AASW Webinar Recording | From Silence to Strength - Supporting Mental Health in Men from CALD Backgrounds

Capability Levels: Evolving; Established

“If I can’t provide, I’m not a man.” These words, spoken by a client in crisis, reflect a deeply held belief among many culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) men in Australia.

Despite experiencing high levels of psychological distress, CALD men are significantly less likely to access mental health support—often presenting only at crisis points or through involuntary services.

This webinar invites social workers and allied professionals to explore what lies beneath the surface of this under-engagement. What cultural, structural, and systemic barriers are being overlooked? And how can we move beyond cultural awareness to culturally intelligent, trauma-informed, and masculinity-sensitive responses?

Social workers frequently encounter CALD men across hospitals, community outreach, justice settings, and settlement services. Yet many feel underprepared to address the complex intersections of cultural identity, gender roles, and collective wellbeing. This session will provide you with a deeper understanding and practical tools to enhance engagement, reduce misdiagnosis, and support more effective, respectful care.

Who should register?

This webinar is best suited for social workers at the Established proficiency level who have experience working in mental health, community settings, settlement services, or multicultural practice and are seeking to deepen their cultural responsiveness and clinical insight when working with CALD men.

It will also benefit those at the Evolving level who are building confidence in cross-cultural engagement and want to expand their skills in culturally safe communication, suicide prevention, and working with stigma, spirituality, and gendered expectations across diverse communities.

Participants should have a foundational understanding of mental health assessment and social work engagement models, as the session focuses on nuanced practice, case reflection, and critical thinking, rather than introductory content.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this program, participants will be able to:

• Identify how cultural constructions of masculinity, role expectations, and stigma influence help-seeking behaviours among CALD men.
• Apply culturally responsive communication strategies - including metaphor, indirect language, and body-based prompts - to engage CALD men safely.
•  Analyse the impact of systemic and structural barriers (e.g. visa status, underemployment, lack of cultural representation in services) on mental health presentation and service access for CALD men.
• Demonstrate how to adapt mental health assessment approaches using narrative-informed and culturally embedded techniques that honour collective identity, spirituality, and non-Western expressions of distress.
• Reflect on their own cultural lens, practice assumptions, and engagement style when working with CALD men, and articulate one intentional shift they will make in future cross-cultural interactions.

AASW Credential: Mental Health (Focussed Psychological Strategies)

FPS will be incorporated into this webinar under a, b, (i.), c (i.), e (i, and iv), of Medicare schedule https://www9.health.gov.au/mbs/fullDisplay.cfm?type=note&q=MN.7.4&qt=noteID&criteria=MN.7.4

Please consider the AASW CPD Policy regarding FPS when logging your FPS hours manually.

In the event of audit, it is the member's responsibility to clearly demonstrate how this FPS training is relevant to the delivery of FPS in their specific work context.

Testimonials

• "This incredibly insightful and well structured training helped me adjust my approach when working with cald young men, among other things reframing silence as having significant meaning"
• "Michael was a great presenter and provided beneficial, reflective insights that I will incorporate into my practice."
• "Was a knowledgeable presentation that provided a genuine approach to assessments with people from a CALD background, particularly focusing on language changes and westernised diagnosis."