Trauma-informed Care for Victorian Frontline Workers and Community Leaders has been developed for frontline workers who supported Victorian communities impacted by the 2019-20 bushfires, as well as more recent disasters and stressors.

Who is it for?

We recommend that staff or volunteers in frontline roles select this course. This training is suited to people with no or minimal mental health skills training, this could include legal professionals, pharmacists, council workers, as well as those who provide clinical or therapeutic care such as aged care workers, healthcare staff, and financial counsellors.

More experienced mental health professionals may also find the training useful to refresh or further their understanding of trauma.

Upon completion of the course, you will be provided with a Badgr of achievement that can be shared with your manager, organisation, professional body or your networks as evidence of your continuing professional development.

What is it about?

Trauma-Informed Care helps a frontline worker to create an environment and interact with the trauma-impacted person in such a way that allows for their recovery from trauma, as well as looks after your own wellbeing. Importantly, TIC is not about changing your current role, but rather about adapting your work to incorporate trauma-informed principles.

What does it cover?

This course teaches the principles and skills related to key aspects of Trauma-informed Care. Including:

how to safely talk about trauma
simple strategies for trauma-impacted individuals and communities to help them deal with their distress
how to foster independence and recovery
skills for encouraging connection with others.

You will also learn how to apply these skills in your own work setting. This course also includes information on worker self-care.

Please note: Once you have registered to attend this training you will receive access to a brief online on-demand training module. We strongly recommend that you familiarise yourself with this online component prior to attending the training.

What is my time commitment?

Three-hour workshop plus access to a 7-hour self-paced online course.

What does it cost?

This training has been generously funded by the Victorian Government’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Bushfire Recovery package. As such, the $390 registration fee will be waived for eligible participants.

Who is eligible for free training?

Eligible frontline workers and organisations who live and/or work to support communities affected by the 2019-2020 bushfires can access this course for free under the funding agreement.

About the Victorian Government’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Bushfire Recovery package

The Victorian Department of Health has engaged Phoenix Australia to deliver free training to eligible frontline workers in order to better support them in their work with community members affected by the 2019-2020 bushfires in Victoria.

Through a range of free courses, Phoenix Australia aims to work with frontline workers to enhance their ability to:

support community members’ recovery from the bushfires
promote their own resilience and psychological recovery from the bushfires
support the resilience and wellbeing of their teams and organisations.