RESEARCH FINDS MANY PRACTITIONERS FEEL UNDERPREPARED TO NAVIGATE MEN’S DISTRESS Movember launches national rollout of Men in Mind tools to build trust, foster openness, and improve outcomes for men seeking support
With
Dr Zac Seidler,
Clinical Psychologist & Global Director,Men’s Health Research,
Movember &
Associate Professor, Orygen,
The University of Melbourne
AUSTRALIAN HEALTH JOURNAL SEGMENT
Filmed in Sydney | June 2025
Movember’s Men in Mind expands nationally to equip mental health professionals with the tools to better connect with men before they reach crisis point. Research conducted by the Men’s Health Research team at Movember has found men account for three in every four suicide deaths in Australia, and more than 50% had sought help in the year before they died.
These confronting figures expose a critical disconnect between men reaching out and the mental health system’s ability to engage them in ways that keep them connected to care. Movember is taking action to help close that gap.
Led by the Movember Institute of Men’s Health, Men in Mind is an evidence-based training program developed by Dr. Zac Seidler, a clinical psychologist and Global Director of Men’s Health Research at Movember, that equips clinicians with the tools, confidence, and practical strategies to better connect with men before they reach crisis point.
Despite their best efforts, many practitioners feel underprepared to navigate men’s distress in clinical settings. Men in Mind addresses this gap by providing practical tools to build trust, foster openness, and improve outcomes for men seeking support. The program is specifically designed for mental health professionals, including psychologists, counsellors, and other frontline mental health workers.
Through a mix of self-directed online learning, video demonstrations, and reflective practice, Men in Mind teaches mental health professionals how to adapt their language, build rapport, explore emotional communication and respond to distress and suicidality in ways that resonate with men. It also includes interactive scenarios based on real client experiences.
Australian Health Journal spoke to Dr. Zac Seidler, Global Director, Men’s Health Research, Movember about the world-first randomised controlled trial his team conducted demonstrating significant improvements in practitioners’ confidence and competence to engage and respond to help-seeking men. After completing the program, 82% of practitioners reported increased confidence working with men experiencing suicidality, up from 47% at baseline, with these gains maintained over time.
The national rollout of Men in Mind follows strong interest from mental health services across Australia, with the program already being adopted in both public and private practice settings. Men in Mind is part of Movember’s broader commitment to changing the face of men’s health by backing scalable, evidence-based programs that support early intervention and work to improve the lives of men, their families and communities.
Practitioners can learn more and enrol in the Men in Mind course at meninmind.movember.com.
Source: Adapted from Movember Men in Mind Media Release 9th June 2025
-
Medical colleges reform to address accessibility, affordability and rural challenges
Australia’s specialist medical colleges are introducing significant changes to their training selection processes to tackle the ongoing shortage of specialist doctors in rural and remote areas. The Council of Presidents of Medical Colleges (CPMC), in collaboration with the National Rural Health Commissioner, has unveiled new guidelines that prioritise candidates with rural backgrounds and experience during trainee selection.
-
Student nurse placements in primary health care
With an urgent need to manage increasing rates of chronic disease, an ageing population, and a rapidly-ageing primary health care nurse workforce, Australia desperately needs more primary health care nurses to enter the workforce before the current generation retires and cannot pass on its skills.
Most nurses start their career in a hospital. Historically, it was difficult for universities and tertiary education providers to arrange placements for student nurses in primary health care. However, the APNA Student Nurse Placement Program provides student nurses with a foot in the door to a career in vibrant primary health care settings such as general practice or community health to perform supervised activities.
-
Smart wearable technology recognised for improving quality of life
Nurses have a pivotal role to play in the widespread implementation and adoption of digital health technologies throughout the healthcare sector for the primary purpose of improving safety and quality of patient care.
Australian Health Journal talked to two of Australian top leaders in nursing and in digital health on how the role of nursing is pivotal to the success of digital health in the Australian health system.
