This training program - Trauma-informed Care for emergency services staff and volunteers - has been designed for frontline staff and volunteers who engage with community members affected by the 2019-20 bushfires.

Trauma-informed Care (TIC) uses strengths-based approaches to help build a person’s sense of safety, control and empowerment after experiencing trauma. This course is designed for frontline personnel to support you in your work with communities and colleagues who have experienced a potentially traumatic event such as a bushfire.

In this course, you will learn about and practise key aspects of Trauma-informed Care, including:

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

You will also learn how to apply these skills in your own work setting.

Please note: A brief online training module needs to be completed prior to attending the three-hour workshop. You will receive access to the online component once you have registered for this training.

Who should attend this training?

While the course is suitable for all emergency services personnel, those who engage with bushfire-impacted community members will gain the most from it.

If you are in a managerial emergency services role, we recommend registering for our Psychological First Aid course.

We recommend that you only attend the one course that is most appropriate to your role in emergency services. That is, if you are a manager or supervisor select PFA only.

Cost

Phoenix Australia typically delivers this training for $390 per person. However, the development and delivery of this training has been generously funded by the Australian Government’s Mental Health Supports for Bushfire Affected Australians package. As such, registration is free of charge to eligible participants.

The Australian Government’s Mental Health Supports for Bushfire Affected Australians package

The Department of Health has engaged Phoenix Australia – Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health to deliver training to aid frontline workers better support community members affected by the recent 2019-20 bushfires across Australia. Specifically, this project aims to work with general practice staff to enhance their ability to:

support communities to recover from the bushfires
promote their own resilience and psychological recovery from the bushfires
support the resilience and wellbeing of their teams and organisations