Western Sydney is a multi-cultural hub that is supported by various South-Asian communities, particularly Indians, who have migrated and found their place in Australia. The cost of this migration is often deprioritised mental health in service of adapting to work, living cost requirements and adjusting to western culture. In a context like this, there can be multiple barriers to accessing and continuing psychological services:
- Balancing two cultures –Achieving a balance between personal identity and western culture can be hard due to presence of language barriers, unfamiliar healthcare infrastructure, lack of cultural responsiveness from practitioners and financial constraints.
- Cultural shame and stigma – The cultural narrative frames mental distress as a personal or family failing instead of a health issue. This leads to fear of mental distress becoming public knowledge which has an exaggerated social cost of judgement and isolation from a community that is closely knit. This fear leads to under-reporting and seeking services only after a crisis point is reached.
- Inter-generational difference – Indian parents tend to struggle with understanding their children who grow up here with western values which can lead to an identity-crises for everyone involved. The advice they receive through traditionally western approach will then feel limited because it does not always account for the cultural and migrant experience.
These are some systemic gaps due to which the mental health needs of Indians are not supported as well as they should be. Through our practice at Endeavour Wellness in Blacktown, we want to ensure that culturally-informed and inclusive care can reach the wonderful Indian community by
- Acknowledging influence of culture and family values on personal identity and mental health
- Having qualified practitioners who are trained in both cultures and offer services in multiple South-Asian languages in addition to English.
- Recognising that individuals have a deeper understanding of their culture and values and using that to collaborate with clients and set meaningful boundaries that respect mental health and cultural needs.
Community support has always been a big part of Indian culture. We believe that representation and cultural understanding matter a lot in psychological services and we are qualified and eager to offer these services to the community. We hope that more people reach out to us support their mental health needs and change the culture of struggling alone.
