Supporting trauma healing and growth for people from refugee backgrounds.
Healing & restoration is possible,
& does not need to be navigated alone!
We invite you to grow toward a life of freedom and flourishing by exploring paths to healing from past experiences and ways of managing current life challenges in a safe and supportive environment.
Freedom to Flourish integrates culturally sensitive, trauma healing and therapeutic approaches with horticulture, nature, expressive arts, and interest-lead activities (eg. sports) to empower and support our participants in their healing journey.
Let our team of experienced therapists and trauma-informed volunteers help you find a place of belonging and restoration.
Finding Support
Freedom to Flourish creates safe space for people to process emotional pain and be accompanied and equipped in their healing journey toward thriving and flourishing in their lives and relationships.
Our team of professional counsellors, psychotherapists and trauma-informed volunteers provide individual and group programmes specifically tailored to the needs of people of refugee backgrounds.
We integrate culturally sensitive, trauma healing and therapeutic approaches with horticulture, expressive arts, and interest-lead activities (eg. Sports) and to empower and support our participants in their healing journey
Freedom to Flourish offer Counselling services and regular group programs for Women and Men in Western Sydney. We offer support for Community groups and Short term focused workshops. We also hope to introduce some programs for children and families in the future.
Group Programs
Supportive and culturally responsive group environments where connection, trust, and shared experience foster healing, belonging, and mutual support.
Care for your Community
Short-term focussed workshops and interest groups tailored to the needs of your community.
Counselling
Our team of qualified counsellors and psychotherapists provide counselling services for migrants from refugee and asylum seeker background at low cost.
Advice
If you are looking for support for yourself or someone you know, reach out to us. Together, we can discover a journey of healing and growth.
I want to Partner with Freedom to Flourish
There are so many ways to get involved. Whether it be through volunteering, joining our team or through prayer and giving, we would love to partner with you!
"Creative expression is a remarkable bridge that takes us from a state of stress to state of rest and digest.
It helps us shift from a state of unsafe brain to the safe brain."
Cathy Malchiodi, PhD 2024
About us
Freedom to Flourish was co-founded in 2019 by directors Angela Ngiam and Caroline Hochstetter. Angela and Caroline have many years of experience working amongst people from refugee backgrounds, those seeking asylum in Australia and CALD groups. We have deep empathy for, and understanding of the complexity of challenges faced by those who have been displaced from their homes, families and communities due to prejudice, oppression, war, and other adverse situations.
Our vision is to see people from refugee backgrounds restored, in freedom, growing and flourishing in their lives and relationships.
Our Approach
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The experience of belonging to a group, in which you feel safe, trust one another, and share life’s joys and challenges together, fosters healing and mutual support. Many people are more comfortable gathering in small groups, rather than more Western-based, individual therapy. Participating in groups benefits participants by reducing isolation, building relationships and experiences of mutual support and learning.
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This therapy integrates art, music, movement, enactment, storytelling, imagination and play in an intentional way, combined with neurological (‘brain-wise’) and embodied awareness concepts to support trauma recovery.
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This is a therapeutic approach that integrates nature and outdoor activities into the healing process. The calming and restorative effects of nature improve mental health and well-being. It includes gardening/horticulture, walking in nature, and other outdoor activities that help individuals connect people with the natural environment.
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This is a more specific nature-based therapy utilising nurturing of plants, developing gardening skills and use of horticultural metaphors with wider psychosocial and well-being application and meaning making.