In this four-part series, host Professor Mark Creamer will be joined by expert clinicians, researchers, service providers, emergency workers and partners of emergency workers to discuss experiences and topics unique to this workforce, who provide a vital and valuable service to the community.
The series will cover how and why the nature of their work can put emergency workers at greater risk of mental health problems, the kinds of problems they might develop, the best models of care, and the common challenges faced by clinicians when providing support.
Subscribe to Mental Health in Focus now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your preferred podcasting platform to be notified when the first episode drops in November 2022.
Tune in as your host, clinical psychologist Mark Creamer and co-host Nicole Sadler, clinical psychologist and Director of Responder Assist, set the scene for this four-part series about the mental health of emergency service workers.
Hear valuable insights from David Lawrence, lead researcher of Beyond Blue’s Answering the Call study – the first Australian national mental health and wellbeing study, that surveyed over 21,000 police and emergency services workers from across the country.
You’ll hear evidence to help understand – why are emergency workers more likely to be at risk of developing mental health concerns? What types of mental health issues can develop and the implications for providers? As well as, how common are these issues, and what are the risk and protective factors?
Visit the MHPN website for episode host and guest bios, recommended resources and a self-directed CPD form.
In this episode, your series host Mark Creamer and episode co-host Patricia Watson, Phoenix Australia’s Responder Assist consultant and psychologist for the U.S. National Center for PTSD, unpack the importance of supportive leadership and organisational structures that support emergency workers’ mental health.
Listen in to be reminded of the value and power of peer support with Neville Goddard, a volunteer firefighter for more than 35 years. He shares how the Victorian Country Fire Authority peer support program works, what training is involved and the program’s positive impacts for emergency workers and their families.
Hear expert insight from general practitioner Maya Edgerton Bachmann, as she shares practical tips to destigmatize help seeking behaviour, the barriers emergency workers often face, and the key role GPs play in advocating for and supporting emergency workers and their families.
Visit the MHPN website for episode host and guest bios, recommended resources and a self-directed CPD form.
Listen in to this third episode as your host, clinical psychologist Mark Creamer and co-host Jane Nursey, a clinical neuropsychologist with 30 years’ experience, discuss the importance of considering a range of diagnoses, including PTSD, and the common challenges practitioners may face when treating the mental health of emergency workers.
Hear Professor Andrea Phelps’ insights on treatment approaches; the value behavioral therapies provide alongside evidence-based treatments, and how and why nuanced recovery plans are more likely to achieve better outcomes for recovery. Andrea also chats about moral injury: what is it and how does it impact emergency workers?
Dr. Tony McHugh, clinical psychologist, joins the conversation to share the health benefits of work, and the negative impact and risks associated with psychological injury in the workplace.
Visit the MHPN website for episode host and guest bios, recommended resources and a self-directed CPD form.
Listen in as host, clinical psychologist Mark Creamer and co-host Tim Peck, who brings 21 years’ experience working with Victoria Police to his current role as Deputy Director of the Centre of Excellence for Emergency Worker Mental Health, talk with three ‘experts by experience’ in the final episode in this series on supporting the mental health of emergency workers.
You’ll hear first-hand experiences about emergency work in different contexts and roles – from a salaried emergency worker, a volunteer fire fighter, and a partner of a volunteer.
Don’t miss this rare opportunity to hear reflections from these perspectives – from realising something wasn’t quite right, to experiencing early warning signs, and identifying what helped and what hindered their efforts to seek help. You’ll pick up on similarities and differences in their experiences, due largely to the context of their unique roles in emergency work.
Visit the MHPN website for episode host and guest bios, recommended resources and a self-directed CPD form.
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