About HEAL
HEAL is an award-winning mental health service, employing expressive therapies to support the wellbeing and trauma recovery of children, young people and communities from refugee and culturally diverse backgrounds.
HEAL is an acronym for Home of Expressive Arts and Learning.
The HEAL program incorporates a range of expressive therapies, including art therapy, music therapy, play therapy and other modalities, offering:
- Individual and small group therapy
- Transition support
- Crisis support
- Workshops and other tailored services
Expressive arts therapies are evidence-based and delivered by qualified therapists.
Through community donations and fee-for-service programs, HEAL supports over 250 school students and community members each year.
In 2005, HEAL won Education Queensland’s Showcase Award for Excellence in Inclusive Education and in 2016, the Friends of HEAL Foundation (HEAL’s fundraising arm) received the Services and Organisations Award at the Multicultural Queensland Awards.
In 2021, HEAL and the Friends of HEAL Foundation joined with QPASTT, Queensland’s specialist trauma-recovery agency.
To contact HEAL about our services, email heal@qpastt.org.au
Read HEAL’s Strategic Framework
Our Board
HEAL’s Board of Directors consists of people from refugee communities, human rights workers, financial specialists and education, health and welfare workers who have experience in providing services to people from refugee backgrounds.
For full biographies of our Board Directors, please visit qpastt.org.au/who-we-are/
Professor Emerita Keithia Wilson
Adele Rice AM
Dr Ian Mannion
Dr Pamela Douglas
Raziq Qasimi
Fraser Power
Kerrin Benson AM
Sanam Ahmadzada
Our Leadership
Sally Stewart
As Co-CEO of QPASTT, Sally Stewart provides strategic leadership for the HEAL program.
Sally has worked with families and young people of refugee backgrounds for more than 10 years at QPASTT and at Multicultural Australia.
Sally has worked in community development, systemic advocacy, business development and senior management roles, often at the interface of community health service, research and government policy.
Sally is passionate about creating inclusion and weaves together people and opportunities to build responsive and sustainable services. She has a Masters of Public Policy and Bachelor of International Business.
Erica Fernandez
Erica has worked as a Senior Practitioner and Counsellor/ Advocate at QPASTT for the past 12 years.
Of these, ten years have been working with children (aged 4 to 12 years old) using expressive therapies including play therapy. She has over thirty years’ experience working with people who have experienced trauma. Most of her work experience has been working across cultures.
Erica has a degree in Social Science, a Master of Social Work, postgraduate studies in Counselling/Supervision and is currently undertaking a Graduate Diploma in Somatics and Dance Movement Therapy.
