Resources
Responding to Distress
Information for anyone to support people who are in distress
Resources for Service Providers
How can I talk to a person about making a referral for them?
It is essential that anyone you refer to QPASTT first consents to the referral and would like support. If necessary, ensure you use an accredited interpreter to seek consent.
If you are concerned about your client’s psychological wellbeing and you think this might be connected to past trauma you could ask the following questions to determine if a referral to QPASTT is appropriate – the questions only require a yes/no answer:
I am aware that before coming to Australia you may have experienced some terrible events. You don’t have to tell me about this but I feel there might be something upsetting you about the past. Is it OK if I ask you a few questions?
Do you have bad dreams or keep remembering things that happened in the past (as if a past experience is happening), or thoughts about them when you do not want to?
Do you try hard not to think about the past or go out of your way to avoid situations that remind you of this?
Do you constantly worry that something bad might happen, or are you easily frightened by noises (e.g. phone, doorbell, etc.)?
Do you feel uninterested in other people, places, or activities?
Are any of the above impacting on your current everyday life? If so, it can be helpful to talk to a person trained and experienced in working with such situations. Would you like to talk about this with someone at QPASTT?
Provide information to the client about QPASTT as a service which can assist people with the problems / difficulties which people face when arriving in a new country. Some of those difficulties are the result of previous experiences. For example, you could say:
“QPASTT is a service which has worked for many years with people who had to leave their country due to war, conflict, persecution or other situations where it was no longer safe. They offer assistance for individuals and families to help them cope and recover from these difficult past experience which can continue to impact in the present.”
They can provide assistance for (choose the most suitable for the client’s situation of the following):
Feelings of nervousness
Feelings of sadness
Difficulties with sleeping
Coping with everyday problems
Trouble with learning or remembering, or thinking too much
Not feeling like you want to be around other people
Not feeling that there is any future
Family difficulties or conflicts in families and/or
Children and/or young people finding it difficult to settle into a new country or school (or getting used to all the changes they face)
Consider giving the client a QPASTT brochure in their own language – see Resources for Survivors section above.
Resources for Health Professionals
Mental health referral pathways for children, adolescents and adults from refugee backgrounds – Options for General Practitioners and Health Professional
The Australian Refugee Health Practice Guide can be used by doctors, nurses and other primary care providers to inform on-arrival and ongoing health care for people from refugee backgrounds, including people seeking asylum. If you are looking for services for people from a refugee background in QLD please go here.
Queensland Government Multicultural Health – Information for the public, for health workers, Interpreting and translating, policies, plans and strategies.
Community Profiles for Health Care Providers – practical tool that assists health care providers to better understand the health beliefs, pre-migration experiences, communication preferences and other aspects of their clients’ culture.
Queensland Transcultural Mental Health Centre – A state wide service for people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
Health Translations Victoria – Health Translations enables health practitioners and those working with culturally and linguistically diverse communities to easily find translated health information.
Raising Children in Australia – A resource kit for early childhood services working with parents from African Backgrounds (2007) (VFST)
Hand in Hand – Parenting by Connection – A range of parenting tools, resources and consultations.
‘From isolation to connection; a guide to understanding and working with traumatised children and young people’ (Child Safety Commissioner, Victoria, 2009)
Resources for Schools
HEAL Program
HEAL is Queensland’s school-based expressive arts therapy program for young people from refugee backgrounds.
HEAL programs are delivered in schools to support students who are experiencing the impacts of trauma. HEAL offers both individual and group sessions. Expressive arts therapies are evidence-based and delivered by qualified arts and music therapists. Expressive therapies are less stigmatising for young people accessing support and help ensure that trauma is not a barrier to learning.
Contact HEAL for service packages and prices:
E: heal@qpastt.org.au
P: 07 3391 6677
www.fheal.com.au
School Outreach
QPASTT offers a school outreach service of counselling, group work and youth work.
Children and Youth Counsellors provide direct counselling and run therapeutic groups with children and young people on a needs basis, in partnership with school staff.
