The Right to Be: Persecution due to Sexual Orientation.

Dialectic Behaviour Therapy (DBT) with Torture and Trauma Clients at STARTTS (Case study)

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) was implemented in a treatment of a female client from Sierra Leone, who had been experiencing symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and who has been experiencing suicidal thoughts.

Why we should aim to cure anxiety disorders, not manage them.

Anxiety disorders', as a category, constitute the most prevalent mental health problem in many modern societies. Efforts to understand the phenomenon of troubling anxiety have been made by many branches of psychology and psychotherapy, from classical psychoanalysis to behaviourism to neuropsychology. Today, in Australia and elsewhere, many individuals are engaged in some form of psychotherapy for assistance with a diagnosed anxiety disorder, and cognitive behaviour therapy remains the dominant endorsed approach to helping these individuals. Many more are utilisjng Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors in an effort to manage the problem. It remains the case that many medical and mental health professionals elect to work with anxiety sufferers to minimise and manage their anxiety, rather than seeking to 'cure' or remove the problem altogether.   

Why we should aim to cure anxiety disorders, not manage them.

Anxiety disorders', as a category, constitute the most prevalent mental health problem in many modern societies. Efforts to understand the phenomenon of troubling anxiety have been made by many branches of psychology and psychotherapy, from classical psychoanalysis to behaviourism to neuropsychology. Today, in Australia and elsewhere, many individuals are engaged in some form of psychotherapy for assistance with a diagnosed anxiety disorder, and cognitive behaviour therapy remains the dominant endorsed approach to helping these individuals. Many more are utilisjng Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors in an effort to manage the problem. It remains the case that many medical and mental health professionals elect to work with anxiety sufferers to minimise and manage their anxiety, rather than seeking to 'cure' or remove the problem altogether.   

Emotion mining: Investigation of conscious and unconscious motivations related to health and wellness

Harnessing the intangibles, catalyzing personal transformation, and connecting patients to support networks are new imperatives in behavioral health care in the United States. These unrealized goals often compete with cognitive, rationalized perceptions and decision making in society. Capturing and harnessing the conscious and unconscious motivations underpinning health and wellness behaviors is critical in developing treatments, awareness programs, and public policies.

Family therapy in Iran: an OCD case study

Iranian clinical psychologists have devised family therapy methods, based on cognitive behavioral models, fitting their collectivist, Islamic culture. We review Islamic-based strategies and describe family therapy in a culturally-specific childhood OCD case. In %80 of adults diagnosed with OCD, obsession is observed to have started in childhood and adolescence. Studies showed that cognitive-behavior therapy, although efficient in treatment of OCD, fails in the case of children, due to their limited cognitive ability and their lower level of development. On the other hand, since childrens response to medication cannot be anticipated, and because of the side-effects and the probability of recurrence after termination of medication, parents do not agree to medical treatment for their children.

Feedback informed treatment utilized practice based evidence

Resolving guilt and shame after trauma: Utilising CBT and ACT techniques.

Shame and guilt are significant facets of post trauma reactions, frequently found in the presentations of many of STARTTS’ clients. Often these require culturally informed interventions.

Working with offender populations: A framework for effective engagement and counselling

In providing counselling to offender populations, cognitive-behaviour therapy (CBT) is the model of choice, given the focus is on behaviour change and social skill development. Recent developments have incorporated mindfulness into a CBT framework, to raise awareness of what is occurring in the present moment by intentionally attending to and changing the relationship with, thoughts, feelings and sensations via non-judgmental observation. For many practitioners, the key issue in working with this cohort lies with the decision about where to sit on the continuum between rehabilitation and criminal justice goalhile general counselling practices make the clients' wellness the focus of the treatment process, within the forensic counselling sphere, the key goal in the treatment process becomes the protection of society and the client's treatment goals must be pursued within this context.

Developing and Maintaining Resilient and Effective Therapists: The Role of Supervision.

Providing psychotherapy can be extremely rewarding but can also make a range of different demands on the therapist. These demands may vary as a function of the stage of development as a therapist, the type of caseload, the context in which the therapist works, the volume of work, and the interactions with other situations or events that may be happening elsewhere in the therapist’s professional and personal life. Supervision can have a range of functions, but one important function is supporting the therapist.  Effective supervision is thought to be a key contributor to ensuring not only safe and effective therapy but also to maintaining resourceful and resilient therapists. While other forms of psychotherapy have well established models and traditions of supervision, CBT is relatively lacking in these areas and there is relatively little literature to guide CBT supervision, especially in contrast to the vast literatures that exist for cognitive behaviour therapy.   

Listening to, between and from within the lines we speak: Brain Asymmetries underlying Linearity and non-Linearity in speech

‘You Never Stop Looking at Me’ – Being Present in Therapeutic Spaces

Developing a Community of Practice in Child & Youth Refugee Mental Health.

‘They have no way to get their voices out’: Community Discussions Concerning the Need for Humanity and Inclusion in Australian News Representations of Asylum Seekers.

