Australian Immigration Daily News

It’s well-known that moving to a foreign country can be extremely stressful. There’s the pressure of settling into a new home, job or school, adjusting to the culture and language, and being far away from usual family and friend networks.

It’s also natural to feel worried about the impact of COVID-19, and social distancing and self-isolation can make things particularly challenging.

Providing mental health and wellbeing support for your clients is a crucial element of the important job you do.

Here are some ways you can direct your clients to help themselves or access to professionals who can help them.

5 important ways to improve mental wellbeing

Recommend that your client applies the following to their daily lives:

1. Eat well – Lots of nutritious meals and plenty of water throughout the day help with overall wellbeing, including our mental state.
2. Reach out – Maintaining strong links with our support network is vital during times of additional stress. Just because we can’t see them in person because of social distancing measures doesn’t mean we need to miss out on that much-needed contact with our nearest and dearest. FaceTime, Skype or WhatsApp Video calls are a great alternative.
3. Sleep – Adequate sleep (7 to 8 hours per night) is critical for mental wellbeing.
4. Exercise – Regular exercise is proven to reduce stress and boost mood. But social distancing rules may make some ways to stay fit difficult or impossible. Rather than giving up on exercise altogether, suggest your clients find ways to fit movement into their day, such as workout and yoga videos available on YouTube or via live stream.
5. Personal interests – Indulging in hobbies such as jigsaw puzzles, drawing, playing an instrument or sewing keep the mind active and distracted from stressful thoughts.

When professional help is needed

If your client is still feeling anxious or depressed or feels they need someone to talk to, there are a range of ways to get help:

• School or university counsellor – These professionals have access to social workers and other support services.
• General Practitioner – GPs are a good starting point and they can refer patients to specialists if necessary.
• Counsellors and social workers – There may or may not be a fee to see these professionals. Your client’s doctor can advise on this and connect them with someone appropriate.
• Psychologists, psychiatrists – These and other medical mental health specialists can be expensive, but if a client has OSHC or OVHC health insurance, they may be covered.

OSHC and OVHC health insurance

If your client has a health insurance policy, they can get help to cover their medical costs when they see a doctor or a specialist. Visitors not eligible for Australia’s subsidised Medicare system can purchase Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) or Overseas Visitors Health Cover (OVHC).

Outreach organisations

Keep this list somewhere handy to offer your client so they can call one of these organisations when they need to:

• Beyond Blue – Support and information on anxiety, depression and suicide.
• ReachOut – Online mental health support for young people and their parents: 1300 22 46 36.
• Lifeline– 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention hotline: 13 11 14.
• Relationships Australia – Relationship support services for individuals, families and communities.
• MindSpot – Online assessment and treatment for anxiety and depression.
• R U OK? – Suicide prevention organisation.

All of these services are free of charge.

Sonder

Allianz Global Assistance (AGA) has teamed up with Sonder Australia to provide OSHC customers of approved AGA agents access to Sonder’s personalised safety and welfare support service, available 24/7 across Australia. Sonder has also launched a COVID-19 Student Support Program in response to the current situation to provide students with additional mental health support during this time.

Foreign language health translations

This Victorian government website provides translated information about health and wellbeing in Chinese and other languages.

Mental wellbeing is every bit as important as physical health. Be ready for your clients with the above information for when they come to you complaining of anxiety, depression or other mental health issues.

If you are a migration agent and would like to refer your clients to Allianz Global Assistance for 15% commission on OVHC and OSHC please click here.