Strengthening Digital Mental Health Literacy for Individuals and the Workforce
Tracks
Binna Burra Room - In-Person Only
| Wednesday, June 24, 2026 |
| 2:30 PM - 2:50 PM |
Overview
Heidi Sturk, eMHPrac
Presenter
Heidi Sturk
Director, E-Mental Health in Practice
Queensland University of Technology - eMHPrac
Strengthening Digital Mental Health Literacy for Individuals and the Workforce
Presentation Overview
Aims
Digital mental health tools offer flexible, evidence-based support, yet many Australians lack the digital literacy needed to use them effectively. There is still a strong need to strengthen the confidence and skills that individuals, practitioners, and peer support workers need to engage safely and meaningfully with digital mental health resources.
Context
Digital exclusion persists across Australia, affecting people in both city and rural areas as well as older people and culturally diverse communities . Despite the availability of free and low-cost digital mental health tools, uptake is often limited by uncertainty, mistrust, low confidence, or the absence of guidance. Health practitioners and peer support workers play a crucial role in bridging this gap by supporting clients’ digital literacy and modelling safe, informed use of digital resources.
Intervention
Drawing on more than a decade of work by the e-Mental Health in Practice (eMHPrac) initiative, this presentation highlights practical strategies to build digital mental health literacy across diverse populations. Examples will illustrate how practitioners can introduce digital tools in supportive, personalised, and culturally relevant ways.
Findings
Evaluation data and practitioner feedback suggest that when digital tools are recommended in a personalised, strengths-based, and culturally sensitive manner, clients are more likely to engage with them. Practitioners and peer workers report increased confidence in guiding digital literacy, and community members feel better equipped to make informed choices about digital mental health options.
Conclusion
Improving mental health outcomes requires investment not only in access to digital tools, but also in the capacity of individuals, practitioners, and peer support workers to use them confidently and meaningfully. Strengthening digital mental health literacy is essential to ensuring that digital tools translate into safe, effective, real-world support for all Australians.
Three Key Learnings
1. Digital mental health literacy is still an issue for many people in Australia.
2. Digital confidence and skills are essential for meaningful engagement and mental health support.
3. Health professionals can play a pivotal role in client digital empowerment.
Digital mental health tools offer flexible, evidence-based support, yet many Australians lack the digital literacy needed to use them effectively. There is still a strong need to strengthen the confidence and skills that individuals, practitioners, and peer support workers need to engage safely and meaningfully with digital mental health resources.
Context
Digital exclusion persists across Australia, affecting people in both city and rural areas as well as older people and culturally diverse communities . Despite the availability of free and low-cost digital mental health tools, uptake is often limited by uncertainty, mistrust, low confidence, or the absence of guidance. Health practitioners and peer support workers play a crucial role in bridging this gap by supporting clients’ digital literacy and modelling safe, informed use of digital resources.
Intervention
Drawing on more than a decade of work by the e-Mental Health in Practice (eMHPrac) initiative, this presentation highlights practical strategies to build digital mental health literacy across diverse populations. Examples will illustrate how practitioners can introduce digital tools in supportive, personalised, and culturally relevant ways.
Findings
Evaluation data and practitioner feedback suggest that when digital tools are recommended in a personalised, strengths-based, and culturally sensitive manner, clients are more likely to engage with them. Practitioners and peer workers report increased confidence in guiding digital literacy, and community members feel better equipped to make informed choices about digital mental health options.
Conclusion
Improving mental health outcomes requires investment not only in access to digital tools, but also in the capacity of individuals, practitioners, and peer support workers to use them confidently and meaningfully. Strengthening digital mental health literacy is essential to ensuring that digital tools translate into safe, effective, real-world support for all Australians.
Three Key Learnings
1. Digital mental health literacy is still an issue for many people in Australia.
2. Digital confidence and skills are essential for meaningful engagement and mental health support.
3. Health professionals can play a pivotal role in client digital empowerment.
Biography
Heidi Sturk is the Director of e-Mental Health in Practice (eMHPrac) at Queensland University of Technology. She holds a Master's in Organisational Psychology and has extensive experience in applied mental health research and workforce development. She leads a national collaborative program that integrates digital mental health solutions into primary care, improving clinician engagement, awareness, and the use of digital tools. Heidi serves on several national advisory groups and her work has fostered innovative training initiatives, resulted in increased referrals to digital mental health services, and advanced the safe use of technology in mental health care.
