News from Health Literacy

Tere’s Terminology: Community Engagement

Tere’s Terminology: Community Engagement

Words like consumer, lived experience, consultation, co-design and co-production are used all the time in health and community services. But do we really know what they mean?  When jargon gets in the way, it can create confusion and make it harder for everyone to work...
Plain Language in the Age of AI

Plain Language in the Age of AI

Artificial intelligence can transform complex language into easy-to-read text in seconds. This is exciting, but also raises important questions. Whose voices and sources are shaping the message? Does it reflect the diversity of our communities? Does it unintentionally...
Connecting with communities using Health Literacy principles

Connecting with communities using Health Literacy principles

We recently caught up with Jean, a Health Promotion Coordinator at North Richmond Community Health and graduate of CEH’s Health Literacy Course. Jean knew that the residents of the North Richmond housing estate, who are the target group for her health promotion...
The Arthur Kleinman Explanatory Model

The Arthur Kleinman Explanatory Model

Arthur Kleinman’s explanatory model of illness helps you provide patient-centered care, and can be applied in diferent contexts – not just health. This set of 8 questions helps you understand: the client’s beliefs about their illness or situation the personal...
Working with interpreters: troubleshooting and trust-building

Working with interpreters: troubleshooting and trust-building

When there are codes that dictate our behaviour and relationships with clients, building trust can be a delicate task. We know that trust is integral to effectively carrying out our work and are comfortable setting our own professional boundaries, but what happens...
A Skilled Way of Checking In

A Skilled Way of Checking In

I don’t usually write these blogs in the first person but this one is a little different. I was doing a workshop the other day – training people who work in important jobs. They were caseworkers and the intimate group of only 8 participants had some great...
Working with people from migrant and refugee backgrounds

Working with people from migrant and refugee backgrounds

  “How can I work better with people from migrant and refugee backgrounds?” This is a question that Mary, senior project officer at CEH, has been working on and which has led to the development of a number of resources and tools on cultural...
Don’t forget the final step – debrief with your interpreter

Don’t forget the final step – debrief with your interpreter

Hey there! Let’s talk about an important aspect of working with interpreters: debriefing and feedback. Interpreters frequently tell us, they really value a briefing well done. Debriefing with an interpreter can be equally as important. Now don’t be afraid of...
Avoiding harmful stereotypes

Avoiding harmful stereotypes

You meet Yusif, a friendly African guy. Your mind immediately jumps to the stereotype that most Africans in Australia are refugees. You start assuming that Yusif has spent his life in a refugee camp and lacked education. Taking it a step further, you assume he can’t...