Phoenix Centre

Funded by the Department of Health, The Programme of Assistance for Survivors of Torture and Trauma (PASTT) provides survivors of torture and trauma with appropriate counselling and related support services.  The programme provides specialist services tailored to the requirements of clients whether this involves short, medium or long-term support.  No diagnosed mental illness is required for access to PASTT.

Eligibility to receive PASTT services is open to Humanitarian Programme entrants permanently resettled in Australia and people on Temporary Substantive Visas (TSVs).

PASTT aims to:

• improve the psychosocial health and wellbeing of people who have experienced torture and trauma prior to their arrival in Australia;
• increase the responsiveness of mainstream health and related services to the needs of people who have survived torture and trauma prior to arriving in Australia, through the provisions of training and other support; and
• build the confidence of refugee communities to access mainstream health and related services through capacity building activities.

Our counselling is free and confidential, and conducted by qualified counsellors, along with accredited interpreters as needed.

To make a referral for counselling, please complete the Phoenix Referral form, available below:

How to refer to the Phoenix Centre

Click here to download the Phoenix Centre Referral Form

 

Click here to download the Phoenix Centre Referral Form (FOR SCHOOLS)

 

For more information on training options available for agencies please check the MRC Tas Training Calendar or complete a training request form. 

The Cultural Community Connections program supports the health and wellbeing of culturally and linguistically diverse communities during COVID-19 and beyond.

This new program provides:

• A forum for CALD communities and other stakeholders to raise concerns, emerging trends, and specific support needs arising due to COVID-19.
• Targeted resources (in-language) to communities and key service providers to reduce the detrimental impacts of COVID-19 in the areas of mental health, financial, social, medical, and other identified key areas of concern.
• Smooth pathways for referral to and from existing mainstream providers of COVID-19 response support services in Tasmania
• Short term case coordination and individual support for psychosocial issues resulting from COVID-19 impacts
• Case Coordination to link people with a CALD background with education, employment, training, and other services as they re-open.

For more information please email phoenixreferrals@mrctas.org.au, or for more information and to refer a client please call:

Southern Tasmania: Beth Lord or Emily Churches on (03) 6221 0999
Northern Tasmania: Kelli Charles on (03) 6724 2820, or Emily Churches on (03) 6221 0999

Natural Therapies provided by the Phoenix Centre include remedial massage and exercise.

The Early Intervention Program targets 0-25 year olds and their families who are from a humanitarian migrant background. The program provides individual and family counselling as well as structured psycho-social group work. In addition the program provides professional development and self-care awareness for staff and key stakeholders who work with former refugees. This program is funded by the Tasmanian Government Department of Health and Human Services.

Friday Village is an applied English literacy group who meet fortnightly. It is targeted at participants from a refugee background who are unable to access English classes or are not making progress in traditional learning environments. Apart from improved English skills other outcomes of the program include reducing social isolation, increasing capacity to manage daily tasks, increasing understanding of other cultures including Australian, knowledge of services and confidence to access them. This project is funded by the Scanlon Foundation. 

The Phoenix Centre Suicide Prevention Project operates from both Hobart and Launceston offices and assists service providers to work effectively with culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities, and supports CALD community members to build capacity in their responses to suicide by:

• Promotion of help seeking and positive lifestyle choices
• Promotion of local responses to suicide and other related issues within CALD communities
• Contribution to the development of community capacity to respond to issues around suicidality
• Engagement with the broader community to enhance understandings of risk and protective factors
• Advocacy of CALD perspectives and issues when networking with service providers and health practitioners, and sharing insights to increase cultural competency
• Organised Activities, including group activities specifically for Men, for Women and for people who are isolated and/or particularly vulnerable to suicide

Through these organised events the Project aims to raise awareness of suicidal ideation and the warning signs, reduce stigma associated with mental health and suicide, increase culturally aware approaches to mental health and suicide, and increase awareness of how community members can help one another and be confident to refer to the appropriate services.

This Project is supported by Primary Health Tasmania under the Australian Government’s Primary Health Networks Program.

The Tasmanian Transcultural Mental Health Network (TTMHN) builds the capacity across sectors, including the Tasmanian mental health workforce to increase cultural competence, appropriate use of interpreters as well as raise mental health literacy of CALD communities. This program is funded by the Tasmanian Government Department of Health and Human Services.

The Phoenix Centre provides community education in the form of health and wellbeing sessions, psychoeducation, community information sessions and mental health awareness to communities from refugee backgrounds.

Additionally, we work with other service providers offering information and training in how to best work with people who have escaped war and persecution. We can assist services in understanding the impact of torture and trauma on individuals, families, communities, children and young people, and help the to ensure that their services are appropriate and accessible for people from refugee backgrounds. To access our training information, please visit: www.mrctas.org.au/training/

The Phoenix Centre is a member of the Forum of Australian Services for Survivors of Torture and Trauma (FASSTT – https://www.fasstt.org.au) – a network of eight specialist rehabilitation agencies that respond to the needs of survivors of torture and trauma who have come to Australia from overseas. There is a FASSTT member agency in each state and territory of Australia. FASSTT is supported through funding from the Commonwealth Department of Health under the Program of Assistance to Survivors of Torture and Trauma (PASTT).