Psychological First Aid for Emergency Service Leaders has been developed for managers and supervisors of frontline emergency personnel impacted by the 2019-20 bushfires, to support their communities, employees and their own resilience and wellbeing.

Who is it for?

We recommend that managers or supervisors in the emergency services select this course. If you are in a non-managerial emergency services role we recommend registering for our Trauma-informed Care course.

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?

Psychological First Aid (PFA) is a practical, flexible, and recommended approach for frontline workers to help people affected by trauma. PFA helps to reduce the initial distress and assists people to cope better in the days and weeks following a traumatic event, such as a disaster, workplace accident, or assault. PFA can be used to help people who become distressed even years after the event, such as on anniversaries of the bushfires.

What does it cover?

Helpers trained in PFA ensure safety, provide emotional comfort and support, and offer practical advice and assistance to address people’s needs. The course teaches core skills of PFA, including simple psychological strategies, and helps the participant gain the confidence to provide assistance and support to colleagues and the general public affected by trauma. 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 Australian Government’s Mental Health Supports for Bushfire Affected Australians 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 Australian Government’s Mental Health Supports for Bushfire Affected Australians package

The 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 across Australia.

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.