Interventions for Building Bridges between Police and Torture and Trauma Survivors.

Society, Catholicism and the human person as complex systems and sub-systems

Complexity theory is recognised as the New Science that conceptualises the universe as a system of communicating systems. As such, everything in the universe is better understood by exploring the dynamic, nonlinear relationships between the parts that make up the whole. Psychoanalytic Complexity Theory provides a new, but familiar contribution to contemporary psychoanalytic theory and practice.

Social marketing as a way of communicating social change in social work practice

Social work is broad discipline, incorporating a wide range of different perspectives and theories such as sociology, psychology, social anthropology, political sciences and others. Theories drawn from these disciplines are important for the development of social work theory and practice, offering heterogeneous interpretative framework for social work theory building. They are ranging from micro, individually based approaches dealing with the questions of interaction, communication, or networks between individuals, towards macro approaches focusing on power relationships and social change by and for individuals, groups and communities and within social agencies (Staub-Bernasconi 2009).

Increasing effectiveness of counselling people with disability.

Effective counselling is tailored to meet the special needs of people with disability particularly those with intellectual disability and Autism. Including pictorial aids, drawing therapy and simple communication skills building exercises are helpful. Grief counselling can assist people to deal with their disability, family dysfunction or being raised in residential care. When there is disclosure of past abuse clients are entitled to accessible therapy. Increasing awareness of indicators of loving and safe versus abusive relationships, is also essential. 

The role of emerging communication technologies in experiences of sexual violence and concurrent responses

The Australian Institute of Family Studies explored the role of emerging communication technologies in experiences of sexual violence. These discussions were based on roundtables and included participants from sexual assault services, and the education, criminal justice and youth sectors. 

The Power of Apology

Therapeutic Group Work and even Relationship Counselling itself frequently focus on developing communication and conflict management skills. But as therapists, sometimes we ‘miss the boat’

Communicative Exchange, Psychotherapy and the Resonant Self

Group Pregnancy Care: Improving Access, Health Literacy and Social Inclusion.

Partnerships that Work – How Collaboration between Service Providers Leads to Positive Client Outcomes in Regional Tasmania.

Inter- Continental Bridges on Service Development: Community Approaches and Staff Support, When Working With Survivors. Knowledge Exchange Between Equitas-Colombia and QPASTT-Queensland, Australia.

Future In Our Hands: Volleyball Project which Empowered Girls from Refugee Background.

Woven: Weaving Connections across Cultures.

The Role of Community in Recovery.

Challenges and Opportunities of Working with Temporary Visa Holders.

Engaging the Disengaged: Reflections from Bicultural Professionals on Supporting Marginalised African Youth and Communities Involved in Justice and Protection Systems.

Empowerment of Men and Women Survivors of Torture in Countries of Origin and the United States.

Identifying Regions in Queensland Requiring Targeted Programs to Reduce Discrimination and Improve Community Support for Refugee and Asylum Seeking People: a spatial study.

Refugee Children’s Perspectives on Life in Australia: Using Computer-Assisted Interviews to Enable Children’s Expressions.

Refugee Settlement, Social Media and Responding to Trauma.

An Examination of Intergenerational Conflict in Families from Refugee Backgrounds and Parent’s Perception of Family Counselling.

T.E.A Gathering (Talking. Empowering. Advocating) - African Young Women Perspective and Experiences on Issues Related to Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence.

Interventions for Building Bridges between Police and Torture and Trauma Survivors.

The Power of Apology

Therapeutic Group Work and even Relationship Counselling itself frequently focus on developing communication and conflict management skills. But as therapists, sometimes we ‘miss the boat’

Lost and Found in Interpretation.

An Evaluation of Physiotherapy for the Management of Chronic Pain in Torture and Trauma Survivors.

Using Creative Arts and Play in a School Group for Children from a Refugee Background.

The Psychological and Social Trajectories of Refugees and Asylum Seekers Receiving Support from Specialist Torture and Trauma Counselling Services in Australia.

Inter- Continental Bridges on Service Development: Community Approaches and Staff Support, When Working With Survivors. Knowledge Exchange Between Equitas-Colombia and QPASTT-Queensland, Australia.

Developing a Community of Practice in Child & Youth Refugee Mental Health.

Navigating Across Cultures: Rural and Regional Community Development in the Refugee Sector.

Trauma Informed Therapeutic Yoga Program for Bhutanese Torture Survivors - A Community Initiative.

T.E.A Gathering (Talking. Empowering. Advocating) - African Young Women Perspective and Experiences on Issues Related to Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence.

Working with Suicide and Suicide Risk in the Counselling Context – Challenges and Considerations. a case study of a female asylum seeker.

‘Soul Murder’ – Spiritual Trauma at the Royal Commission

The morality, law and politics of torture.

Is the International Convention Against Torture still relevant?

Engaging the Disengaged: Reflections from Bicultural Professionals on Supporting Marginalised African Youth and Communities Involved in Justice and Protection Systems.

