For Health Professionals

QTMHC can assist health professionals and other workers in a range of ways.

QTMHC Statewide Clinical Consultation Service

QTMHC provides a free specialist transcultural clinical consultation service through clincial specialists and bilingual/bicultural mental health consultants in over one hundred language and cultural groups. 

We provide primary and secondary consultation including specialist assessment and short term intervention as well as information, advice and referral options to mental health and other service providers working with CALD consumers.

In particular assessment and advice is offered where there are:

• significant cultural barriers
• mental health problems that arise from complex interactions of settlement and adjustment issues and pre or post migration trauma.

How to refer to QTMHC

Mental health professionals, other health and community workers can contact QTMHC by phone for information, advice and to make a referral.

To make a written referral (not mandatory) complete our referral form (PDF, 122.54 KB) and email to tccs@health.qld.gov.au or fax to 3317 1299. You can also phone us on toll free: 1800 188 189.

Service brochure

• Amharic
• Arabic
• Bosnian
• Burmese
• Chinese
• Croatian
• Dari
• Dinka
• English
• Farsi
• French
• Greek
• Hindi
• Indonesian
• Italian
• Japanese
• Karen
• Khmer
• Kirundi
• Korean
• Polish
• Portuguese
• Samoan
• Serbian
• Spanish
• Swahili
• Tagalog
• Tamil
• Tigrinya
• Vietnamese

Assessment and psychoeducation

Our service has access to a diverse group of bilingual/bicultural mental health consultants.

This group includes medical, nursing, allied health and cultural consultants and together we represent over 100 different cultural and language groups. We provide specialist consultation to service providers to:

• clarify or confirm assessment or diagnosis
• clarify cultural concepts of mental health and illness
• provide cultural consultation
• develop a cultural formulation
• formulate culturally appropriate care plans
• help increase engagement with the CALD consumer and their family
• provide psychoeducation to consumers and their families
• provide culturally appropriate triage and facilitate linkage and follow up with mental health services.

We provide three levels of consultation:

Primary

Consumers are assessed face-to-face. A mental health and/or socio-cultural assessment is completed and feedback is provided to the referrer containing recommendations for the ongoing management of the consumers. If a consumer is unable to attend our service for the assessment due to distance, the assessment may be conducted by videoconferencing. If consumers are inpatients at the time of the referral, arrangements can also be made for the assessment to be conducted on the ward/unit.

Secondary

A secondary consultation involves a discussion, usually via the telephone, between a transcultural mental health clinician and the referrer about a specific consumer. The consumer is not present during the consultation. The aim of the consultation discussion is to clarify pertinent cultural issues and to provide advice. When required, access may be facilitated to a cultural consultant or bilingual/bicultural mental health clinician to provide more in-depth cultural consultation. A secondary consultation may lead onto a primary consultation, if appropriate.

Tertiary

Clinicians and Transcultural Mental Health staff provide consultation regarding aspects of another service’s program. This may involve specific program advice, developing the skills of the professionals in the agency, or collaborative work in regard to a specific matter.

Research and education

As an Academic Clinical Unit within Metro South Addictions and Mental Health Services we have a strong commitment to deliver quality and evidence based services based on the latest research evidence.

Our research informs our clinical education activities where we aim to build the cultural capability of the mental health workforce. We also work with existing mental health educators to ensure culturally inclusive content.

For further information please contact QTMHC@health.qld.gov.au.