Bicultural Workers in Mental Health Settings

A new full-day training exploring the role of bicultural mental health workers and clinicians in building more culturally safe and inclusive mental health services. Developed in partnership by Alfred Mental and Addiction Health, cohealth, Better Health Network and Federation University, the training is informed by research into the experiences and contributions of bicultural mental health workers and clinicians and has been extensively co-designed with bicultural workers, clinicians, lived experience workers and sector leaders.

About the training

Bicultural mental health workers and clinicians bring cultural knowledge, lived experience, language, community connection, and different ways of understanding mental health, wellbeing, and healing alongside their professional and clinical expertise. This training explores how mental health services can recognise, value, and make space for this expertise and diverse ways of knowing, doing, and providing support alongside clinical approaches.

Importantly, it also asks what needs to change within organisations. 

Employing bicultural staff does not automatically make a service culturally safe. Organisations need to consider the systems, structures, workplace cultures, and power dynamics that enable bicultural staff to contribute their expertise safely and meaningfully — without carrying the cultural load or responsibility for making the whole organisation culturally safe.

What will we explore?

• Understanding bicultural mental health roles and the expertise they bring
• Cultural safety and diverse ways of knowing, understanding, and supporting mental health and wellbeing
• The experiences and challenges of working biculturally within mainstream mental health services
• Cultural load, power, role expectations, and organisational responsibility
• The systemic and structural changes needed to better support this workforce and build culturally safe and inclusive services 

This is an interactive full-day workshop with opportunities to reflect on current practice, learn from bicultural perspectives and consider what meaningful change could look like within your team or organisation.

A resource package will be sent to registered participants prior to the day which will include pre-reading materials.

The training is designed for:

• Bicultural mental health workers and clinicians who bring cultural knowledge, lived experience and professional expertise to their roles.
• Managers and team leaders who supervise bicultural staff and can advocate for and implement organisational change and supports.
• Peers and colleagues who work alongside bicultural staff and contribute to creating culturally safe and inclusive teams.

This includes clinicians, social workers, lived and living experience workers, carer and peer workforces, community mental health workers, allied health professionals, managers, and others working across mental health services.

We particularly encourage organisations to send bicultural workers alongside their managers and/or colleagues. Cultural safety is a shared responsibility, and the training creates space to have these conversations together.

Please note, if you do register for an event and it is not clear you are part of the intended audience, your registration will be confirmed two weeks prior to the event start date, or earlier.

Acknowledgement

This training is delivered with support from the Victorian Collaborative Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing through the SCALE project, supporting the sharing of learning and good practice across Victoria’s mental health and wellbeing sector. The views expressed are those of the contributors.