Pacific-led wellbeing services
Pacific-led services are designed to meet the needs of Pacific aiga (families). They focus on your holistic mental wellbeing including Pacific cultural and spiritual values, beliefs, languages, and health care.
Free Pacific-led services are delivered for the Pacific community.
What you can get help with
Wellbeing is a spectrum and your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours can affect it.
These free services (through the Access and Choice programme) are designed as early intervention - to prevent problems from building up. So the best time to reach out is now, as soon as you start to feel that you’d like some help.
Services are tailored to you but could include help to:
- improve your mood
- improve your ability to cope with life’s challenges
- learn tools to help you sleep better
- change habits that are leading to poorer health such as drinking or drug use
- better manage long-term health conditions such as diabetes
- talk about relationship or parenting concerns, or grief and loneliness
- get connected to services in the community.
You don't need a referral
These services are free and you don't need to be referred by a doctor to access them.
You don’t need to have any particular symptoms or be severely affected by them. You can just choose a provider that offers services in your area and get in touch. They’ll take it seriously when you say you need help, no matter where you’re at.
If needed, you and your aiga can return to a service anytime in the future – without a long wait.
How it works
These services are designed to make it as easy as possible for you to get the support you need. The providers would like you to feel welcome, comfortable and accepted for who you are.
Support varies by service but it’s flexible and can be adapted to your, and your aiga’s needs.
Services integrate Pacific cultural and spiritual values and protocols with good clinical practice.
Support could include talking therapies, peer support, self-management support, and access to a range of social supports.
Providers can also connect you to other local health, social and community services.
Where support is offered
Services are delivered in the community. This could be at Pacific primary healthcare services or community centres, churches or schools.
Getting in touch
You may have questions about what happens when you reach out to a provider. Once you get in touch, they will explain how their services work and answer any questions. Or they may have this information on their website.
Guiding principles
Pacific principles and practices are at the heart of services. This provides culturally safe and inclusive settings.
Services are:
- Pacific-led
- family-centred
- holistic
- clinically-culturally integrated
- community-based
- connected.
What people are saying about the Pacific-led services
You guys get me, you listen to me
“This service user is a 13-year-old intermediate school student who developed behavioural issues… Peer Support has helped the young man use mindfulness tools (focus on personal power and motivational techniques) to help change his reactions to negative comments from others. He has also been shown breathing techniques to keep calm during situations where he feels challenged. When asked “What do you think has helped you most since we started supporting you?” His response was: ‘It’s not just one thing…you guys get me, you listen to me, you understand what I’m going through’.”
Feeling more involved and alive
“An older Pasifika woman had become socially isolated and she had no desire to go out of her own home perimeter. After only three months of working with our mental health support worker for the elderly this lady has gone from not wanting to leave her property even for one hour once a week to attending a couple of four to six-hour programmes twice a week. She has nothing but great things to say about our team, about the programmes and also about how she is feeling more involved and alive.”
Gaining self-confidence and changing his mindset
“Client is a Samoan male in his early 40s… Our Peer Support worker did an awesome job with gaining his trust and being consistent with her support. He had spent some time in prison and does have mental health issues and this has impacted on his relationships with his family and socially. Over the past three months he has gained confidence and started an online course studying business… He is in the process of reaching out to his family to try and rebuild the connection. His positive engagement…has helped with gaining self-confidence and changing his mindset.”