Supports people from migrant backgrounds to settle in Tasmania. Includes support for older people, specialised settlement services, youth work, health and wellbeing, community development, migration support, and employment assistance.
A directory of services for migrants, refugees, asylum seekers, international students, and short-stay migrants. Helps people find information on interpreting services, housing and accommodation, health, community, education, managing money, transport, and settlement support
Provides support services (such as counselling) to people and communities who have experienced torture and other traumatic events in their country of origin or while fleeing those countries. Open to Humanitarian Programme entrants permanently resettled in Australia and people on Temporary Substantive Visas (TSVs).
Victoria
Adult Migrant Education Services (AMES) Australia
AMES provides a range of settlement services to new and recently arrived refugee and migrant communities. Services include on-arrival settlement support, English language and literacy training, vocational education and training and employment services.
Phone: (03) 9794 1900
Centre for Multicultural Youth (CMY)
The CMY supports young people aged 12-25 from migrant and refugee backgrounds through a range of specialist support services, programs, resources and advocacy initiatives
Foundation House, the Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture
Provides support to refugees who are survivors of trauma and other traumatic events. Services for individuals, communities, schools, and young people.
Western Australia
Multicultural Services Centre
Provides programs and services to meet the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse Australians. They can provide services to Australian temporary residents (international students and those on working visas) with access to emergency relief, housing, domestic violence services, and counselling support.
Their MAITRI services can also provide clients with access to mental health clinicians from the same cultural and linguistic background, group therapy, family counselling as support for children and adolescents from refugee and migrant backgrounds presenting with mental health challenges.
Phone: (08) 9328 2699
The Association for Services to Torture and Trauma Survivors
Free and voluntary support for people who have faced torture, trauma, or persecution before coming to Australia. Services for communities, individuals, families, and young people.
Help for family & friends
It’s common for family members to take on a caring role for someone going through mental health issues.
There are services that support family, friends, and carers and provide a way of connecting with others who may share your experience:
Racism and mental health
Experiences of racism cause distress and adversely affects mental health in immigrants and refugees.
If you have experienced racial discrimination, you can report it to the Australian Human Rights Commission. Call 1300 656 419.
References
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2017). 2016 Census: Multicultural.
Ferdinand, A. S., Paradies, Y., & Gelaber, M. (2015). Mental health impacts of racial discrimination in Australian culturally and linguistically diverse communities: a cross-sectional survey. BMC Public Health, 15.
Minas, H., Kakuma, R., Too, L. S., Vayani, H., Orapeleng, S., Prasad-Ildes, R., Turner, G., Procter, N., & Oehm, D. (2013). Mental Health Research and Evaluation in Multicultural Australia: Developing a Culture of Inclusion. Mental Health in Multicultural Australia.