In a small office at the end of a long corridor in what was known as Bon Marché Arcade on Barrack Street, Dr Sue Lutton first walked through the doors of what was then ASeTTS offices in 1996.
It wasn’t a move she planned. In fact, when she first received the phone call inviting her to consider working with ASeTTS her first instinct was to say no. She had never worked with people from refugee backgrounds before, and the idea felt far outside her comfort zone.
She politely offered the names of other psychiatrists. But a few days later, the phone rang again. Every one of those people had suggested the same thing “maybe you should do it.”
She was reassured that ASeTTS had good interpreters to support her in the sessions. Dr Lutton was still hesitant, but she decided to say yes. She agreed to a three-month trial, stepping into a very different world she had not imagined for herself.
And now, 30 years later, Dr Lutton is finishing her last day with ASeTTS on Thursday 26 March 2026, leaving behind a legacy shaped by a deep commitment to helping people rebuild their lives after trauma.
It’s difficult to count how many clients Dr Lutton has supported in the three decades, but what is clear is the depth of her impact. She has walked alongside individuals and families through some of the most challenging moments of their lives, offering not only clinical care but practical support that helped people rebuild their futures. She has advocated for clients seeking housing, supported people navigating employment, and helped many secure visas and permanent residency. She has witnessed clients arrive carrying the weight of traumatic experiences and she has seen them flourish.
Over the years Dr Lutton has seen all the changes and challenges of the world through the stories of her clients and no story is the same. Her hope would have been that this service would extinguish itself, that there would be no need for it. What started as supporting a small influx of refugees has continued to grow and become bigger with the services needed more than ever. “And the world is not learning anything about trauma and war, and we keep creating refugees,” said Dr Lutton.
“ASeTTS has grown remarkably from that time and doubled its staff and changed its location. And just learned and expanded and continually reviewing how we manage trauma and what’s our model of care and what more services do we need and has kept expanding and responding.”
It is not an easy job and has been quite challenging at times, but Dr Lutton said it has been worthwhile. “Everything keeps me here. The clients themselves are just everything. Their stories, their trauma, their love, their compassion, their desire to heal, all that takes me on their journey with them, and I wouldn’t replace that for anything.”
And about the staff, she said “The staff have been absolutely fantastic to work with. It’s a sense of everybody has a focus here, everybody has a desire to help and it’s truly beautiful and it just keeps you wanting to do it. The interpreters are part of the team as well and contribute to everything functioning.”
Looking back at her time at ASeTTS the thing that stands out the most to Dr Lutton is the different experiences of her clients. “It’s been sitting with real despair and real trauma. It’s been moments of finding laughter and love in those moments. The moments of clients walking in with the visa.” Dr Lutton asks herself the question, how would I have coped in that situation? “How would I have coped with that degree of trauma or persecution or loss of family or separation from my children, or my parents. How would I have coped coming to a country or going to their country where I didn’t know the language? Didn’t know the streets or the people. How would I have done that? And I’m not sure. What sort of resilience do you have to find to get through all that and survive that? And they have all done it. And I look at that with real admiration.”
When asked what she is most proud of, Dr Lutton said “That I’ve done the work. That I could help in some way.” She feels proud seeing the clients do so well but also the staff. “I have seen so many people come through ASeTTS and I have watched counsellors come to our service and start with a sense of, oh my goodness, how do I do this? How do I survive with these clients and find skills to cope with this trauma. To watch them and help in their supervision and just watch them flourish and become fantastic counsellors. And when I see that, I feel really, good about that.”
Dr Lutton’s hope for the work of future clinicians in this area is to keep developing good interventions for trauma, not just looking for quick fixes. “We’ll lose sight of holding the person. So, I really hope the counsellors and therapists continue very much connected with the person in a fully holistic way and not to lose that. Just to keep growing and holding in their skills of relationship connection is what I strongly believe heals trauma the most.”
As for what the next chapter holds for Dr Lutton, she said “It’s the right time for ASeTTS, and it’s the right time for me.” She is excited that she will have the chance to explore her interests in literature and creativity like writing and poetry. And she might even get another puppy.
