NSW Health has launched a new range of online resources as part of a trial program to provide better mental health support to people from diverse communities.
Welcoming the digital mindfulness resources, the Minister for Mental Health, Bronnie Taylor said the resources were developed after identifying a need within Arabic, Bangla, Mandarin, Nepali, Greek and Spanish speaking communities.
Mrs Taylor said the resources were aimed at helping people improve their wellbeing and reduce psychological distress through six mindfulness exercises.
“COVID has had a significant impact on the mental health of many people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities, due to feeling less safe, disruptions in social support activities, challenges in finding work, and other impacts on daily life,” Mrs Taylor said.
“Studies have shown that programs based in mindfulness are effective in reducing depression, anxiety and stress, and improve overall general wellbeing,” she said.
“These resources have been adapted from mindfulness programs that have been found to produce significant improvements in mental health and reductions in psychological distress.”
Mrs Taylor said Arabic and Bangla were the first two languages NSW Health developed the resources in, and represented the first time nationally or internationally that there had been a translation of an evidence-based mindfulness program into those languages.
Minister for Multiculturalism, Mark Coure said the programs helped speak directly to people in their language.
“Just like we need to be treating mental health as part of our holistic health and wellbeing, so too do we need to ensure everyone across NSW can access the help they need no matter their cultural background or language,” Mr Coure said.
“While the resources are in-language, they are also developed with awareness of these communities’ respective cultures to ensure they are speaking directly to people in a way they will understand and can relate to,” he said.
“The programs are free and can be accessed without a referral, so I encourage anyone from these communities needing support with their mental wellbeing to look to these resources for help.”
Further information on the digital mindfulness resources can be accessed at this PS News link.
