First joining headspace as a volunteer in 2022, Asal was studying psychology at university and wanted to gain a real-world understanding of how young people experience mental health support.
Bringing her own perspective as a young person, she became an active member of headspace’s Youth Reference Group, where she worked alongside others to share ideas and help shape how services ran.
As her confidence grew, Asal took on more responsibility and stepped into the role of Chair, facilitating fortnightly meetings, guiding discussions, and finding new ways to engage diverse communities.
What stood out to Asal was the level of support around her. She described the community engagement team she worked alongside as “very open-minded in terms of what we, the Youth Reference Group, wanted to do and the goals that we wanted to achieve”.
With that same sense of support from her leaders, Asal helped run other projects she was passionate about, including exploring youth mental health through the perspective of Afghan families.
Reflecting on the autonomy she and her peers were given in initiatives like these, she said, “We really did have the capacity to go and talk to different people, come up with our own questionnaires, […] and things like that.”
As her volunteering experience unfolded, Asal began to reflect on what mattered most to her. While she initially planned to pursue psychology, she came to realise that social work and counselling felt more aligned with her values.
Today, Asal works as a Multicultural Mental Health Clinician, supporting young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds to access culturally safe and inclusive mental health care. Alongside this, she is completing a Master of Social Work.
Asal explained those early volunteering experiences helped her find her direction and transition into full-time roles — a reminder that volunteering can be more than a starting point. It’s way to explore, build confidence, and discover the kind of work feels meaningful to you.
To learn more and apply for a volunteering role at Each, click here.
