KInG’S BIRtHDAY HONOURS

Transcultural Mental Health Care

Kalpana Sriram, OAM

For service to community mental health

Kalpana Sriram’s advocacy for mental health care in culturally and linguistically diverse communities has been a defining factor in a 50year career.

This year, she received an OAM in the King’s Birthday honours for her work in community mental health.

Working at the intersection of cultural diversity and mental health practice, the Sydney-based social worker’s extensive experience and expertise have been instrumental in enhancing services.

Chennai’s Stella Maris College was where it all began when Sriram took to social work as an after-hours activity.

“Eventually, the nuns started looking out for me because I was an extra pair of hands,” she laughed. “They thought I had a bent for community service and encouraged me to enrol in a Masters in Psychiatric Social Work. I like to believe that was the first recognition for my social work skills.”

Sriram’s career took off in India right after university, her first role being to investigate the underlying causes of frequent suicides occurring on industrial campuses located in and around Chennai.