Phoenix Centre

We offer counselling, support and advocacy to individuals and families from refugee backgrounds who have survived torture and trauma situations, and those seeking asylum. Our counsellors deliver a culturally sensitive, flexible and client-centred service, utilising a range of approaches and interventions. Face-to-face and telephone counselling, as well as therapeutic group work options are available in both Hobart and Launceston. Additionally, Natural Therapy services are also available in Hobart to provide another avenue of assistance for Phoenix clients.

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

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 Mother’s Circle is a project to support women who are experiencing challenges with their children or teenagers.  The aim of this group is to empower mothers to feel better equipped to support their children though these challenging stages.  There will be 8 weekly sessions delivered to the group with a focus on education and awareness building on topics including identity, values, culture, adolescent development, boundaries, at risk behaviours, and cyber-safety. Parents will be further supported to increase their awareness on local resources, and available support systems to improve early intervention strategies. There will be a group in Hobart (September to November) and Launceston (January to March).

For more information or to arrange a referral please contact Hannah on hpoon@mrctas.org.au

This project is funded by the Australian Government, Department of Home Affairs.

22/08/2019

The Links for Life project aims to increase the social integration of vulnerable and socially isolated newly-arrived people from refugee backgrounds.

The project facilitates community connections through partnerships with sporting and community groups. Tailored workshops are also provided to increase understanding and engagement with activities and events of Australian national and local significance. Workshops cover the history, rationale and cultural significance of events.

Links for Life promotes active participation of clients in group activities with the support of staff and volunteers.

The project also aims to improve the cultural competency of event organisers in the planning and delivery of events.

For more information please contact Thir Thapa: Tthapa@mrctas.org.au

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).