MORE THAN SHAME - Behind Closed Doors: Exploring Love, Sex, Shame, and Healing in Chinese Speaking Community in Australia

Maxi is thrilled to share that at the recently concluded 2025 World Congress of Sexology (WAS World Congress), Him and Hailey were honoured with 🏆 WAS Award for Excellence & Innovation in Sexuality Education 2025 for their research and academic poster titled:
“Behind Closed Doors: Navigating Love, Shame, Sex, and Healing in Chinese-Speaking Communities in Australia”.

This award is not just a personal achievement for Maxi & Hailey — it also belongs to the collective they proudly represent: ACMHP｜Australian Association of CALD Mental Health Practitioners.

MORE THAN SHAME

Behind Closed Doors: Exploring Love, Sex, Shame, and Healing in Chinese Speaking Community in Australia

RESEARCH BACKGROUND

This study looks behind the door, exploring the challenges faced by Chinese speaking individuals and practitioners in seeking and providing sexual health and psychosexual support in Australia.

AIMS

• Explore the barriers faced by Chinese speaking communities and practitioners

• Identify culturally responsive strategies for sexual and psychosexual support

METHODOLOGY

Participants – 7 Chinese speaking professionals working in sexual health and sex therapy (including social workers, medical specialists, and sex therapists)
Method – Semi-structured interviews

"Some clients ask: ‘How many sessions until I’m fixed?’ They’re not unwilling — just misinformed.”

“The hardest part isn’t teaching — it’s helping them feel safe enough to speak.”

SO? WHAT’S BEHIND THE DOOR?

• Cultural shame delays help-seeking

• Clients expect quick fixes, leading to dropout

• Western therapeutic models may not align with client expectations

• Distrust limits disclosure and referrals

• Practitioners feel isolated without systemic support

• Lack of culturally adapted resources in Chinese

• Limited public understanding of sex therapy

• Lack of visible Chinese-speaking advocates in sexual health

PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS

Normalise open discussions about sexual health

Reduce shame by promoting culturally sensitive conversations in Chinese speaking communities

Set realistic expectations for therapy

Educate clients early about the therapeutic process and the importance of ongoing work

Adapt Western models to fit client needs

Adapt models, and tailor make to fit unique needs, including cultural circumstances

Build trust and safeguard privacy

Prioritise safety and clarify confidentiality from the start

Strengthen practitioner networks and referrals

Support Chinese speaking practitioners through peer collaboration and systemic connections

Develop culturally adapted Chinese resources

Create high-quality, accessible materials beyond machine translations, please :)

Increase public education about sex therapy

Raise awareness of what sex therapy is, and what it is not, in both Chinese and mainstream media

Promote relatable Chinese speaking public figures

Support advocacy and visibility to encourage community engagement

Contributors:

• Maxi Xie (CHANGYI XIE)

• Hailey Lin

• Yanyi Zhang

Supported by:

• Society of Australian Sexologists

• Australia Association of CALD Mental Health Practitioners (ACMHP, 📧 acmhpaus@gmail.com)