Mindfulness Interventions in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Communities: Evaluation of the Workforce Capacity Building Component

Research undertaken by South Eastern Local Health District (SESLHD) Multicultural Health Service and partners has demonstrated that appropriately tailored Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) are acceptable and effective in reducing depression, anxiety and stress in culturally and linguistically (CALD) communities. Phases 1 and 2 of the CALD Mindfulness Program targeted Arabic speakers. In Phase 3, the 5-week community-based group intervention was extended to include Bangla speakers. Phase 3 also incorporated a workforce capacity building component designed to increase the reach of the CALD Mindfulness Program, with training offered to bilingual mental health professionals, community workers and others interested in facilitating future group interventions. Between August 2017 and December 2019, seven full-day workshops were offered across SESLHD and SLHD, attracting a total of 83 participants. The training was evaluated through feedback collected at the end of the workshop and an online survey emailed in October 2019. The feedback forms asked about content and delivery (process). The survey asked about key learnings and their application (outcomes and impact). The great majority of training participants were women. Almost half were community workers and just over a third were mental health professionals. Arabic and Bangla were the most commonly spoken community languages, but just over a quarter spoke another language.