February Organisational Newsletter: Asian mental health resources

February: Happy Lunar New Year!

Hello!

Welcome to the first edition of our organisational newsletter, designed specifically for mental health practitioners, service providers, and those working with Asian communities, like you.

You may have been following our community newsletter over the past couple of years. Due to an increase in service providers joining us last year, we’ve decided to create this dedicated newsletter to offer resources and insights to better support your work.

Each month, you can expect:

- Key dates that impact the Asian community in Australia

- A summarised research article with practical considerations for working with the Asian community

- A list of passionate Asian private practitioners available for referrals

- Updates on how Shapes and Sounds can help your team feel confident and well-resourced in supporting the Asian community.

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Thank you for your commitment to supporting clients of Asian identities. We’re here to support you in the important work you do. So, please have a read through this newsletter and let us know if there’s any additional information we can provide going forward!

❤️Asami

🌱 Important dates and festivals this month

Did you know that Japan used to celebrate the Lunar New Year until the Meiji era (1868 - 1912) when they adopted the Gregorian calendar? Today, Lunar New Year is celebrated by countries such as China, South Korea (Seollal), Vietnam (Tết), as well as countries with a large Chinese Diaspora such as Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan and the Philippines.

This month, Lunar New Year continues until February 12th, but the festivities don't end there!

• 12 Feb: Yuanxiao (Lantern) Festival. This holiday marks the first full moon of the lunar calendar, and the official end of Lunar New Year celebrations.
• 27 Feb- 29 March: Ramadan. The holy month of Ramadan is the 9th month in the Islamic lunar calendar where those who participate, fast between sunrise and sunset each day.
• 28 Feb - 2 March: Lhosar (Tibetan New Year). Also following the lunar calendar, Lhosar is celebrated by Buddhist communities from Nepal, India, Bhutan and Tibet.

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 their longitudinal study, Maheen & King (2023) explored the impacts of migration status on mental health in Australian migrants. They found that unemployment negatively affected the mental health of Asian male migrants at a disproportionately higher rate compared to their female and African/Middle Eastern counterparts.

The article explores how unemployment interacts with migration status and gender norms, acknowledging the crucial role that continuous employment plays in long-term migrants' mental health and wellbeing.

Reflective prompt: In what ways do you / does your organisation explore employment in your intake, assessment and case management when working with Asian communities, especially with those on skilled migrant visas?

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

✨Online training now available.

In partnership with Monash University’s Culture, Trauma and Mental Health research lab.

At Shapes and Sounds, we’re the leading voice in Asian mental health in Australia. We bridge the gap between the Asian community and the mental health sector, offering training that blends real community insights with the latest evidence-based frameworks.

Online PD: Tuesday March 11th at 4.00pm - 5.15pm AEDT.

We invite all mental health practitioners of all cultural identities to join us for our open training session, "Addressing stigma in Asian communities" to learn tangible strategies to implement in your work.

Limited spots available, please find all details here.

💡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 clinical psychologist, Daniel He. Click here to see the post, or here to read our full interview with him!