Refugee Teenagers Along Human Traffics and Being Evolved into Drug Dealers (Long waiting migration process and negative results).

Interventions for Building Bridges between Police and Torture and Trauma Survivors.

Conflict over Natural Resources and its Contribution to Trauma, Displacement and Dislocation.

Creative group work within the Correctional Centre environment

Group work and facilitation skills has become a valued role within DCS

Combating Child Labour: Strength Based Strategies

The International Labor Organization estimates that around 218 million children between the ages of 5-17 were engaged in work related activities in the year 2004. A variety of factors influence a child's need to work, as such there is no panacea to the problem. In working towards a response to the issue, this paper argues that strategies which harness resources already in place with minimal help from external parties are sustainable in the long run, especially for non-profit organizations which are often short of resources.

The rise of juvenile crime in Georgia

Violence among the adolescents and adolescent delinquency often results in criminal charges and 14-18 year olds end up in the penitentiary facility. By the year 2005 only 26 adolescents were serving sentence in special juvenile facilities; however from 2006 onwards their number has increased drastically. At times the numbers of inmates reached 200, while today 162 juveniles are serving sentence. The rise of juvenile crime has become a debate issue for various groups of the Georgian society – education experts, psychologists, politicians are looking for the reasons of the situation at hand. We attempted a study of the demographic, social and academic profiles of adolescent inmates (the study of the Ministry of Education and Science, 2009), also taking into account our 5-year practice of working with juvenile convicts, which was aimed at supporting their resocialization and future reintegration into the society. In this work we will present a psychosocial portrait of an adolescent in the penitentiary system and consider the particular stress-factors that affect the juveniles and are determined by the specific features of the Georgian criminal subculture. We will also present 5 psychotypes of the adolescents in conflict with the law that were determined by the Freiburg personality test and will try to describe the self perception of the convicts while in confinement and after their sentence is served.

Listening to Country: Psychotherapy outside the office in Central Australia

Understanding Child Maltreatment Across Ethnic Minority Communities in Australia: Physical Abuse, Neglect, Witnessing Domestic and Family Violence and Child Sexual Abuse

Working with Culture and Trauma when Child Protection Issues Emerge in a Refugee Family

Group Pregnancy Care: Improving Access, Health Literacy and Social Inclusion.

Lost and Found in Interpretation.

Cultural Issues and Working with Trauma in the Body.

Why Children from Refuge Backgrounds are not Accessing Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) in Queensland and What We Can Do About It.

Developing a Community of Practice in Child & Youth Refugee Mental Health.

Counselling in Motion: STARTTS Capoeira Angola Project Bantu.

Navigating Across Cultures: Rural and Regional Community Development in the Refugee Sector.

The Impact of Rejected Asylum Application on the Mental Health Asylum Seekers Amongst Farsi-Dari Speaking in Australia.

Counselling in Motion: STARTTS Capoeira Angola Project Bantu.

Woven: Weaving Connections across Cultures.

The Right to Be: Persecution due to Sexual Orientation.

The Fruits of Coherent Companionship: Shared Stories and Gifts from the “Pilgrim” Roads

Suffering in Silence: SSRIs, Stigma and Sexual Difficulties

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) medication is widely used as a treatment for mental disorders such as depression, anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorders in Australia and worldwide. It has been demonstrated, however, that SSRIs can negatively impact on sexual functioning and influence all phases of the sexual cycle. 

Mental health in newly arrived asylum seekers in Norway (In conversation)

This study explores the possibility of developing an assessment instrument based on self-report sufficiently sensitive and practically applicable to detect mental illness and need for treatment among asylum seekers. The study was conducted among relatively newly arrived asylum seekers in Norway, 85 adult asylum seekers completed a questionnaire, of these 65 underwent a diagnostic interview.  

Islamic belief in healing of Trauma; A case study of an Afghan Refugee

Islamic beliefs and traditions can provide an essential framework of meaning that help individuals to sustain life in times of great distress. Spiritual healing is an essential element of Islamic faith. This lecture explores how religious and spiritual beliefs can be used in the healing of trauma.  It draws extensively on a case study of an Afghan refugee, a 58 year-old male client who had experienced the darkest side of humanity through the persecution of his family members and his own torture and trauma experiences.  

Depression and demoralisation in primary care; matching taxonomy with evidence-based treatment

To bring together principles of management from evidence based guidelines with taxonomy of depression developed in a general practice setting. The taxonomy was developed after a series of studies including an observational study of GPs and their patients discussing depression.  The main national and international guidelines for the treatment of depression were examined and recommendations matched with taxonomy.

Psychological perspectives of working memory systems function

An important task of the human central nervous system is to link sensory information to appropriate response. This is the defining characteristic of adaptive behaviour in humans. Such adaptability is presumed to be mediated by working memory systems that process and respond to detected stimuli according to experience, needs, context and intention, and underpin the capacity to realise goals and plans.