Phoenix Australia conducts innovative research within military and veterans’ services, hospitals, health and community settings, emergency services, industry and workplace sectors and compensation environments.
Find out morePhoenix Australia are the experts in evidence-based trauma treatments and are funded to offer mental health clinical services to key population groups.
Find out morePhoenix Australia is proud to partner with Government departments, agencies and other treatment providers to make a meaningful difference in our communities.
Traumatic events are common and most people will experience at least one during their lives.
Find out morePhoenix Australia can work with your organisation or team to build capacity in understanding, preventing and promoting recovery from trauma and other adversity. Our services include policy development, practice implementation, research, training and advice.
Find out more
One of the key areas of interest for our audiences is the resources section. If you haven’t yet taken a peek at these resources, then you might be interested to know what kind of things you can find. In this article, we’ll highlight a few of our favourites, and share some direct links.
The new Responder Assist website houses a range of resources that emergency workers and those supporting or treating them may find useful. Resources include a set of handy downloadable fact sheets that can be viewed online or printed out and kept nearby for ease of access.
One such fact sheet offers advice for emergency workers that may be looking to help themselves recover after a traumatic event.
After such an event, emergency workers might experience strong feelings of fear, sadness, guilt, anger, or grief. They may find it hard to cope, and it might take a while to come to terms with what has happened. The “Helping yourself after a traumatic event” fact sheet will provide emergency workers with some ideas to help them manage in the days and weeks after experiencing trauma.
Friends, family and supporters can also find fact sheets on helping emergency workers to recover on the new Responder Assist website.
One of the Responder Assist videos that they may find particularly helpful is a Responder Assist video designed to help friends and family understand what trauma is and how it can challenge our sense of safety. The video uses animations and everyday language to help make the topic accessible. It also highlights some common symptoms to look out for in our loved ones.
The Responder Assist website offers a wealth of information for clinicians treating emergency workers.
Along with a number of training opportunities and general emergency services agency information, the site includes a number of key clinical resources. One resource that may be particularly useful for clinicians is the sleep toolkit, as sleep disturbances are common in the days and weeks after experiencing a disaster or a traumatic event. Good sleep is fundamental to health and wellbeing, and it allows the body to repair and the brain to consolidate memories and process information. Sleep is a modifiable health behaviour and one that can respond well to a range of relatively straightforward interventions.
The sleep toolkit includes information about different evidence-based techniques and therapies that may help you in treating emergency workers.
We will add to these online resources as we continue to grow the Responder Assist offering. In the meantime, we hope you find the new website to be a helpful hub of emergency worker mental health content. Want to keep up-to-date with all things Responder Assist? Subscribe to our mailing list here.
Sign up to receive our latest news, event information and research findings.
Phoenix Australia acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and pays respect to all Elders, past and present. We acknowledge continuing connection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to land, water and communities—places of age-old ceremonies, of celebration and renewal—and their unique contribution in the life of these lands.
We are committed to fostering an environment in which the relationship between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their fellow Australians is characterised by a deep mutual respect, leading to positive change in our nation’s culture and capacity.
Phoenix Australia are experts in trauma-related mental health and wellbeing. For 25 years, we have been Australia’s National Centre of Excellence in Posttraumatic Mental Health and internationally recognised leaders in our field. We are committed to driving forward the mental health agenda both at home and abroad.
Donate NowLevel 3, 161 Barry Street
Carlton, VIC 3053, Australia
Phone: +61 3 9035 5599
Fax: +61 3 9035 5455
Confidential 24/7
counselling and referrals