Services and Programs

Counselling and Advocacy

The Counselling and Support workers aspire to provide a safe and respectful environment in which survivors of torture and trauma can better understand, manage and heal from the physical and emotional pain of their experiences. 

Many survivors of torture experience enduring psychological symptoms. Traumatic events can cause ongoing anxiety, a sense of helplessness, depression and sensitivity to reminders of violence. Often most profound is the sense of loss and grief for loved ones who have died or been left behind.

Many of QPASTT’s clients have witnessed or been subjected to torture and have survived unimaginable horrors. QPASTT recognises that the psychological legacy left by war and torture doesn’t simply disappear following arrival in a new and safe country.  Counselling services for individuals and families are a cornerstone of the work at QPASTT. 

Individual counselling

Adults
The Adult Counselling Program (ACP) provides individual counselling and advocacy to adult survivors of torture and trauma who have been in Australia for six months or longer.  Asylum seekers and holders of Temporary Protection Visas are seen as a high priority in the Adult Counselling Program and can access support from the time of their arrival in Brisbane.  An intake assessment for new clients is necessary to access the ACP and due to the demand for services, there is usually a waiting period. If you would like to refer yourself or a person you are concerned about, for counselling, click here .

Children

The Children’s Counselling Program addresses the special needs of primary school-aged children from refugee backgrounds who have experienced torture/trauma by working within a child centred collaborative model. Our approach to healing involves children, parents/guardians and school staff in the process.

Children’s counselling at QPASTT is play based. Children are often not able to understand or articulate their needs and experiences in the same way as adults.  Creative therapies provide an alternative way for children to communicate that is developmentally appropriate, through the use of art materials, clay, puppets, sand tray and other symbolic material. Children utilise play to express feelings, thoughts, experiences and needs.  For more information or to make a referral for a child, visit our How to Refer Page.

The Children’s Program also includes a capacity building component which currently focuses on strengthening the capacity of primary schools to provide a safe, supportive and inclusive learning environment for children from refugee backgrounds through the ‘Whole of School Approach’ 

Young People

Counselling and advocacy for Young People addresses the special needs of young people (aged 12-24 years old) from refugee backgrounds who have experienced torture/trauma.  This includes young people at risk of, or engaging in self harming behaviours. 

The young person must know of and consent to the referral. If the young person is under 18, the referrer will need to obtain parent consent, except in special circumstances. The presenting issue must be related to the young person’s own refugee experience or that of their family. For more information to or make a referral to the Youth Program visit our How to Refer Page.

Family counselling

Early Intervention support is offered to all newly arrived humanitarian entrants to Australia under the Integration Humanitarian Settlement Strategy.  QPASTT offers this service to clients in the greater Brisbane, Toowoomba and Gatton regions and can visit clients in their home.  Referrals can be made directly to QPASTT or by settlement services. 

QPASTT offers between 6 to 12 months of social and emotional support to individuals and families who’ve experienced torture and/or trauma.  Our service is free, strictly confidential, and conducted with qualified counsellors and interpreters. More information is available in our brochure.

QPASTT’s family relationship service – POUCH - provides early intervention, family relationship counselling and advocacy support to Humanitarian Entrants to Australia.  POUCH provide flexible and culturally sensitive service (one of which is using bi-cultural workers) to address a range of psychological and social needs to support positive family relationships. 

We assist refugee families to manage acculturation stresses, traumatic reactions, grief and anxiety that come from their experiences prior to fleeing their home country and from difficulties experienced in settling in Australia. This includes families who may have experienced death, divorce, separation and inter-family and inter-generational conflict.

More information about the Family Relationship service.

To refer yourself or somebody you know for counselling at QPASTT, read more at Refer to QPASTT or download a referral form pdf here

QPASTT clients may access the longer term natural therapies support, through internal referral by their counsellors.