Aims
While digital mental health tools offer flexible, evidence-based support for rural Australians, many community members lack the digital literacy needed to use them effectively. This presentation explores strategies for moving beyond access to building agency - the knowledge, confidence, and motivation to engage safely with digital mental health resources.

Context
Digital exclusion remains a significant issue in rural and remote areas. Despite the availability of free and low-cost mental health tools, uptake is often limited by uncertainty, mistrust, or lack of guidance. Health professionals play a crucial role in bridging this gap.

Intervention
Drawing on more than a decade of work by the e-Mental Health in Practice (eMHPrac) initiative, this presentation highlights practical strategies used to improve digital mental health literacy in rural communities. These include practitioner training, printed guides, culturally safe platforms such as the Indigenous-led WellMob website, and co-designed community education resources. Examples will demonstrate how health professionals can introduce digital tools in supportive and locally relevant ways.

Findings
Evaluation data and practitioner feedback suggest that when digital resources are recommended in a personalised and culturally sensitive manner, rural clients are more likely to engage with them. Practitioners report increased confidence in supporting digital literacy, and community members feel better equipped to make informed choices.

Conclusion
To improve mental health outcomes in rural and remote Australia, we must invest not only in access to digital tools, but in the capacity of communities to use them confidently and meaningfully. Strengthening digital mental health literacy is essential for ensuring these tools translate into real-world support.