Many of us grew up learning to hold everything — translating, soothing, organising, protecting — long before we had space to be children. In Asian and migrant families, this responsibility is woven with love, culture, and survival. Healing isn’t about rejecting our roots, but finding room for ourselves within them.

Australia’s diversity shapes how people live, relate, and seek care. As a psychologist, I see how culture, identity, and lived experience influence mental health. True inclusion requires cultural responsiveness moving beyond competence to reflexivity, humility, and advocacy. When we honour diverse ways of being, we create a society where everyone feels seen, valued, and safe.

Australia celebrates diversity, yet belonging is not evenly felt. For many Asian Australians, race and culture quietly shape how they speak, relate, and seek help. These emotional worlds are often misread through Western norms, leaving people feeling out of step. When clinicians recognise cultural logic, not pathologise it, we create space for clients and therapists alike to be understood without shrinking or assimilating.