September Newsletter: Thank Goodness it's Spring

Hello there!

Emerging out of Winter always feels like a deep unfurling for me. I sense this feeling of impatience and drive to move faster, to do more, and I'm excited to bring this energy into these next few months at Shapes and Sounds.

And I mention this because sometimes "change" doesn't actually feel so great. I've been feeling my sluggish, wintery self for the last few months and as I've noticed this extra energy in my system recently, I can see that there's another part of me that wants to resist that shift too.

Often human beings find comfort in the predictable, so even shifts that might be positive, can feel at best, novel, and at worst, frightening.

However you find yourself today, I hope this message can be stored away if, like me, you notice yourself resisting change at times.

But for now, please enjoy our September newsletter below!

❤️Asami

🌱Upcoming workshops:

For therapists: Develop your culturally-responsive practice at our next professional development session, Connect and Grow on September 14th at 7.00pm AEST.

Learning theme: Navigating cultural burnout 

For the general public: Improve your mental health and wellbeing at our next FREE Community Check-In (formerly the Shapes and Sounds Club) on October 10th at 7.30pm AEST.

This session is facilitated by our team of Asian Australian psychologists and therapists.

 🦉Some interesting mental health info:

📺 The news: We're starting to see more research emerging from our lockdown years, and this article highlights how Anti-Asian discrimination deeply affected the mental health of Asian American college students in 2020. While it's a difficult read, it's also a good reminder to not overlook the impact that these last few years have had on ourselves too.

📚 Academia: From our partners at Monash university, this article explores how culture impacts cognitive appraisal (ie. how we respond to and interpret stressors) in the context of PTSD.

🎨 The arts: Miss Peony is about a beauty pageant but it's also a deeply nuanced exploration of Chinese-Australian identity and there's just a few more shows to go in Woollongong and Geelong!

🎧 Media: Our good friend Jade Zoe has been advocating for Asian representation in Australian music at Triple J since 2021 and tomorrow night, she'll be hosting House Party one last time... tune in here for a beautiful farewell!

🔎 Searching for a therapist?

Connect with our new practitioners below, or share this page with someone who may need this!

 

🎤 Therapist spotlight.

Get to know psychotherapist, Eunice Cheung via our interview:

"Stop thinking 10 steps ahead, accept what you cannot control. Learn to live in the moment and be present"

✨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.

✍️ A journaling prompt for August: 

September to December 31st always feels FAST.

And so I invite you to take a moment here to list three words that outline how you would like to feel as we move towards the end of the year.

🐌 And last but not least:

Recently in social media land,

We shared a bit of info around the differences in pricing between psychologists and counsellors. Take a look if you're confused about the Medicare rebate!