Services for Clients

Refugee Mental Health Program

People from refugee backgrounds often find it difficult to access the mental health services they may need. Long waiting periods, a shortage of clinicians with cross-cultural expertise, limited use of interpreters and fees, can all serve as barriers to refugee survivors of torture securing appropriate support. The Refugee Mental Health Program, initiated by Foundation House in partnership with the Victorian Trans-cultural Psychiatry Unit, aims to address these barriers.  

The program has established Refugee Mental Health Clinics at Foundation House premises in Brunswick and Dandenong and developed a network of private mental health practitioners able to provide specialist services to refugee clients at no cost. Psychiatrists and a GP specialising in refugee mental health work on a sessional basis and liaise closely with Foundation House counsellor-advocates to ensure the needs of clients are met.