Support services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

Published 07 September 2023

Everyone has to deal with challenges in their life sometimes, whether it’s feeling stressed, sad or angry. It helps to know that support services are available. But that help may be harder to get if you’re an Aboriginal or a Torres Strait Islander and you’re talking to a doctor or a mental health professional who doesn’t understand what your life is like or what you’re going through.

To make finding help easier, we've put together this guide on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations and services where you can chat with people who will understand what you’re talking about.

National phone lines run by Indigenous people

13 YARN

13 YARN is a national helpline for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who are going through a tough time and feel like having a yarn. All of the operators are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who are trained to support you without judgement and to provide a confidential, culturally safe space to yarn about your needs, worries or concerns.

Phone: 13 92 76 (24 hours, 7 days a week)

Website: 13yarn.org.au

Brother to Brother

The Brother to Brother crisis line is a 24/7 phone line for Aboriginal men who need someone to talk to about issues going on in their life and community. They’ve got heaps of experience talking about relationship issues, family violence, parenting, drug and alcohol issues, and many other problems. It’s run by Aboriginal men, including elders, who understand these challenges really well. Phone: 1800 435 799 (24 hours, 7 days a week)

Website: dardimunwurro.com.au/brother-to-brother

Other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander helplines

These national phone lines can be helpful if you need someone to chat to. They might not be able to link you up with an Indigenous person, but they are very experienced in talking with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. They are all open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Lifeline (13 11 14) is Australia’s biggest mental health helpline.
Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800) is a national hotline with operators who are great at helping out young people aged 5 to 25 years.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) is a phone line that specialises in helping out people who have been abused by their families or sexually assaulted.

Websites with Aboriginal support services

If you don’t feel like talking to someone about what’s going on in your life, there are lots of websites where you can find useful information or other help. These sites are all made with input from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

The Black Dog Institute’s iBobbly app is a resource for social and emotional self-help for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
Yarn Safe is an online mental health resource for Indigenous people
ReachOut’s Yarn Up collection has stories from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people on how they stay safe and strong
The Manual of Resources for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention has information on how to keep yourself, your family and your community safe.

Regional Aboriginal support services

Sometimes, if you’re going through a rough time, you’ll want to talk to someone in person. This list of medical services can help if you want to talk to a member of the community face-to-face, rather than just over the phone.

These are just a few of the 150 or so regional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander support services that exist around Australia. If you can’t find a service on this list that’s near where you live, head over to this map of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander support services to find one that is.

These services are mostly open during business hours, Monday to Friday, from 9 am to 5 pm..