Keeping Hope Alive: Torture and Trauma Counselling on Nauru and Manus Island

Since February 2013, FASSTT counsellors employed by Overseas Services to Survivors of Torture and Trauma have provided counselling and support to over 800 torture and trauma survivors on Nauru and Manus Island. Clients... [ view full abstract ]

Since February 2013, FASSTT counsellors employed by Overseas Services to Survivors of Torture and Trauma have provided counselling and support to over 800 torture and trauma survivors on Nauru and Manus Island.

Clients commonly present with a range of psychological and somatic symptoms including suicidal ideation, high levels of anxiety, intrusive thoughts and ruminations, sleep disturbances and nightmares, heightened startle responses, poor concentration, memory loss, lethargy and depression. These symptoms are often consistent with formal diagnoses of depression, anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorders and are strongly indicative of the exposure to torture and other traumatic events that survivors describe having experienced in their countries of origin.

Client presentations are also influenced by factors associated with life in an environment that is not conducive to recovery from trauma. The length of time it has taken to process protection claims, the absence of viable resettlement options, the loss of autonomy and sense of agency, the extremely challenging living conditions, and the ongoing uncertainty about the future contributes to aggravating symptoms and impedes the survivor’s ability to recover.