As a multicultural nation, Australia welcomes thousands of migrants and refugees every year. Many arrive fleeing conflict, public health emergencies or seeking better opportunities for themselves and their loved ones.

This year’s World Mental Health Day theme highlights the urgent need to support the mental health and psychosocial wellbeing of people affected by humanitarian crises.

Mental health support in these situations isn’t just helpful. It can save lives, support healing and empower people to recover and rebuild as part of strong and connected communities. To make this possible, it’s essential that healthcare workers are equipped to offer compassionate and culturally responsive care.

Hamilton Centre Manager Irina Hart recently attended a Victorian Transcultural Mental Health (VTMH) workshop on engaging with diverse communities in mental health settings. Reflecting on the session, she shared:

The workshop is such a great reminder about the importance of meaningful engagement with diverse communities for anyone working in mental health, especially when supporting people affected by both trauma and addiction. It helped us to reflect on our practice and make sure we’re not only aware of cultural context, but actively working with it to provide care that’s respectful, inclusive and effective.”

The Matilda Centre’s Comorbidity Guidelines also provide valuable insights into delivering integrated care to people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Find out more here.

We’re also excited to have Katrin Oliver and Lisa Jarvie attending the VTMH Forum 2025 on Practice and Research Innovations Towards Culturally Responsive Systems, and look forward to integrating their insights into our work at the Hamilton Centre.

More about the forum here.