From exposure to traumatic events to the cumulative impact of stress over time, emergency service work comes with unique pressures. Supporting your workforce means more than responding when someone is struggling. It’s also about building the knowledge, skills and connections that help people recognise concerns early and find the right support.
Explore the different ways Responder Assist can help your agency.
Help your staff and volunteers access independent specialist assessment and treatment for trauma-related mental health concerns.
Explore specialist care
Build the knowledge and skills of peer supporters and wellbeing staff through free webinars.
Explore webinar series
Discover how research and lived experience are helping improve trauma recovery and inform better support for emergency service workers.
Explore our research
Access free guides, tools and information to share with your teams and support mental health and wellbeing in your workplace.
Explore resourcesWhen emergency service workers need mental health support, it helps to speak with someone who understands the job.
Responder Assist provides specialist care for current and former Victorian emergency service workers experiencing trauma-related mental health symptoms, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
We understand emergency service work.
Our clinicians know the pressures and experiences that come with the job. That means less time explaining the work and more time focusing on recovery.
We’re independent of employers.
Staff can contact us directly, which helps address concerns about confidentiality, stigma and career consequences.
We focus on getting life back on track.
Treatment is tailored to each person’s needs, helping them manage symptoms, feel better in everyday life and remain at or return to work where possible.
Find a private moment to check in, listen and ask how they’re going.
You might say: ‘I’ve noticed you haven’t seemed quite yourself lately. How have you been feeling? I’m here if you’d like to talk about what’s going on.’
Explain that it’s an independent, confidential service with clinicians who understand emergency service work.
You might say: ‘There’s a service called Responder Assist that specialises in supporting emergency service workers. It’s independent of your workplace, and you can contact them directly to find out more.’
Give your team member the information they need to explore Responder Assist in their own time. They can contact the clinic directly to ask questions and find out whether it’s right for them. There’s no need to pressure them into making a decision.
You might say: ‘Here’s the website and contact details for Responder Assist, the service we talked about. You can have a look in your own time or give them a call if you’d like to find out more. It’s completely up to you.’
Share these details:
Peer supporters and wellbeing staff play an important role in helping emergency service workers feel supported, recognise when something isn’t right and find the help they need.
Responder Assist’s Peer Support & Wellbeing Series offers free, practical webinars designed to build their knowledge and confidence. Each session explores common mental health and wellbeing challenges in emergency service work, with strategies and insights they can put into practice when supporting colleagues.
Sessions explore practical topics relevant to peer supporters and wellbeing staff across emergency services, including:
Led by clinical psychologist and lawyer Dr Ros Lethbridge and former Victoria Police member Tim Peck, this webinar explores psychosocial safety in emergency service settings and the practical role peer supporters, leaders and teams can play in strengthening mental health and wellbeing culture.
How can we improve mental health support for emergency service workers? What helps people recover, and what makes it harder to access the care they need?
At Responder Assist, research is part of how we answer these questions. We bring together clinical expertise, research and lived experience to better understand the challenges emergency service workers face and what helps them recover.
Our published studies explore topics such as treatment outcomes, recovery and return to work, and how services can better meet the needs of emergency service workers.
For agencies, these findings can offer valuable insights to help inform workplace practices, strengthen support pathways and identify opportunities for improvement.
Mental Health Treatment for First Responders
Understanding what clinicians need to provide effective care for emergency service workers.
Published in Psychological Services (2024)
Looking for information or tools to share with your staff?
Explore free guides, templates and webinars to help emergency service workers understand trauma, look after their mental health and know when to seek support. You can share these resources directly with your team(s) or use them in your workplace wellbeing activities.
Your team members can use this template to:
They don’t need to wait until they’re struggling to think about their mental health.
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