May Organisational Newsletter: Engaging international students

May: More peer practitioners?

Hello there,

Last week, we completed our International Student Changemakers leadership program, which included co-designing and recording a full podcast series shaped by their experiences of mental health and support.

One insight came to the forefront: international students strongly resonated with the idea of peer practitioners. Many described this form of support as feeling more accessible and less intimidating as it connects them with someone with shared cultural context.

While we're still going through the data, we feel this insight reflects the more holistic/integrated way that many Asian communities conceptualise "mental health care", where roles like peers, mentors, and community leaders play a key role in care. Expanding these pathways might reduce stigma and create earlier entry points into support.

We’ll be sharing a full insight report and releasing the podcast series in June to outline these findings further.

If your organisation is thinking about how to better engage international students, we’d be glad to continue the conversation. Otherwise, keep an eye out for our next newsletter!

Cheers,
Asami

PS. A big thank you to Yi Tong Tew who is a peer practitioner at headspace Box Hill for facilitating one of our Student Changemaker sessions and inspiring our student cohort!

Cheers,
Asami

🌱 Important dates and festivals this month

Some important cultural festival and dates this month include:

May 1: Vesak Day (Buddha Day). Observed by Buddhist communities globally to commemorate the birth, enlightenment, and death of Gautama Buddha. It is a day of prayer, reflection, and acts of charity to honor his teachings of peace and compassion.

May 26: Hung Vuong Festival. A Vietnamese holiday honoring the ancient Hung Kings, the traditional founders of the nation. Celebrated on the 10th day of the third lunar month, it involves ancestral offerings and colorful processions to express gratitude for the country’s origins.

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

🦉 Research perspectives to strengthen your culturally-responsive practice:

Within Park et al.'s (2025) recent systematic review which 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 immigration were more likely to access professional support.

What does this mean for clinicians and the community? 

These findings suggest that while enhancing psychoeducation and dismantling stigma are vital for encouraging earlier professional help-seeking, true progress also requires addressing the deep-seated mistrust many have toward the current system. To bridge this gap, mental health services must go beyond simply increasing access and actively commit to becoming more culturally responsive and safe.

Reflective prompt: 

What efforts does your practice/clinic current make to ensure your space is culturally safe? How can you improve the cultural safety of your space? 

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

💡Our new recorded training is live.

The new professional standards for psychologists have been established and a core element of this shift is to embed cultural competency throughout all aspects of practice. As the leading voice for Asian mental health in Australia, we can support you to meet these requirements in regards to the largest culturally diverse community in Australia.

After supporting organisations like headspace Syndal and Elsternwick, Monash Youth Services and The Australasian Genetic Counsellors Society in 2025, we have now launched a recorded version of our train our core training for you to begin right now.

Ready to learn more? Click the link here!

🔎 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 HERE. 

✨For Schema Therapists✨

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 mental health practitioners who have provided or are currently providing schema therapy to people of Asian heritage. 

The research is interested in understanding if and how cultural factors have been addressed in your experience of delivering 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: 2025HE001027].

 Learn more and register HERE.

🐌 And last but not least:

Recently on Linkedin,

We shared our practitioner interview with accredited mental health social worker Matthew Dellosa, and registered psychologist Vini Ramesh. Read our interviews with them HERE and HERE.