This story is part of the SBS health and wellbeing initiative Mind Your Health. Click to visit the portal, featuring digital stories, podcasts and videos in English and multiple languages.
Mental health services are available in a variety of languages across the country, and they are mostly managed by the states and territories.
There’s a wide range of situations where mental health support is needed, from conditions triggered by the COVID-19 outbreak such as depression and anxiety, to mental illnesses like bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress, personality disorders or psychosis.
In most cases, these organisations don’t have their own interpreters, so they use the national federal government-funded service, , which provides access to phone and on-site interpreting services in over 150 languages.
is a project run by Mental Health Australia focused on mental health for people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, providing access to resources, services and information in a culturally accessible format.
The is a network of Australia’s eight specialist rehabilitation agencies that work with survivors of torture and trauma who have come to Australia from overseas. Most clients of FASSTT agencies came to Australia as refugees or under the humanitarian visa programme. There is one FASSTT member agency in each state and territory of Australia.
National mental help hotlines and services
- Lifeline: or call 13 11 14
- Mission Australia:
- Beyond Blue: or 1300 22 4636
- Headspace:
- Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467 or visit
- Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800
- MensLine Australia: or call 1300 78 99 78
Beyond Blue facilitates information and support in various languages:
The Health Department runs which provides support for anyone needing help with their mental health and wellbeing.
The “” content page has advice aimed at recognising cultural factors on mental health and offers practical tips and advice on how to take care of your mental health and access support when needed.
New South Wales
NSW Mental Health Line
The is available to everyone in NSW and operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week on 1800 011 511.
Transcultural Mental Health Centre (TMHC)
The state-wide , provides clinical consultation and assessment, mental health promotion, develops resources and provides education and training.
TMHC provides free services using bilingual clinicians for individuals and families who are connected with a NSW Health mental health service. A referral from the local mental health team is required to access the service.
Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors, STARTTS
provides culturally relevant psychological treatment and support, plus community interventions to help people and communities heal the scars of refugee trauma, and rebuild their lives in Australia.
Victoria
Foundation House for Survivors of Torture
in English, Arabic, Burmese, Hakha Chin, Dari, Dinka, Karen, Persian, Swahili, Tamil and Tigrinya.
Find out whether you meet the criteria to access these services here:
Victoria also has . It is an initiative of the Victorian government and run by the Centre for Culture, providing easy access to an extensive collection of translated health information.
Two more Victorian organisations offer training in mental health, but don’t provide direct support to individuals:
Action on Disability in Ethnic Communities (ADEC)
(TMHAP) to improve access to mental health services for people from multicultural backgrounds. They work with ethnic communities to raise awareness about mental health problems and ways to access mental health and carer services.
They also assist mental health services with developing culturally responsive models and strategies for engaging ethnic communities
Victorian Transcultural Mental Health (VTMH)
Formerly known as the Victorian Transcultural Psychiatry Unit (VTPU), working with culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) consumers and carers.
It includes an enquiry service for practitioners, service and community development, education, consumer and carer participation programs but no services directly for individuals.
Queensland
Queensland Transcultural Mental Health Centre (QTMHC)
The QTMHC is a specialist state-wide service that works to ensure people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds receive culturally responsive mental health care and support.
It provides as well as access to professionals, through .
Queensland Program of Assistance to Survivors of Torture and Trauma (QPASTT)
or who have suffered refugee related trauma prior to migrating to Australia.
They provide free psychological and social support to survivors, including counselling.
World Wellness Group
The Brisbane-based World Wellness Group includes a series of programs for CALD communities:
- offers culturally safe and sensitive structured psychological interventions for people with mild to moderate mental illness for people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds in Brisbane North and South regions.
- service provides culturally safe, holistic, family centred and integrated care to vulnerable people to reduce long term health inequity.
- is a community-based program that provides psycho-social support to culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) people of 18+ years of age, living in the Greater Brisbane region.
Fortify Health
runs free mental health programs for people from CALD backgrounds living with severe and complex mental health, including individual therapy, assessment and diagnosis, wellbeing groups, non-clinical community-based supports and assistance with NDIS applications for psychosocial disabilities.
Mental health line
1300 MH CALL (1300 642255) is a for Queenslanders that provides the first point of contact to public mental health services. Interpreting from is available
Northern Territory
MHACA (Central Australia)
are available for people over the age of 18 years old with a diagnosed mental health condition. Interpreter services are available by appointment and the staff includes Chinese, Urdu, Irish and Hindi speakers.
TeamHealth (Darwin)
provides services and support to NT residents with mental health concerns, including those in situations of vulnerability or disadvantage. Interpreting from is available. The website has an automatic translation service into more than 80 languages:
Melaleuca Refugee Centre
provides dignifying person-centred humanitarian services to individuals and families from refugee and migrant backgrounds. This not-for-profit organisation provides free services for families, adults, children and youth.
The Northern Territory Mental Health Coalition (NTMHC)
The is the peak body for community-managed mental health services across the Northern Territory.
Northern Territory Mental Health Line: 1800 682 288
State mental health services can be accessed through the . These services can be used together with interpreting services when required.
Western Australia
Association for Services to Torture and Trauma Survivors (ASeTTS)
provides holistic services to assist refugee survivors of torture and trauma to rebuild their lives, with services in Arabic Dinka, Caren and Kirundi languages.
Tasmania
Phoenix Centre
operates within the Migrant Resource Centre and offers specialist services for survivors of torture and trauma. It delivers counselling and a wide range of training and projects which support the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities. The Phoenix Centre has staff based in Hobart and Launceston and provides services statewide.
provide care for residents with severe mental health conditions in in-patient facilities and in the community, directly by government clinics or through mainstream health care providers, private specialists and facilities as well as GPs.
For assessment and referral, call: 1800 332 388
Australian Capital Territory (ACT)
Companion House, Assisting Survivors of Torture and Trauma
Providing counselling services and assisted by support workers to work with asylum seekers and refugees, aims to help people to rebuild their lives in Australia, manage difficult life situations, and process the effects of past trauma.
Counsellors work with both newly arrived and longer term residents and have specialists to work with adults, children and young people.
The ACT government has a that can be accessed over the phone: 1800 629 354 or 02 6205 1065.
South Australia
Relationships Australia
The is focused on serving individuals and families from multicultural communities, regardless of their visa status.
Survivors of Torture and Trauma Assistance and Rehabilitation Service, STTARS
is a specialised service offering counselling for people from refugee and refugee-like backgrounds to support them in their recovery and healing process. Services are free of charge and may be accessed no matter how long a person has been in Australia.
Although there is a waiting list for STTARS services, it is managed following the principles of triage, so those with the highest needs are given priority. Services are free, voluntary, confidential, and conducted with qualified counsellors and interpreters.
STTARS also offers programs specialised for children and young people, families and asylum seekers.
