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Many Australians are requiring mental health care, including families, leading to long wait times in order to access support. Walk‐in therapy reduces barriers to mental health support services by providing support at the time that families seek help. This paper presents a proof‐of‐concept study investigating the acceptability and short‐term effectiveness of an online walk‐in family therapy service, Walk‐in Together (WIT). Part 1 of the paper describes the experiences of 44 family members from 22 families who presented to a public family therapy clinic for a virtual walk‐in family therapy session. The session was conducted by a team of three experienced family therapists. Family members' experiences were sought pre‐session, post‐session, and at 6 weeks follow‐up via survey and interview. Part 2 of the paper explores therapist perceptions (n = 7) of the WIT approach, through thematic analysis of semi‐structured interview data. Post‐session feedback showed 85% of family members found WIT to be helpful and 50% were optimistic about their future as a family after their WIT session. Six weeks post‐session it was revealed that WIT supported planning for families in equipping them to move forward with 88% of family members reporting that they knew what to do after the session. All therapists uniformly experienced the model as offering a timely and beneficial service, suitable for diverse presentations and constellations of families. These preliminary results suggest the significant utility of this WIT intervention as a well‐received and helpful service for families, who valued the easy access and rapid therapeutic response afforded by the online, walk‐in delivery model. This proof‐of‐concept paper suggests the potential for further development and growth of WIT, as well as other mental health support services using a walk‐in, telehealth model to meet the rising demand for therapeutic support for families in distress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The needs of refugees are of crucial concern internationally. Relational trauma is an area that is particularly under‐emphasised and under‐researched. The Strength to Strength program (STS) was a relationship and family counselling service for recently arrived refugees in Sydney, Australia. The service model built on post‐Milan systemic family therapy principles to include cultural and trauma‐informed aspects of care. This study explored the design and impact of the program, through qualitative accounts provided by service users. This paper focuses on the experiences of staff of the program, and the ways in which more traditional, Western‐informed modes of family therapy were transformed by refugee client needs. The specific study aim was to identify and describe transformations to the delivery of relationship and family counselling with refugees that enabled care, from the perspective of STS staff. A thematic analysis of interviews with STS service staff (bicultural workers, family therapists, managers; n = 10) was undertaken, guided by an interpretive description framework. Findings revealed that acceptable and useful clinical innovations to standard care included the use of community groups, the unique role of the bicultural worker, and increased reliance on more directive and practical modes of family therapy rather than insight‐oriented post‐Milan techniques. The role of community‐based intervention to enrich existing Western‐informed models of care for use with refugees was vital. STS was an example of staff‐driven innovation to the therapeutic care of refugee families resettling in a Western country and took into account their unique and complex set of cultural, practical, and psychological client needs. Future service delivery is best guided by the incorporation of multi‐faceted approaches to care that allow for phasing of treatment in line with client culture, needs, and readiness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]