The Bilingual Hospital 2 Home (H2H) program helps culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities connect to mental health services, increase their awareness of mental health, increase their resilience and reduce hospital admissions. WentWest, the Western Sydney Primary Health Network, funds Bilingual Hospital to Home to deliver community-based support groups and person-centred, recovery-oriented, trauma-informed services.
Margherit* was referred to the Bilingual Hospital 2 Home program by a staff member at SDN, where her son attends childcare. The referrer had noticed that Margherit always appeared quite distressed, emotional and disorganised. Due to the language barrier, the referrer felt she was not able to communicate very well with Margherit to understand what she was going through. Margherit’s husband was not very involved, and there were concerns that there may be a case of domestic violence.
A Farsi-speaking Bilingual Hospital 2 Home team member spoke with Margherit and, over the course of several sessions, began to build a rapport. Margherit began to open up about the emotional and verbal abuse she was suffering from her husband. She had been experiencing the abuse for several years but shared that due to cultural issues and stigma, she had refused to speak to anyone about it. Margherit was provided with information about domestic violence and the impact it can have on both the victim and children. Bilingual Hospital 2 Home offered advice on support services available for victims of domestic abuse and how the Australian Legal System works for people in her circumstances.
To improve Margherit’s poor mental state, the Bilingual Hospital 2 Home worker suggested some self-care tips and coping strategies. Margherit even began to consider leaving her husband. She seemed empowered by the sessions and more in control of her future process.
Margherit demonstrated a noticeable improvement in her mental health and shared that she is taking better care of herself by going on walks and being more outspoken rather than “bottling it all inside”. Margherit showed immense gratitude for the psychosocial support she received. She stated that having someone “hear her out with no judgement and only compassion” in her own language and from a culturally appropriate background, helped her gain back her confidence and improve her mental health. The referrer agent also reached out to Bilingual Hospital 2 Home, “I am so grateful for the support and assistance in improving Margherit’s mental health condition. I can see her improving. The BH2H team are amazing and really caring”. Margherit continues to see a psychologist and is progressing towards significantly improved mental health every day.
*Name has been changed to protect the identity of this client
Read more about this service: onedoor.org.au/services/bilingual-support-service
Call: (02) 9854 5544
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