Clearhead platform translated in te reo Māori to support Māori mental health
Māori populations are consistently over-represented in New Zealand’s suicide statistics, are twice as likely to experience mental health issues compared to non-Māori, and 1.5 times as likely to report experiencing anxiety or depression.
To help reduce the barriers often faced by Maori communities when seeking mental health support and accessing services, we supported Clearhead to launch its translated teo re Māori website and chatbot offering.
This will allow Māori to use Clearhead’s chatbot or ‘Wellbeing Assistant’ to seek support and access mental health services in a culturally appropriate setting.
With the new platform also launching during Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week) Clearhead’s aim is to highlight the importance culture has on one’s mental health and wellbeing.
Research from the Mental Health Foundation has demonstrated that a strong cultural identity – including a connection with Māoritanga and te reo within Māori communities – is linked to positive wellbeing and a reduced risk of suicide.
Clearhead will be incorporating more Māori models of care into future platform developments. The platform is also set to introduce other tools, such as guided mindfulness sessions that will help people reconnect with whenua (land) by engaging all their senses in their wellbeing journey.
This project was made possible as part of our wider $60,000 support package with nib which also enabled Clearhead to offer a secure and safe telehealth platform for mental health professionals to continue delivering therapy during the COVID-19 lockdown.
In fact, Clearhead has seen a steady user increase since the COVID-19 lockdown in March. Prior to the pandemic, the platform serviced around 1,000 monthly users, a figure which has grown to more than 8,000 in August.
Visit Clearhead’s te reo Māori site to find out more.
For more information on our partnership and to hear from Clearhead’s CEO, read our media release.