QPASTT Youth Workers deliver outreach services to a number of schools and provide support to students through referrals to relevant services, family inclusion and liaison between school and families. Youth Workers gain valuable insight through their work with students in schools and are therefore able to ensure the appropriate supports within the school environment can be put in place for students from refugee backgrounds.
Contact QPASTT to discuss our school-outreach service:
P: 07 3391 6677
E: admin@qpastt.org.au
Training for Schools
QPASTT offers a range of professional development training for school staff to improve their understanding of the refugee experience and the impact of torture and trauma on students and families. The workshops are offered to schools and tailored to meet the specific needs of schools and school staff.
To request training for your school, fill in the Training Request for Schools form below, or download a Training request for Schools form and email to Taryn McBurney
It may take up to 3-weeks from lodgment to assess a request.
For further information, contact QPASTT’s training Coordinator Taryn McBurney.
Request for Professional Development for Schools
Video Resources for Schools
What Trauma Looks like in Children
Register to access the following free video resources
Section One
An overview of QPASTT; different presentations you may see in children and young people from refugee, asylum seeker and migrant backgrounds; and different types of trauma and how these traumas could impact on children and young people.
Section Two
This section of the video covers: the refugee experience and how this can impact family relationships and dynamics; the impact of the refugee experience on education; the impacts of trauma on brain development; the fight/flight/freeze response; and signs and symptoms of trauma in different age groups.
Section Three
Responding to and Managing Trauma Related Behaviours in Children and Young People from Refugee Backgrounds
Register to access the following free video resources
Section One
This section of the video covers: the recovery framework; the values and micro-skills of listening to trauma; confidentiality; common pitfalls; working with interpreters; professional boundaries and responding to disclosures.
Section Two
This section of the video covers: responding to dissociation; containment and grounding strategies; responding to anger and aggressive behaviours; Life Space Interviews and responding to risky sexual behaviours.
Section Three
This section of the video covers: responding to the use of alcohol and other drugs; harm minimization; diverse sexualities and identities; self-harm; responding to suicidality and safety planning.
Vicarious Trauma, Burn out and Self-Care
Register to access the following free video resources
This section of the video cover: the four components of the trauma reaction and us; definitions of vicarious trauma; signs and symptoms of vicarious trauma; risk factors; unhelpful beliefs and things people may experience in the body.
This section of the video covers: empathic strain; characteristics of ideal range relationships; preventing and addressing the effects of vicarious trauma; postural mirroring; debriefing techniques; making meaning and care plans.
QPASTT Video Series for Schools:
A free set of video resources covering the following topics:
English
Afrikaans
Shqip
አማርኛ
العربية
Հայերեն
Azərbaycan dili
Euskara
Беларуская мова
বাংলা
Bosanski
Български
Català
Cebuano
Chichewa
简体中文
繁體中文
Corsu
Hrvatski
Čeština
Dansk
Nederlands
Esperanto
Eesti
Filipino
Suomi
Français
Frysk
Galego
ქართული
Deutsch
Ελληνικά
ગુજરાતી
Kreyol ayisyen
Harshen Hausa
Ōlelo Hawaiʻi
עִבְרִית
हिन्दी
Hmong
Magyar
Íslenska
Igbo
Bahasa Indonesia
Gaelige
Italiano
日本語
Basa Jawa
ಕನ್ನಡ
Қазақ тілі
ភាសាខ្មែរ
한국어
كوردی
Кыргызча
ພາສາລາວ
Latin
Latviešu valoda
Lietuvių kalba
Lëtzebuergesch
Македонски јазик
Malagasy
Bahasa Melayu
മലയാളം
Maltese
Te Reo Māori
मराठी
Монгол
ဗမာစာ
नेपाली
Norsk bokmål
پښتو
فارسی
Polski
Português
ਪੰਜਾਬੀ
Română
Русский
Samoan
Gàidhlig
Српски језик
Sesotho
Shona
سنڌي
සිංහල
Slovenčina
Slovenščina
Afsoomaali
Español
Basa Sunda
Kiswahili
Svenska
Тоҷикӣ
தமிழ்
తెలుగు
ไทย
Türkçe
Українська
اردو
O‘zbekcha
Tiếng Việt
Cymraeg
isiXhosa
יידיש
Yorùbá
Zulu