Mental Health
Most adults and children from refugee-like backgrounds have experienced some degree of trauma. This may include forcible displacement, conflict, family separation and significant human rights violations, including torture and physical and sexual violence. Unaccompanied and separated children are recognised as having specific risks and vulnerabilities.
For information about approaches to care for people from a refugee background please see the Refugee Health Guide.
Victoria has several specialist mental health support services for people of refugee background. Please contact services directly for up-to-date information about their service offerings.

Healthy Mind, Healthy Family, Healthy Community (Arabic)
Healthy Mind, Healthy Family, Healthy Community is a video produced by members of the Syrian and Iraqi Community Advisory Group of the Diverse Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Project. This video is in Arabic.
ViewHope and Life (Dari)
Hope and Life is a video produced by members of the Communities from Afghanistan Advisory Group of the Diverse Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Project. This video is in Dari.
ViewAsylum Seeker Resource Centre
The ASRC Health Clinic provides people seeking asylum and refugees, who do not have Medicare, access to a free General Practitioner.
The Health program also provides access to a pharmacy program and allied health services.
Royal Children’s Hospital — Immigrant Health Service
Immigrant Health Service provides a comprehensive approach to physical and mental health for children and young people who arrived as refugees or seeking asylum. The service is free of charge for all refugee and asylum seeker children.
VisitThe Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture and Trauma (Foundation House)
Clients receive a comprehensive range of services including counselling (individual, family and/or group), mental health clinic services, complementary therapies and referral services that are free, confidential and voluntary. We also use professional interpreters as required.
VisitMonash Refugee Health and Wellbeing
Monash Health Refugee Health and Wellbeing provides a psychiatry service for adults aged 25 -65 years, presenting with a range of mental health issues, including a history of trauma/torture, depression, anxiety, complex grief and loss.
VisitCabrini Asylum Seeker and Refugee Health Hub
The Hub welcomes people seeking asylum who do not have a Medicare Card or who have a Medicare Card but receive no income. The Hub’s specialist mental health service provides multi-disciplinary care for clients with mental health needs, including triage, psychiatric assessment and management, therapeutic intervention, counselling, referrals and ongoing support.
VisitOrygen ‘Trauma-informed care webinar’ Refugee Access Project.
This webinar brings you on the journey of creating a new service for the targeted population of newly arrived Iraqi and Syrian refugees aged 0 to 24 years of age living in North West Melbourne and why specialised refugee access services are needed.
VisitCentre for Migrant and Refugee Health
Centre for Migrant and Refugee Health services offer a wide range of therapeutic options and approaches, which are not time-limited to support individuals, families, parents and carers of migrants, refugees and people seeking asylum. The services are delivered by accredited psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, registered nurses, and occupational therapists using excellent carer choice in the treatment they desire with respect, integrity, and safety.
VisitCAREinMIND Mental Health Services
Refugees and asylum seekers, who may receive low/no income, are eligible for CAREinMIND’s free short-term psychological counselling services. Note that a Medicare card is not required. This makes the service useful for those asylum seekers who are ineligible for Medicare.
VisitNDIS and Psychosocial Disability
People whose mental health condition is associated with a disability may be eligible for support through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). You must, however, be a permanent resident to be eligible for the scheme.
VisitChild and adolescent mental health services (0-18 years)
The Primary Health Networks (PHNs) fund a range of different low, moderate and high intensity psychosocial support services. For more information, please contact your local PHN.
VisitAdult specialist mental health services (16-64 years)
People seeking asylum and on temporary protection visas are eligible.
VisitMildura — Sunraysia Community Health Service
General counselling services that provide a supportive and collaborative environment to discuss your concerns.
VisitShepparton — Primary care connect
Primary Care Connect specialise in counselling and advocacy for migrants of refugee backgrounds or seeking asylum in Australia.
VisitGeelong — Barwon Child Youth and Family (BCYF)
If you are a refugee or asylum seeker who has experienced torture and other traumatic events in your country of origin, or while fleeing your country, you can access torture and trauma counselling at BCYF.
VisitThe Transcultural Mental Health Centre (TMHC)
TMHC works with health professionals and communities across New South Wales to support positive mental health for people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
VisitVictorian Transcultural Mental Health (VTMH)
A directory of bilingual health providers (This has links to search directories that have capacity to search for professionals by language)
VisitEmbrace Multicultural Mental Health
Embrace Multicultural Mental Health (the Embrace Project) is run by Mental Health Australia and provides a national focus on mental health and suicide prevention for people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds.
VisitIndependent Mental Health Advocacy (IHMA)
Independent Mental Health Advocacy (IHMA) supports people who are receiving, or at risk of receiving, compulsory mental health treatment to make decisions and have as much say as possible about their assessment, treatment and recovery.
VisitStrength in My Roots
Mental Health Information and resources for multicultural young people. Hear from multicultural young people about their experiences and explore helpful resources to support your mental health.
VisitEmerging Minds
How the experiences and circumstances of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) children and families influence child mental health.
VisitA mental health research agenda for people of refugee background in Australia: a consensus study
View DocumentYoung people from refugee backgrounds talk about their experiences of mental health services
Guide for practitioners
View DocumentCulturally informed ways to support mental health in refugee and asylum seeker children
Pragya Gartoulla and Anagha Joshi, Australian Institute of Family Studies, Australia, November 2022
VisitHow the experiences and circumstances of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) children and families influence child mental health
Anagha Joshi and Pragya Gartoulla, australian institute of family studies, Australia, November 2022
VisitImproving the mental health and wellbeing of young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds literature review
View DocumentBarriers to and facilitators of utilisation of mental health services by young people of refugee backgrounds
View DocumentEmerging Minds
Culturally informed ways to support mental health in refugee and asylum seeker children
Visit