International Stress Awareness Day: VMHPAA Calls for a National Focus on Practical Stress Support and Early Intervention
- Shane Warren
- Nov 5
- 2 min read
MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release
5th November 2025
The Vocational Mental Health Practitioners Association of Australia (VMHPAA) marks International Stress Awareness Day by urging Australians to pause, reflect, and prioritise their mental wellbeing, and by calling on governments to strengthen early-intervention supports across communities.
Stress is a natural and unavoidable part of life, but unmanaged stress can escalate into significant mental health concerns. Today’s reminder is simple: we all need space, strategies, and support to stay mentally well.
VMHPAA Chair Shane Warren, a long-time mental health consultant and practitioner across the Asia-Pacific, emphasised the importance of recognising stress early and seeking support before crisis hits.
“Stress is universal but suffering in silence shouldn’t be,” Mr Warren said. “We often glamorise ‘pushing through’, but real strength is found in knowing when to pause, breathe, and reach out. Small daily practices such as mindfulness, movement, meaningful conversations, can shift us back into balance, but access to support needs have to be easy, affordable, and stigma-free.”
VMHPAA stresses that vocationally trained practitioners including counsellors, youth workers, community workers and lived-experience supporters, play a crucial role in helping Australians manage stress early, before issues escalate to clinical services.
“Our vocationally trained workforce is often the first door people feel safe walking through,” Mr Warren added. “If we want to reduce pressure on hospitals and psychologists, we must invest in the grassroots workforce that helps people long before they’re in crisis.”
VMHPAA Secretary Susan Sandy, an educator and wellbeing specialist, said stress is increasingly affecting families, workplaces, and classrooms.“We see the impact of stress every day in children, in parents, in teachers, in whole communities,” Ms Sandy said. “Stress isn’t just an individual issue; it’s a community wellbeing issue. When we support people to manage stress well, we strengthen families, relationships, and learning environments.”
VMHPAA calls for:
Stronger early-intervention funding for community-based, vocationally trained mental health practitioners.
Workplace stress-reduction policies that prioritise psychological safety, not just productivity.
Community education campaigns that highlight help-seeking pathways beyond clinical services.
Increased investment in prevention, not only treatment.
To all reading this far note... checking in with yourself is not a luxury, it’s a necessity. Asking for help is not a weakness, it’s wisdom.Your mental health matters today and every day.
Media Contact:
Shane Warren, Chair
Susan Sandy, Secretary
Philip Armstrong, CEO
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