Asian Mental Health

Many individuals from Asian diasporas in Aotearoa New Zealand have consistently called for a greater focus on mental health issues. This project responds to this call and aims to highlight various discussions, understandings, and perspectives on mental health of Asian communities in Aotearoa.

About our Asian mental health research

Watch all the Asian Mental Health videos on YouTube

Woman wearing a beige trench coat sits on a couch in a light-drenched room. Behind her is a TV set, to her right is a large couch with a blanket draped over it, and glass doors behind it

Watch: ‘How can we work with the things that are already happening?’: Asian mental health and the future

Several key people working in the Asian mental health space in Aotearoa New Zealand – many of them featured in our Asian Mental Health video series – look to the future and consider: where to from here?

A woman in a bright pink and orange dress stands on stage, smiling, addressing a crowd

Reimagining Asian Mental Health – a reflection

As part of our Asian Mental Health project, the Reimagining Asian Mental Health hui brought together mental health professionals, advocates, activists, and academics to speak on the issues and ways forward, surrounded by a room full of passionate individuals. Here, participant Tenisha Kumar reflects on the kaupapa of the day.

View of tree tops and a bright blue sky with wispy clouds

Of stigma and ornithophobia

How one woman’s fear of birds controlled her life – and affected those around her.

Eva sits on a couch talking to a person out of shot

Watch: Eva Chen talks about the wellbeing of new mums, teenagers, and community

Eva Chen began her mental health advocacy work almost a decade ago after seeing the need for a culturally responsive service for Asian communities, resulting in the establishment of the Wellbeing Charitable Trust.

Eva poses for a photo, looking directly into the camera

‘Building trust is important’: community and mental health organisations

Eva Chen talks about relatable challenges in her advocacy, and her culturally sensitive approach to supporting our communities.

A woman stands in a park looking into the camera on an overcast day

Watch: Cultural safety in our mental health system is a collective responsibility

Maria Milmine is a counsellor and part of a small collective of Filipino therapists. She speaks about working in our mental health system.

A woman sits on a lounge chair, writing on a pad. She is in a well-lit spacious room that has a relaxing feel to it

‘People desperately need support that is culturally safe and responsive’

Maria Milmine’s approach to counselling is infused with a critical awareness of how factors such as migration, race, gender, colonisation, and class impact an individual’s mental health. Here she shares about her experiences working in New Zealand’s mental health system.

A woman sits on a light grey chair, talking to somewhere out of the frame on the right. Behind her sits two piles of books, and a painting on the wall

Watch: Psychologist Sehar Moughal: ‘You cannot look at an individual or their action in isolation’

“For so long we looked at the mainstream perspective [of mental health] as the baseline perspective. It’s not. There could be other perspectives, catered for other cultural groups, and they could exist in harmony.”

A woman poses for a photo, standing in front of a brown fence

‘You are not broken; the system is’: understanding different contexts in healing

Sehar Moughal is a psychologist, activist, public speaker, teacher, and doctoral candidate at the University of Auckland. Her professional and research work centres around challenging the status quo and advocating for people on the fringes. Mehwish Mughal, who leads our Asian Mental Health project, asks Sehar what makes her so passionate about the work she does.

A woman in a green dress is talking to someone off camera and gesticulating with her hands.

Watch: Why we need to reframe the conversation on ‘Asian’ mental health in Aotearoa

We hear from several knowledge holders working in the Asian mental health space as they outline the key issues we need to tackle to open the door to positive change.

Video still of a woman sitting on a chair talking to somebody off-camera. Behind her is a window with curtain partially drawn, and a bench with lots of books on it

Watch: Movement coach Dharshi Ponnampalam talks philosophy, dreams, hopes for change, and tips for self-care

Dharshi discusses her dance therapy sessions and workshops – typically frequented by women from South Asian communities – which offer the benefits of dance while doubling as a safe space for students to form friendships and find community.

Photo of a woman looking into mirror, putting on an earring.

‘Healing doesn’t just happen in one mode’: reconsidering what ‘therapy’ looks like

Dharshi’s work in the mental health space challenges us to reconsider what ‘therapy’ looks like, where it happens, and who does it. Here, she discusses her philosophy, dreams, hopes for change, and tips for self-care.

Grace and Mehwish stand in front of a sign advertising the Asian Mental Health project, holding copies of the zine

Blog: Unravelling threads: introducing our Asian Mental Health project

As part of Mental Health Awareness Week (26 Sep – 2 Oct), researcher and activist Mehwish Mughal and Grace Gassin, Curator Asian New Zealand Histories, proudly launch our new Asian Mental Health project.

Photo of four young children posing for a photo

Why Asian mental health matters in Aotearoa

Many individuals from, and working alongside, Asian diasporas in Aotearoa New Zealand have consistently called for a greater focus on mental health issues. Here, our Asian Mental Health project lead Mehwish Mughal offers a deeply personal insight into why the mental health concerns of Asian communities need to be addressed.

Mockup of the Unravelling threads: Asian mental health zine showing its cover and two open pages