Queensland Transcultural Mental Health Centre Services and Programs

Transcultural Clinical Consultation Service

The Transcultural Clinical Consultation Service (TCCS) is a specialist mental health service provided by the Qld Transcultural Mental Health Centre to meet the needs of people from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds.

The TCCS is not an alternative to mainstream mental health services, but a specialist consultation service that works in partnership with mainstream mental health agencies to ensure that services provided are comprehensive and culturally and linguistically appropriate.

Services provided by TCCS include a telephone and consultation service by bilingual/bicultural workers offering information about cultural, political or religious issues that can impact on assessment and treatment; advice on assessment or care plan formulation; advice on referral options or community support and consultation on cross-cultural practice issues.

Resource Library

The QTMHC has an extensive range of books, articles, videos, audio tapes and manuals on a diverse range of transcultural mental health issues. Anyone can use and borrow resources from the library, free of charge. The QTMHC also has a range of multilingual brochures available on various mental illnesses.

Education and Development

The education and development program has the following key components:

training mental health staff from the government sector, which includes hospital based inpatient staff, community mental health workers, rural and remote mental health workers, child and youth mental health workers, staff working in general health settings and management, policy-makers and administrative staff;
training mental health and community workers in the NGO sector;
training university students from such faculties as medicine, psychiatry, psychology, occupational therapy, social work and nursing;
training professional interpreters on working in mental health settings;
training GPs;
developing courses and subjects, eg. recently a subject was developed through the TAFE system for professional interpreters on the mental health system and currently we are working with the University of Queensland to develop a subject on transcultural mental health;
providing information, resources and support to training participants and trainers.

Health Promotion

The Health Promotion Co-ordinator position works in partnership with mental health services and services working with culturally and linguistically diverse people in the planning, implementation and evaluation of strategies on promotion, prevention and early intervention for mental health. It also assists in the assessment of needs for mental heath using the instrument, Assessing needs for mental health in culturally and linguistically diverse communities: a qualitative approach.

For further information, contact:

Ms Penny D'Ath
Information & Resource Officer
Ph. (07) 3167-8333
Fax (07) 3167-8322
Email: penny_d'ath@health.qld.gov.au

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Last Updated: 27 November 2006
Last Reviewed: 27 November 2006