This module is a starting point for practitioners interested in exploring community engagement in mental health settings. It provides an introduction to a range of topics and themes to support mental health workers to apply a community engagement approach their work.
In this module, we consider what taking a community focused could look like in mental health, highlight histories of community care, and explore what is meant by the notion of community. We also explore types of engagement, when to engage, and practical tips that will help engagement. We highlight how community engagement is being consider in mental health at a system level, in keeping with the current mental health reform.
Some of the resources in this module were developed through VTMH’s Community Engagement with Purpose Resource Project and complements VTMH’s Community Engagement with Purpose: Approaches to Consider in Mental Health Settings workshop.
Acknowledgements:
We would like to acknowledge all those involved in the production of the Community Engagement with Purpose Resource Project, as well as the generous feedback we have received from the sector which has informed the content of this online module.
Images and design: Kathryn Junor
Victorian Transcultural Mental Health, 2025. All rights reserved.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution, Non-Commercial 4.0 International License.