How does Community, Friendship & Trust have a role to play in getting people the support they need?

Community, Friendship & Trust. These three things create a space where new arrivals open up, talk about their experiences and allows new friends to support them in seeking support and services for torture and trauma. Through... [ view full abstract ]

Community, Friendship & Trust. These three things create a space where new arrivals open up, talk about their experiences and allows new friends to support them in seeking support and services for torture and trauma.

Through community and through friendship, with a guided, trusted and gentle hand, the stigma around mental health can be reduced and new arrivals are more willing to access services when people they trust recommend the support.

We will talk about how trust, friendship and community have a part to play in successful referral of people to services for Torture and Trauma, with real life cases and how communities and services can work together to get people what they need and the ongoing benefits to society when people are seeking support and treatment.

For many new arrivals, more specifically Refugees and Asylum Seekers, are living with side effects of long term torture and trauma and don’t even know it. For most, this has been their daily “norm”, some moments, days or weeks are worse than others, but it is still their “norm”. How do our new neighbours even know they have PTSD or other effects of torture and trauma, if they don’t have a language for it and how do they seek support and medical attention if mental health is a “western problem”. How does Community, Friendship & Trust have a role to play in getting people the support they need.