The workshop brought together staff and students from the School of Arts and Humanities and the ECU Health Centre, in partnership with the City of Wanneroo and Clarkson Library.
As Western Australia marks Mental Health Week this October, Edith Cowan University (ECU) counselling students are helping local communities navigate uncertainty, strengthen connections and rediscover hope.
One in five Australians is affected by mental ill health each year; however, stigma is still very common. Mental Health Week aims to shine a spotlight on mental ill health and support education and advocacy for this most misunderstood of conditions, highlighting the importance of community connection in recognising and treating mental illness.
Depression and anxiety are the most common forms of mental ill health, and stigma around these conditions is beginning to lift, but other mental illnesses, such as bipolar and schizophrenia, remain shrouded in fear and stigma. Mental Health Week aims to lift this stigma with education campaigns and open conversations, encouraging affected people to seek treatment.
An important means of strengthening mental health is to strengthen community connections and nurture strong social networks, to alleviate loneliness and isolation. Community-level engagement is an important feature of Mental Health Week.
The community mental health and wellbeing workshop led by ECU final-year Master of Counselling and Psychotherapy students brought together staff and students from the School of Arts and Humanities and the ECU Health Centre (School of Medical and Health Sciences), in partnership with the City of Wanneroo and Clarkson Library.
The workshop, Finding Hope in an Ever-Changing World, was held at Clarkson Library on 6 October. It attracted 33 registered community participants to explore some of life's most deeply human experiences, including isolation and connection, separation and loss, freedom and choice, meaning and hope.
A university-wide commitment to community wellbeing
The workshop was facilitated by four student counsellors undertaking their professional placement at the ECU Community Wellbeing Centre in Wanneroo, supported by four ECU staff members and the Clarkson Library team.
The workshop highlighted the importance of creating accessible community spaces where people can reflect on their mental health and wellbeing, share experiences and strengthen connections.
The initiative reflects ECU's collaborative commitment to community mental health and wellbeing. Now in its third consecutive year, the workshop series demonstrates how ECU's cross-school collaboration and community partnerships translate professional education into meaningful public engagement.
For student counsellors, it provides an opportunity to apply their developing professional skills beyond the traditional therapy room while contributing directly to the wellbeing of the communities ECU serves.
Finding hope, together
The Finding Hope in an Ever-Changing World workshop carried a simple but powerful message: while we cannot always control what changes around us, we can strengthen our capacity to meet uncertainty through awareness, connection, resilience and hope.
As WA Mental Health Week shines a spotlight on psychological wellbeing, ECU is demonstrating that meaningful mental health promotion can begin with something as simple as a conversation, a shared experience and the opportunity to discover that we are not alone.
