Let’s Talk Mental Health Project – Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health

Health promotion action 2 focuses on giving people the information and supports needed to make positive, informed choices about their health. This project shows how providing tailored in-language health literacy can support improved mental health and wellbeing for more communities.  

The ‘Let’s Talk Mental Health’ Project supports better mental health and wellbeing for migrant and refugee women. Led by Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health (MCWH), the project delivered in-language community mental health education programs to communities across the state.  

MCWH created three mental health and wellbeing professional development modules for health educators. Thirty-eight multilingual health educators from the Victorian women’s health sector participated in the two-day training to build their knowledge and capabilities in delivering in-language health education sessions and facilitating relevant referrals within their communities. At the completion of the training, educators were provided with an Educator Resource Pack containing PowerPoint templates and additional evidence-based resources.  

Make it stand out

‘Where do I go for mental health support?’, Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health.

Throughout 2023–2024, MCWH educators conducted 86 mental health information sessions reaching 1,924 women across 18 Local Government Areas. Languages covered included Arabic, Cantonese, Dari, Karen, Mandarin, Turkish, Vietnamese and a few in English for multilingual groups. 100% of participants reported increased confidence in understanding the mental health information provided to them. Additionally, many expressed intentions to take action regarding their mental health, including requesting a mental health care plan from a GP.