The Aboriginal and Islander Mental health initiative (AIMhi) at Menzies works with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander researchers, practitioners, organisations and communities to build resilience and address healing through strengths-based approaches to wellbeing and mental health promotion and treatment.

Our research focus:

  • To promote culturally appropriate, strengths-based approaches to wellbeing assessment and treatment for First Nations people and to communicate strengths-based 'two-way' mental health messages
  • To promote delivery of wellbeing services and messages in First Nations languages
  • To address mental health literacy needs in remote and urban settings for primary care and specialist services.
  • To build the capacity of First-Nations and non-Indigenous practitioners and service providers working with First Nations clients to address wellbeing
  • To facilitate the development and implementation of culturally appropriate digital tools that address the wellbeing of First Nations people
  • To support capacity building of First Nations researchers and to conduct research that provides practical and culturally appropriate early intervention and treatment.

Our research impact:

  • AIMhi has developed a new strengths-based brief intervention, motivational care planning, in collaboration with Aboriginal Mental Health Workers and community leaders. Motivational care planning has been shown to reduce depressive symptoms and alcohol dependence in a randomised controlled trial.
  • AIMhi has developed a range of tools for  service providers working with First Nations people and communities to promote resilience and provide strategies to address contributors to mental illness, such as social issues, work worries and family stress.
  • The AIMhi Stay Strong Plan and other AIMhi resources have been developed collaboratively and continue to be used in a diverse range of settings across the country. The AIMhi resources promote integrated care and are used in mental health, substance use, youth, primary care, perinatal and chronic disease services. The CARPA Standard Treatment Manual recommends the AIMhi Stay Strong Plan for First Nations clients with wellbeing concerns.
  • The AIMhi Stay Strong App is one of very few e-mental health resources designed to meet the needs of First Nations Australians and is supported by the Australian Government’s e-Mental Health Strategy. The AIMhi Stay Strong App has been adapted for use with First Nations renal patients, First Nations clients of family services, and for farmers and graziers.
  • Hundreds of  health professionals, community workers and service providers from across Australia have been trained in different settings in use of the AIMhi approach.
  • An emerging suite of digital resources have been translated into 10 First Nations languages.
  • AIMhi has collaborated with the ABCD partnership and One21seventy to develop primary care tools that support best practice in mental health and youth health.