Mental Health and Wellness Support
There are a wide range of factors that might impact on the mental health and wellbeing of our African Australian communities
These include:
- Experience of political violence and armed conflict
- A history of trauma and PTSD
- Stigma related to mental illness.
- Lack of awareness of western concepts of mental illness
- Preference for seeking advice from religious leaders and use of traditional healing methods
- Low or late utilisation and distrust of mental health services
- Cultural insensitivity of service providers
- Cultural manifestations of distress may be misinterpreted as mental illness in the western context
- Somatic manifestation of mental ill health
- Language barriers and lack of translators
- Lack of targeted, linguistically and culturally appropriate information in an accessible format (written information is not always useful as some people are unable to read in their own language).
- Socioeconomic factors such as unemployment, lack of housing, transport etc.
- Family based Violence.
- Current or previous experience of sexual assault and/or gender related violence
- Discrimination and racism; fear of judgment and racism and reinforcement of stereotypes from wider Australian community amongst already marginalised groups.
- Impact of asylum-seeking process and uncertain immigration status
- Stress and anxiety associated with changing family dynamics, gender roles and family breakdown Intergenerational conflict: issues of respect, religious indifference, and premature liberation from parental control, language issues affecting parent–child relationships.
- Substance abuse issues
- Survivor guilt and worry for family back home.
We have committed ourselves to listening to our community, respecting their needs, and informing them about our progress. We are continuously searching for motivated community members to participate in our programs, activities, and services. Here are some ways you can contribute!
