Mental Health
Guidelines and Resources
- Australian Refugee Health Practice Guide – Experiences of torture and trauma booklet
- Australian Guidelines for the Treatment of Acute Stress Disorder and Post traumatic Stress Disorder Specific Populations and Trauma Types: Refugees, asylum seekers and PTSD – Phoenix Australia (formerly Australian Centre for Post traumatic Mental Health)
- Embrace: Multicultural Mental Health and Good Practice Guide – Working with people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds in mental health.
- Information about Responding to People in Distress – QPASTT
Referrals
South East Queensland
Mental Health Referral Pathway for patients from refugee backgrounds for Brisbane, Logan and Gold Coast (August 2023) – This online interactive Referral Tool is designed for Health Professionals to find mental health referral options for children and adults of a refugee background in SE Qld. This list is not exhaustive and is to be used only as a Guide.
- Multicultural Mental Health Coordinator Program
- ASYLUM SEEKER MENTAL HEALTH CONNECT – A joint response by QPASTT and WWG to the complex mental health needs of people seeking asylum.
Queensland wide
- Queensland Program of Assistance to Survivors of Torture and Trauma (QPASTT)
- Queensland Transcultural Mental Health Centre
- Multicultural Mental Health Coordinators
- Headspace – A free or low-cost youth mental health service for 12–25 year olds
- Way Back Support Service (Beyond Blue) supports people in the critical weeks and months following a suicide attempt.
Brisbane
- Refugee & Asylum Seeker Psychiatric Assessment Service at Mater Refugee Complex Care Clinic (MRCCC) (June 2019)
- Culture in Mind – a community-based service that supports the social, emotional and mental well-being of migrants, refugees, and people seeking asylum in the greater Brisbane area.
- Fortify Health Group– a community-based multicultural organisation that provides culturally responsive services to strengthen the mental health and well-being of people from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) backgrounds.
Brisbane South
- Multicultural Psychological Therapies Services – Intake through World Wellness Group
NOTE: Contact Brisbane South PHN regarding the availability of free interpreting services for Allied Health Professionals. More information here.
Harmony Place at Access Community Services Ltd are funded to provide National Psychosocial Support (NPS) and Continuation of Support (CoS) More information Harmony Place Referral Form
Brisbane North
- Low Intensity Psychological Therapies – Problem management Plus – Culture in Mind – A CALD specific mental health support program.
- Brisbane North PHN – Brisbane MIND for people with moderate mental illness Brisbane MIND
NOTE: Contact Brisbane North PHN regarding the availability of free interpreting services for Allied Health Professionals. More information here.
Darling Downs & West Moreton
PHN – Mental Health Programs
NOTE: Contact Darling Downs West Moreton PHN regarding the availability of free interpreting services for Allied Health Professionals. More information here.
Gold Coast
Resources for Health Professionals
- Understanding the mental health and help-seeking behaviours of refugees – Australian Institute of Family Studies
- Enabling social supports for humanitarian migrants – Australian Institute of Family Studies – Recorded Webinar (Aug, 2022)
- Perceptions of mental health and perceived barriers to mental health help-seeking amongst refugees: A systematic review (Feb, 2020)
- To gain knowledge to further support the mental health of refugees settling in Australia – Greg Turner – Winston Churchill Trust (2017)
- Refugee Transitions
- Watch Specialist Clinicians present about Refugee Mental Health (22 mins)
- Tips for Mental Health Services (working with people from CALD backgrounds) (QLD, 2015)
- Refugees and asylum seekers: Supporting recovery from trauma (Trauma and Grief Network)
- Queensland Transcultural Mental Health Centre – New additions posted to website monthly.
- Cultural diversity and assessment: a resource for mental health practitioners (July 2018) – Victorian Transcultural Mental Health. More info here.
- Cross-cultural Mental Health Care: A Resource Kit for GPs and Mental Health Professionals (NSW)
- Refugees advice to physicians about how to ask about mental health
- Emerging Minds – The National Workforce Centre for Child Mental Health offers innovative online, free courses available 24-7, specifically designed to support practice.
- Mental Health Literacy of resettled Iraqi refugees in New South Wales: Paving the way for mental health education and promotion in vulnerable communities – University of Western Sydney and Refugee NSW Refugee Health
- 5 podcasts about mental health that you have to hear
Resources for Community Members
The Queensland Program of Assistance to Survivors of Torture and Trauma have developed a brochure for community leaders about mental health. Download the English brochure Information for Community Leaders about Mental Health and to download versions written in Tigrinya, Kirundi and Somali see the QPASTT website.
Translated mental health resources
R U OK? – a number of resources available in 14 languages (Arabic, Hindi, Panjabi, Dari, Persian, Pashto, Ukrainian and others)
- A Conversation Guide
- ‘How to Ask Tip Sheet’ outlining what you might say during an R U OK? conversation
- ‘4 Steps Poster’ outlining the 4 steps to an R U OK? conversation
- A4 Posters
Beyondblue bring together a series of reputable translated resources covering a range of topics including pregnancy and new parents, information for families, general mental health information, and information for health professionals. Visit the page HERE
Mental Health Act 2016
A range of resources have also been translated into some languages by Queensland Health to help patients understand the Mental Health Act 2016.