How2 for Mental Health
An interactive program where mental health services gain the knowledge, skills and tools to develop a whole-organisation LGBTIQ+ strategy.
Introduction
LGBTIQ+ people deserve to receive safe, affirming and effective care when they access mental health services. We recognise and affirm the genuine ambition of service providers to be LGBTIQ+ inclusive. 
Who's it for?
The How2 for Mental Health Program is suited to any mental health organisation looking to embed LGBTIQ+ inclusion in a sustainable way. It will guide participants in developing, and beginning to implement, a plan specific to their organisation for facilitating LGBTIQ+ inclusion.
Completing the How2 for Mental Health Program can greatly assist organisations in gaining Rainbow Tick accreditation - but any organisation will benefit from the program, whether or not they are seeking formal accreditation.
This How2 program is delivered by Rainbow Health Australia and has been tailored for the mental health sector with support from the Department of Health, and in partnership with Thorne Harbour Health, Switchboard Victoria, MIND Australia, the Centre for Mental Health Learning and other partners.
This work has been funded following the Royal Commission into the Victorian Mental Health System, which found that that some communities experience both additional factors that affect their mental health, and a lack of ‘safe, responsive or inclusive care’. This includes people who are LGBTIQA+ and/or Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, disabled, refugees, asylum seekers and others from culturally diverse backgrounds.
Our approach is intersectional, and draws on the expertise of people with lived and living experience (personal and support), LGBTIQA+ community-controlled and mainstream mental health services, and an extensive body of research into the unique needs and experiences of LGBTIQA+ people and their families/support people when seeking mental health care.
Mental Health How2 streams
Our How2 for Mental Health program has finished for 2025. To register interest in future dates, please visit our website and complete an Expression of Interest.
Rainbow Tick subsidies available
Through Rainbow Health Australia the Victorian Government is providing fully subsidised access to mental health services working in Victoria to:
- Participate in our high quality evidence-based How2 programs to build interpersonal skills and organisational strategy for LGBTIQ+ inclusive practice
- Receive support and funding to achieve Rainbow Tick assessment and accreditation.
Organisations interested in this program will first complete the How2 Program free of charge. This can include the sector-specific How2 for Mental Health program.
If you are interested in applying for a Rainbow Tick subsidy, express interest here and we will contact you about eligibility.
About the How2 program
In this program participants learn to identify hidden harms to LGBTIQ+ staff and service users within their systems and to work towards evidence-informed solutions and good practice to address this.
Using guidance from LGBTIQ+ affirmative change management and implementation science, participants are supported to identify common pitfalls of ‘diversity and inclusion’ initiatives, and to lead a collaborative development of a meaningful, impactful LGBTIQ+ strategy with their teams.
Many organisations will then progress, as a separate process from this program, to be assessed and accredited with the Rainbow Tick.
Program objectives
- To provide mental health organisations with the foundational knowledge on standards for LGBTIQ+ inclusion as enshrined in the Rainbow Tick framework
- To support mental health organisations to develop an implementation plan for LGBTIQ+ inclusion in their service
- To provide practical support to mental health organisations in the form of tools and templates to support them on their journey to LGBTIQ+ inclusion
- To promote continued learning, motivation and collaboration opportunities for groups of organisations seeking to improve their LGBTIQ+ inclusion practices.
Program structure
The program comprises weekly sessions including self-paced online learning modules and live online workshops. The main course content will run over four to seven weeks, with follow up mentoring, then ongoing support available via communities of practice for an additional 6 months after course completion.
Organisations will receive a variety of supporting materials to guide internal work and will be supported to develop an implementation plan for LGBTIQ+ inclusion for their organisations.
The time commitment to complete this work is a minimum 3 hours per week over 6 months with additional time needed for implementation of the plan from the whole of organisation.
Past Participants
“So far this training has been some of the best I’ve ever attended. The content is thorough, resources are brilliant, there’s a clear logic and ideas relate strategically to each other. It’s really brilliant and I’m very grateful for how much time and energy your team has put into creating/delivering such a quality piece of training”
— Participant feedback 2024
“The webinars were interactive, moving from small group discussions to the larger group and then into didactic mode with powerpoint presentations - it was essentially like being in a training room or as close as you will get!”
— Participant feedback 2024
“You’ve managed to deliver complex content remotely in a way that was engaging and informative. I appreciate all the planning that has gone into the sessions and the extra ways you have made the sessions interactive, such as the polls and break out rooms. Thank you also for all the extra resources and links you provide throughout the sessions”
— Participant feedback 2024