Mainstreaming Mental Health into the Families in Cultural Transition Program

The Families in Cultural Transition (FICT) is a group based psychosocial education program established by the NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS), that focuses on the... [ view full abstract ]

The Families in Cultural Transition (FICT) is a group based psychosocial education program established by the NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS), that focuses on the impact of refugee experience and the challenges families may experience in Australia post settlement. The program adopts experiential learning approaches and is delivered by trained bicultural facilitators in the community language of the participants. Topics address practical, conceptual and emotional needs from budgeting and support services to communication in families, gender, youth and children.

In order the address the issue of poor knowledge and understanding of the nature and treatment of mental health problems in a more holistic way, a range of activities aimed at promoting mental health wellbeing was developed under the title “We Can Do This”. These activities are integrated into the existing FICT modules and emphasise the considerable strengths and personal resources refugees bring with them, while acknowledging that pre and post migration factors may play a role in their wellbeing in a resettlement context.

This presentation outlines how this set of wellbeing and psycho-education activities was mainstreamed into the FICT program, including how participants from six refugee communities reported the value of these activities.