Help for diverse cultures

The free digital mindfulness resources, which have been developed after identifying a need within Arabic, Bangla, Mandarin, Nepali, Greek and Spanish speaking communities, aim to help people improve their wellbeing and reduce psychological distress through six mindfulness exercises.
Minister for Mental Health, Bronnie Taylor, said 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.
“Studies have shown that programs based in mindfulness are effective in reducing depression, anxiety and stress, and improve overall general wellbeing – and can be practised by anyone from any faith irrespective of their cultural or spiritual beliefs,” she said.
Minister for Multiculturalism, Mark Coure, said the programs help 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,” he 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.”
They are available at mhcs.health.nsw.gov.au.