November Organisational Newsletter 2026

November: The Victorian election and migrant wellbeing.

Hello there,

As we approach Victoria's state election this month, I've been reflecting on how public conversations about migration, immigration and belonging can deeply impact the mental health of our communities.

Through conversations with community members and our practitioners, we're increasingly conscious of how the broader social and political environment can shape people's sense of safety, identity and belonging.

For newer migrants and international students, uncertainty about visa pathways, future opportunities or public attitudes towards immigration can create additional pressures alongside the everyday challenges of work, study and family life. For the diaspora, we're haunted by the same characters who ransacked our sense of selves as kids and wondering why we're feeling... off.

And sometimes, these concerns don't present so explicitly when someone first walks through our doors. They might appear instead as anxiety about the future, family conflict, difficulty making decisions or perhaps even a reluctance to seek support in general.

👉For those of us working in mental health, it's a reminder that culturally responsive practice isn't just about understanding someone's cultural identity, but it's always about understanding how someone's culture intersects with the environment we're all navigating today.

Is your team equipped to respond to the changing context, and subsequently, the changing needs of multicultural communities?

We're now taking bookings for culturally responsive practice training in 2027. Reply to this email to explore how we can support your team.

Cheers,
Asami

🌱 Important dates and festivals this month

Some important cultural festival and dates this month include:  

November 8: Deepavali (Diwali / Tihar). Known as the Festival of Lights, this major holiday is celebrated across Hindu, Jain, and Sikh traditions to signify the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil.

November 24: Guru Nanak Dev Ji Gurpurab. Commemorates the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder of Sikhism and the first of the ten Sikh Gurus. This holiday is marked by prayers, processions, and community feasts (langar).

November 25: Loy Krathong. A traditional Thai festival where decorated floating baskets (krathongs) are released onto rivers and waterways to pay respect to the water spirits and let go of negative energy.

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:

In Yu and colleagues' (2025) systematic review of 44 articles, they found that cultural gaps between parents and children, along with family conflict, raise the risk for depression and anxiety. However, strong family bonds, parental warmth, and support act as key protective factors. Exploring how parental warmth is expressed and received in Asian families, and how cultural gaps manifest between generations, is thus a key part of culturally-responsive youth mental health care. 

What does this mean for clinicians and the community? 

The protective nature of family and warmth identified in this review point to these as valuable clinical targets when working with Asian families in Western contexts. Incorporating content on intergenerational acculturation gaps and family conflict resolution may further support AA youth mental health. Further efforts to develop culturally-adapted parenting programs are also necessary.

Reflective prompt: 

How did your parents (explicitly or implicitly) express warmth, care, and support during your childhood? Has that influenced how you take care of your own mental health? 

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

💡Build your organisation's cultural-responsiveness in 2026.

Shapes and Sounds helps mental health, education and community organisations build the confidence and practical skills to better support Asian communities.

After booking out 2026, we're now opening our books for next year. We can support your team through:

- Our core 90-minute professional development session, Addressing Mental Health Stigma in Asian Communities
- Reflective practice and cultural supervision
- Bespoke consulting services

Join organisations including headspace Syndal, the Mac.Robertson Girls’ High School and The Royal Children’s Hospital in learning practical strategies for delivering more culturally responsive support.

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. 

🐌 And last but not least:

Recently on Linkedin,

We shared our practitioner interview with registered psychologist Claire Qiu and accredited mental health social worker William Wang. Read our interview with them HERE and HERE.