Our vision is to see people from refugee backgrounds restored, in freedom, growing and flourishing in their lives and relationships.
Trust • Confidentiality • Community • Acceptance • Forgiveness • Cultural Sensitivity • Dependence on God • Service • Understanding • Prayer •
Trust • Confidentiality • Community • Acceptance • Forgiveness • Cultural Sensitivity • Dependence on God • Service • Understanding • Prayer •
About Us
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Freedom to Flourish responds to the specific mental health needs of people of refugee backgrounds living in Sydney, Australia. Many of whom are experiencing grief and trauma from their country of birth, from their journey of seeking refuge, in arriving and adapting to life in Australia.
Freedom to Flourish’s team of professional counsellors, psychotherapists and trauma-informed volunteers provide individual and group programmes specifically tailored to the needs of people of refugee backgrounds.
Freedom to Flourish team of therapists are culturally sensitive, skilled and experienced in trauma healing and therapy approaches integrating horticulture, expressive arts, and somatic in empowering and support our participants in their healing journey.
Freedom to Flourish is a Christian not for profit support service, formed through partnership of WEC, Australia and Pioneers, who have decades of experience serving refugee and migrant communities in Sydney, and globally.
We are motivated and empowered by God and our love of Jesus Christ, who commanded us to love others. He tells us to show welcome to strangers and the marginalised, caring for orphans, widows and the foreigner in our land.
Freedom to Flourish works closely with local Churches, faith communities and community groups supporting migrants.
We hold a philosophy of holistic restoration: supporting healing and mental, emotional, social, physical, and spiritual wellbeing.
As a not for profit NGO running independently of government departments and funding we are not limited by a person’s visa status as to who we can assist.
We rely on donations and fundraising from the general public, Church and community groups and individuals. All our team donate their time and expertise to provide programmes.
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Our vision is to see people from refugee backgrounds restored, in freedom, growing and flourishing in their lives and relationships.
We believe that all humans live in broken relationships within themselves, with others, with creation and with their creator God.
We believe restoration is possible, and through tailored therapeutic activities and trusting relationships with our team, you can begin to experience what restored relationships can look like.
Each participant is invited on a journey of self-awareness, transforming emotional pain, resolving conflicts, and writing a new narrative for yourselves, your relationships with other people, in care for creation, and spiritual connection with your Creator.
Our hope is that this journey to the restored self, empowers you to not only grow, but flourish in your life, experiencing love, care, understanding and grace towards yourself, others and from your creator.
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Our mission is to create a safe environment for individuals, families and communities from refugee backgrounds, where they are supported in their healing journey.
Safe environment: culturally sensitive; trustworthy; non-judgemental; confidential;
Refugee background: those who have fled their homeland due to war, oppression, violence or persecution.
Supported: We offer counselling services to individuals, families and groups; we run trauma healing groups; we promote community groups for a sense of belonging and safety and we journey with them as they find and develop their own strengths in dealing with their trauma.
The healing journey: We believe that healing from trauma is a journey of restoration, and it involves a whole body experience.
Freedom to Flourish holistic view of working with trauma, addresses multiple dimensions that we believe are the four pillars to a true restoration:
Restoration within self includes awareness, acceptance, and forgiveness of the self, recognising and developing strengths, resolving internal conflicts and discovering strategies and skills to move forward in your new life, personal identity and contribution in Australia.
Restoration in relationships with others is the journey of understanding, acceptance, forgiveness and connection with others, within the family, community and wider society. This includes finding one’s place, restoring your community identity, and contributing meaningfully as a member of society.
Restoration with creation is the relationship we can have in terms of enjoying and caring for creation, our environment, and making changes to live more connected to nature, utilising it and contributing to our world around us.
Restoration in relationship with God is pivotal in holistically healing from trauma.
Freedom to Flourish accepts and respects different faith backgrounds, and that spirituality is an integral part of a person’s identity and culture. We encourage people from all faiths to participate in the services we provide, encouraging exploring and involving your faith in your process of healing.
As a Christian organisation our purpose, meaning and direction are guided by our faith in Jesus. We believe that the God of the Bible is the creator of the universe, the creator of each individual, the creator of relationships and the provider of complete healing, connection and eternal salvation. We understand that while we are offered full restoration in Jesus, we still live in an imperfect world, and we will only fully enjoy true healing in eternity in the presence of God. We are also assured that we can enjoy foretastes of that future hope, right now as we learn to do this journey of our life in the presence and guidance of Jesus.
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Trust
Confidentiality
Community
Acceptance
Forgiveness
Cultural sensitivity
Dependence on God
Service
Understanding
Prayer
“Ultimately, the restorative potential of expressive arts therapy is in the relationship. Our most reparative and healing moments occur within an attuned, restorative relationship.
Expressive arts therapy is a value-added approach to restorative psychotherapeutic relationships. It takes us beyond talk, inviting all the senses while empowering individuals to be active participants in their health, reparation, and recovery.”
Cathy Machiodi. Trauma and Expressive Arts therapy: Brain, Body, and Imagination in the Healing Process.