Queensland Program of Assistance to Survivors of Torture and Trauma
Queensland Program of Assistance to Survivors of Torture and Trauma
The Queensland Program of Assistance to Survivors of Torture and Trauma (QPASTT) provides a range of services to people from refugee backgrounds, including asylum seekers, who have survived torture or war related trauma to help them to recover from their experiences.
We do this by providing direct services to individuals and families in the form of counselling, advocacy, group work, psycho-education, information sessions and recreational programs. Direct services to clients are coupled with referral, training, community development and capacity building aimed at developing and strengthening the resources of various communities and service providers.
We are a not-for-profit, community organisation working across Queensland, with our main office located in the suburb of Woolloongabba in Brisbane and a smaller office in Logan. We provide services from these offices, and conduct outreach services in the Gold Coast, Goodna and Inala. We also provide counselling services across regional Queensland including Toowoomba, Townsville and Cairns.
You May Also Consider (Sponsored)
Quick Start Online Therapy: Tell Us a Little About Yourself and Get Matched With a Therapist Right for You
Take a simple guided quiz and let us know your preferences. Get matched to an online therapist right for you. Convenient and affordable online therapy from your phone, tablet or computer.
Have you been in therapy before?
Services Offered
Counselling and advocacy lies at the heart of our approach to working with traumatised people from refugee backgrounds and asylum seekers.
QPASTT counsellors work face-to-face and in groups, with survivors of refugee related torture, who have survived traumatic experiences, using a multicultural, flexible, client-centred approach and a wide range of interventions and therapies.
Our approach is based on a trauma recovery framework.
We work with clients across the spectrum of their settlement journey, including people who arrive on a humanitarian visa and people seeking asylum (both in detention and in the community), those who are newly arrived and those who have been here for many years.
Our counsellors aspire to provide a safe and respectful environment, in which survivors of torture and trauma can better understand, manage and heal from the physical and emotional pain of their experiences.
Our service is free, voluntary, confidential, and conducted with qualified counsellors and interpreters. We offer counselling for refugees, and asylum seekers in Brisbane, Logan and regional Queensland.
Fees and Payment
Counselling at QPASTT is free.
Services Offered To: Adults Couples Teens Children
Payment: Sliding Scale Pro-bono
If You Call, Please Let Us Know How it Went:
Were You Able to Make an Appointment?
One quick last question. Who was seeking counseling today?
Do you know the reason they are not accepting clients?
A community counseling agency is a group therapy practice that offers affordable mental health services. Most are independent non-profit agencies, state agencies, or publicly-funded agencies. A few may restrict who is eligible for services, so it is a good idea to check when you call.
Community counseling agencies are generally more affordable than other therapy providers, but how much more affordable they are will depend on whether you qualify for a discount or sliding scale fee (or if they accept your insurance). Many, but not all, have a policy that they won't turn away anyone due to inability to pay. You should ask about their fees when you first call.
Expect to talk to kind people who want to help you find the care you need. Most community agencies strive to connect you with a live person within 24 hours, if not immediately. If you're asked to hold or leave a message, don't give up; just leave a message and wait. You should hear back pretty quickly.
Most agencies try to set up an initial assessment appointment within a week (some do within 24 hours), though the waitlist to start therapy is usually longer—about a few weeks on average. If you're not eligible or if the agency is not right for you, it's usually still worth it to call or drop in, because staff are knowledgeable about local options and can often refer you to one.