Supporting Mental Health in CaLD Men | AASW Webinar with Michael Elwan

I recently delivered a national webinar for the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) titled:

From Silence to Strength - Supporting Mental Health in Men from CaLD Backgrounds

This live online training sat at the intersection of culture, masculinity, trauma and systems; the places where many men carry distress quietly until crisis makes silence impossible.

The title was not rhetorical. It came directly from practice.

“If I can’t provide, I’m not a man”

Those words were spoken by a client at breaking point. They echo across many culturally and linguistically diverse (CaLD) communities in Australia, where expectations around provision, strength, sacrifice and silence shape how distress is understood and expressed.

Why this conversation matters

Despite experiencing high levels of psychological distress, CaLD men are significantly less likely to access mental health support. When they do, it is often late, acute or through involuntary pathways.

I do not see this as a lack of insight or willingness. I see it as the friction between systems designed around Western norms of disclosure and help-seeking, and lives shaped by migration, collectivism, gendered obligation, stigma, faith and survival.

Social workers encounter CaLD men across hospitals, justice settings, community outreach, settlement services and crisis responses. Many practitioners describe feeling that they are “missing something” in these encounters; that standard engagement tools fall flat, or that distress shows up sideways through anger, withdrawal, somatic symptoms or risk-taking.

This webinar was designed for those moments.

What the AASW webinar explored

The training moved beyond general cultural awareness and into culturally responsive, trauma-informed and masculinity-sensitive practice.

We explored:

• how cultural constructions of masculinity and role expectations shape help-seeking

• why stigma, honour and collective identity often silence distress

• the impact of structural pressures such as visa insecurity, underemployment and lack of cultural representation within services

• how Western diagnostic and assessment frameworks can misread or minimise culturally embedded expressions of distress

The focus was practical and reflective. I wanted the session to work with real-world complexity, not simplified case studies.

Participants explored concrete strategies they could apply in practice, including:

• culturally responsive communication using metaphor, indirect language and body-based prompts

• narrative-informed and culturally embedded assessment approaches that honour spirituality, collective identity and non-Western expressions of distress

• practice adaptations that reduce misdiagnosis and disengagement

• structured reflection on one intentional shift they could take into future cross-cultural work

FPS-aligned psychoeducation, cognitive interventions, communication skills and problem-solving approaches were integrated throughout the session.

Who this training was designed for

This webinar was designed for:

• established social workers seeking deeper clinical and cultural nuance when working with CaLD men

• evolving practitioners building confidence in culturally responsive engagement, suicide prevention and cross-cultural communication

• allied professionals working across mental health, community services, settlement, justice and hospital settings

Participants were expected to have a foundational understanding of mental health assessment and engagement models. This was not introductory content; it was reflective, applied and designed for practitioners working with complexity.

Event details

Date: Tuesday, 17 March 2026

Format: Live online webinar

Duration: 1.5 CPD hours

Provider: Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW National)

Category: Mental Health; Focused Psychological Strategies (FPS)

Capability levels: Evolving and Established

For me, this session was an invitation to listen more carefully, respond more wisely and work in ways that hold dignity, culture and masculinity together; without asking men to abandon who they are in order to be helped.

Continuing this work through LEXs training

This webinar reflects a wider part of my training work through LEXs: supporting organisations, social workers and human service teams to respond more thoughtfully where multicultural mental health, masculinity, help-seeking and suicide prevention meet.

Learn more about LEXs training: Multicultural Mental Health & Suicide Prevention Training.