this study is voluntary and the study has been approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) of The University of Sydney [ethics reference: HE001027].

Learn more and register HERE.

🐌 And last but not least:

Recently in social media land,

We shared our thoughts on culturally repsonsive therapy - something that you hear us talk about a lot here at Shapes and Sounds! Check out our instagram to learn more about what this means and the things you can look out for in therapy.