*Please note, you must be based in Narrm (Melbourne) to access in person sessions. If you are based elsewhere in Australia, we can offer online support. Unfortunately we cannot offer support outside of Australia.
We are a grass-roots collective of mental health practitioners with diverse skills and expertise, based in so-called Australia. Many of us have worked alongside people who have survived war, occupation, forced displacement, and migration. Many of us work with communities and individuals who continue to respond to the ongoing effects of violence and trauma. We have come together to advocate for a Palestine free of imperial and colonial occupation as a mental health imperative. We believe that one of the major sources of mental distress is injustice. We don't believe in individual pathology.
We are offering one-off debriefing sessions for community members who have been, or are currently involved in organising efforts around Palestine. We aim to provide collective care to support individuals and communities to sustain the fight for a Free Palestine and a world free of oppression.
What can you expect?
Your space with a mental health practitioner can look many different ways, depending on your context. It may look like:
- Chatting over the phone, having a zoom session, or exchanging supportive text messages
- Meeting for a coffee and chat
- Going for a walk at your local park together
- We might encourage you to build on strategies you are already using to sustain yourself.
- We might offer some further practices to alleviate stress, to invite calm or rest into you and/or your children’s/families/friend’s days.
- We may speak with you about your skills and knowledge in organising against oppression and violence, and how this is connected with social, community or cultural practices and movements.
- We may support you to utilise art, games, movement or music to express what you’re experiencing, depending on the practitioner.
- Your session may include being referred onto a mental health practitioner who can offer longer-term support, community or cultural based support groups if this is of interest to you.
What we can’t offer:
- Long term counselling or ongoing support
- Conflict mediation between individuals or groups
- Recommendations for further supports and services overseas
If this offering resonates with you, please fill in your details below and a practitioner will be in touch.
Note: We value protecting your privacy, so we will only collect minimal details to be able to follow-up with you to schedule a collective care session. Your email address will not be collected or stored by our collective.
We are a fully volunteer run collective. It may take us a few days to get back to you. Thank you for your patience.
Sending love, care and solidarity,
Mental Health Practitioners for a Free Palestine
