CaLD Men’s Mental Health in Australia: Michael Elwan on Truth, Culture, and Change

Before a migrant man from a Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CaLD) background walks through the door of a mental health service in Australia, he has already carried more than many of us realise.

When I was first invited to contribute to Roses in the Ocean's PEERnet’s Community Contributor series, I saw an opportunity - not just to share a story, but to illuminate a reality that too often goes unspoken.

The result was my piece, Layer Upon Layer: Understanding the Invisible Burdens of Migrant Men from CaLD Backgrounds, now published on the PEERnet platform; a reflection on CaLD men’s mental health in Australia, and why telling the truth about it isn’t just personal, but essential.

In it, I explore what it means to navigate mental health challenges as a man from a culturally and linguistically diverse background; when masculinity, migration, and mental health collide. I wrote it not as a case study or opinion piece, but as a layered reflection drawn from personal pain, professional insight, and the voices of so many I've walked alongside.

Before a man from a CaLD background even steps through the door of a mental health service, he has already carried a thousand invisible weights:

• The pressure to be a provider and role model, without showing vulnerability

• The loss of status and identity after migration

• The fear of judgement, shame, or even losing a visa if he seeks help

• And finally, the experience of systems that are not built with his reality in mind

These aren’t “barriers.” They’re burdens. Layers. Accumulations of silence and shame.

Why this story matters now

As someone who has lived this truth - and spent many years in the mental health sector, from peer support to senior management - I’ve come to realise that culture shapes not just how we suffer, but how we seek help, how we’re heard, and how we heal.

When I first spoke to PEERnet about writing this piece, I said: if even one practitioner reads it and changes how they show up for migrant men from CaLD backgrounds, that will be enough.

Because that one practitioner may work with hundreds of men. And if even one of those men feels seen – really seen – maybe his family will feel seen too. Maybe silence will soften. Maybe the burden will begin to lift.

An invitation to practitioners and policymakers

This blog isn’t just about raising awareness. It’s a quiet invitation to reimagine how we engage with CaLD men in distress.

• What if our intake forms asked about migration grief?

• What if our assessments considered racism, role loss, and cultural shame?

• What if we made space for spirituality, community, and collective healing?

One practitioner shifting their approach could impact hundreds of families. This isn’t just personal - it’s structural. It’s cultural. It’s transformative.

Let’s keep building together

I’m grateful to PEERnet for the platform and the trust to speak so openly. I hope the piece invites pause, reflection, and perhaps a shift - however small - in how we hold the stories of men from CaLD backgrounds.

If you’re a service provider, policymaker, or peer worker interested in exploring these intersections further - through training, consultancy, or collaborative projects- I’d love to connect. This is the work I do at Lived Experience Solutions (LEXs): bridging personal truth with systemic change.

Read the full article on PEERnet here And if it resonates, please share it. Let’s keep the conversation going.

Based in Perth, WA, LEXs provides telehealth counselling across Australia for individuals, couples, and NDIS participants. Services extend to Social Work supervision, Peer Work supervision, training, and keynote speaking on men’s mental health, CaLD community wellbeing, and culturally responsive suicide prevention; helping people and organisations make mental-health care more compassionate, inclusive, and effective. LEXs provides services across Australia, supporting clients in Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and beyond. To learn more about our work across Australia, visit LEXs' services page.