Counselling in a cross-cultural context: The case of refugees from the Great lakes Region of Africa Who now live in Australia

Abstract

This thesis investigates the psychosocial support needs of African Australians from the Great Lakes Region War Survivors (AAGLRWS), who resettled in Australia after enduring war, persecution, and displacement. It argues that culturally sensitive support must address trauma experienced across pre-migration, migration, and post-settlement phases. The study identifies structural and operational gaps in counselling and psychosocial services, underscoring the need for trauma-informed, culturally responsive care.

Using qualitative inquiry, the research explores the psychological and social suffering of 55 individuals from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, and Rwanda—countries shaped by colonialism, civil conflict, and human rights violations. Semi-structured interviews across four Australian states were analysed using grounded theory and narrative inquiry, informed by phenomenology.

Findings show that resettlement, influenced by push, pull, and residual factors, negatively impacted participants’ mental health, contributing to marginalisation, racism, and institutional neglect. Many expressed dissatisfaction with Western counselling models, which they viewed as culturally misaligned and ineffective in fostering recovery, agency, and integration. Nonetheless, some participants demonstrated resilience through entrepreneurship and the Ubuntu collective spirit.

The study highlights cultural mismatches in cross-cultural psychosocial support, particularly between individualistic and collectivist frameworks. It proposes a holistic, culturally integrated model incorporating Ubuntu and hybrid approaches tailored to AAGLRWS contexts. These findings inform the redesign of psychosocial services for AAGLRWS and offer broader relevance for supporting culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities in Australia.