RECOVERY GUIDE
You may have heard people describe an experience as ‘traumatic’, say they have been ‘traumatised’ or talk about posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). These terms are related, but they don’t all mean the same thing.
Trauma refers to the psychological and emotional impact of experiencing or being exposed to events that are threatening, distressing or overwhelming. This can include experiencing something directly, witnessing it or being repeatedly exposed to distressing details or experiences.
This video provides a brief description of trauma including common symptoms.
Emergency service work can involve exposure to situations most people rarely encounter. This can include serious injury and death, threats to personal safety, violence, disasters, distressing scenes and supporting people during some of the most difficult moments of their lives.
Exposure can also happen indirectly. Emergency service workers may hear distressing information over the radio, read incident reports, take emergency calls, view confronting material or support colleagues who have experienced traumatic events.
The impact can depend on what someone has experienced, how often they’re exposed and how those experiences affect them over time. Keep in mind that emergency service workers are trained to respond, make decisions and keep functioning under pressure. Sometimes, changes only become noticeable later or after difficult experiences have built up over time.
A single traumatic event
Sometimes one particular event has a significant impact. This might be an incident involving serious injury or death, a threat to someone’s own safety, violence or another particularly distressing experience.
Someone can be experienced in dealing with difficult situations and still be affected by a particular event.
Being affected doesn’t mean they weren’t prepared for the job or didn’t handle the situation well.
Cumulative trauma exposure
For many emergency service workers, there isn’t one event that stands out. Instead, the impact can build through repeated exposure to distressing or traumatic experiences over months or years.
Experiences can also layer on top of each other. A new incident may bring up thoughts, feelings or memories connected with things that happened much earlier.
There doesn’t need to be one defining incident for repeated exposure to have an impact.
Vicarious trauma
Emergency service workers don’t always have to experience an event directly to be affected by trauma.
Repeatedly hearing about, witnessing or working with other people’s traumatic experiences can affect how someone thinks, feels and sees themselves, other people or the world around them. This is sometimes called vicarious trauma.
It can be relevant to people in many emergency service roles, including those who take calls, monitor incidents, support affected people or are repeatedly exposed to distressing information.
Moral injury
Some experiences can challenge a person’s deeply held beliefs about what is right, fair or possible.
Moral injury can occur when someone does, witnesses or is unable to prevent something that conflicts with their values or moral beliefs. It can be associated with feelings such as guilt, shame, anger or betrayal.
Moral injury isn’t a mental health diagnosis, but it can have a significant impact and can occur alongside other trauma-related difficulties.
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Many people experience reactions after trauma, and most people who experience a traumatic event will not develop PTSD.
PTSD is a mental health condition that can develop when trauma-related difficulties persist and significantly affect everyday life. It can involve:
Trauma can affect more than how someone feels. It can influence sleep, concentration, relationships, work, physical health and the way someone responds to everyday situations.
Everyone responds differently, but there are some common ways trauma can show up in everyday life.
Sleep and energy
Trauma can make it harder to switch off and get restorative sleep.
You might notice:
Poor sleep can also make concentration, mood and coping with everyday pressures more difficult.
Mood and emotions
After trauma, emotions can sometimes feel more intense, harder to manage or unusually distant.
Someone might:
Sometimes the change is less about feeling ‘more’ and more about feeling very little at all.
Thoughts and concentration
Trauma can affect the way the brain processes information and responds to reminders of what happened.
This might include:
For some people, reminders can bring back strong emotions or physical reactions even when they know they are currently safe.
Relationships and connection
Trauma can change how someone connects with the people around them.
They might:
This can be confusing for both the person experiencing it and the people who care about them.
Work and everyday routines
Trauma can also affect things that once felt manageable.
Someone might find it harder to:
Changes like these don’t necessarily mean someone has PTSD. But if they’re continuing, getting worse or affecting everyday life, it may be worth seeking support.
Emergency service work can require you to stay calm, focused and effective in situations that would overwhelm many people. You may need to put emotions aside, stay alert to danger, make decisions quickly and keep going after difficult experiences.
These can be important strengths on the job. But sometimes, the same ways of responding can be harder to switch off when the shift ends.
You might recognise some of these patterns in yourself or notice them in someone you care about.
Compartmentalising
Staying alert
Keeping emotions contained
Being self-reliant
Taking control
The ways you think and respond at work may have helped you manage difficult situations and do your job well. The important thing is noticing when a response that helps at work isn’t helping in other parts of your life, or has become difficult to switch off.
Learning to respond differently in different situations doesn’t mean losing the strengths that help you do your job.
You don’t need to have a diagnosis or wait until things feel unmanageable to seek support.
It may be worth talking to someone if changes are:
Sometimes, people seek support because something feels different, even if they’re not sure why. That’s enough reason to start a conversation.
Responder Assist provides specialist trauma mental health support for current and former Victorian emergency service workers experiencing trauma-related mental health challenges associated with their work.
If the person you’re worried about is eligible, they can contact the Responder Assist Clinic to talk about what’s been happening and explore what support may be appropriate.
They don’t need to know what kind of treatment they need before they get in touch.
Who is eligible for the Responder Assist Clinic?
Responder Assist supports current and former Victorian emergency service workers, including paid staff, volunteers, communications staff, administrative staff and non-operational personnel.
This includes people who are currently working, volunteering or who have previously worked within:
They need to be based in Victoria to access the service.
Can retired emergency service workers access Responder Assist?
Yes, Responder Assist supports both current and former Victorian emergency services workers.
For many people, the impact of repeated trauma exposure doesn’t fully show up until after they leave the job or step away from operational work. Changes in routine, identity, stress levels or life circumstances can sometimes bring difficult experiences to the surface later on.
They do not need to still be actively serving to seek support.
What happens if they contact Responder Assist?
Responder Assist provides specialist work-related trauma and mental health support for Victorian emergency service workers. Depending on your needs, support may include:
Treatment is tailored to individual circumstances and goals.
Will accessing the Responder Assist Clinic affect someone’s career?
Many emergency service workers worry about stigma, judgement or career impact when considering mental health support. Seeking support is a proactive step toward protecting wellbeing, relationships and long-term ability to continue doing demanding work safely and sustainably. Many people find that accessing support early helps them:
The Responder Assist intake team can help explain different options, including WorkCover, Medicare and private pathways.
Find out how to access specialist trauma treatment and support for emergency service workers.
Access the clinic
Learn what makes Responder Assist different and how we support emergency service workers experiencing trauma.
Learn about Responder Assist
Explore the research behind Responder Assist and how it’s helping improve mental health support for emergency service workers.
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