Speaker: Michelle Musakwa (Soko Murehwa, Zimbabwe) is a Doctor of Clinical Psychology student at Massey University. She currently works at the Massey Psychology Clinic as an intern psychologist.

Michelle will present aspects of her doctoral research, which explores the mental health experiences of Black Sub-Saharan Africans in Aotearoa-New Zealand (A-NZ). Mental health cannot be understood by one universal definition. The way people experience mental health wellness and distress is diverse, with different cultures holding nuanced ways of forming meaning to their experiences. These cultural nuances influence how people perceive, explain and experience mental health difficulties. Black African migrants and refugees have a unique understanding of the world that is different from both members of their home country and members of their host country. They navigate between these two different cultures as well as their own experiences. However, there is limited understanding of how these cultural nuances play a role in their understanding of mental health. As such, Michelle's study aims to increase knowledge in this area to promote an ethos of engagement when mental health service providers work with Black Africans. This study explored how Black Africans conceptualise and manage mental health and their perspectives and experiences with service providers in A-NZ. This presentation will discuss this project's research aims, methodology, and emerging themes.