Overview
Strategise with and learn from leading first responder agencies, researchers and experts at the 4th Annual Mental Health for First Responders conference. Hear case studies about best practice in supporting first responders and employees in high exposure roles, and take back ideas, strategies, and practical tips to proactively support the holistic wellbeing of your employees.
What will you take away from this event
- An understanding of evidence based practice & how the latest research should inform strategy
- Insights to overcome stigma and a lack of trust as a barrier to accessing support services
- Strategies to practically support the holistic wellbeing of employees
- Ideas to engage & equip management to adequately support first responders
- Insight into the use of early intervention & group based reflective practices to boost wellbeing
- Case studies from leading first responders who are spearheading action in mental health support
Commissioners, CEOs & other Senior Executives responsible for
- People & Culture
- Strategic Performance
- Human Resources
- Operations
- Occupational Health & Safety
- Mental Health & Wellbeing
- Counselling
- Peer Support
- Psychological Services
- Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs)
Attend to learn:
- Increase accessibility of support services through cultural change & by building trust
- Support middle management to have difficult conversations & normalise mental health
- Explore evidence based approaches to developing mental health strategies
- Improve strategy implementation through streamlined processes & follow up
Agenda Highlights
Day 1
Day 2
- INTERNATIONAL KEYNOTE: Using evidence-based approaches to support mental health conditions
- INTERNATIONAL CASE STUDY: Tackling responses to PTSD for first responders
- Exploring the evidence-based, best practice approaches to critical incident management
- CASE STUDY: Implementing a comprehensive mental health strategy
Key Speakers
Beyond Blue
James Maskey is the National Engagement Manager of the Police and Emergency Services Program at beyondblue, an independent not‐for‐profit organisation that provides information and support to help everyone in Australia achieve their best possible mental health.
The Police and Emergency Services Program aims to promote the positive mental health of emergency service personnel across Australia and reduce their risk of suicide and mental illness through collaboration between agencies, unions, peak bodies and government departments.
A graduate of the Bond University Law Faculty and Griffith University Department of Humanities, James is also a retired front-line Queensland Police Officer with a service history including General Duties, The Police Citizen Youth Club and the highly regarded Child Protection & Investigation Unit. During the course of his duties, James responded to countless critical incidents, murders, suicides, home invasions, domestic violence incidents, fatal traffic crashes and serious sexual assaults.
Constant exposure to these critical incidents negatively impacted James’s mental health and in 2013 James was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. In 2015, James made the difficult but empowering decision to resign from the Queensland Police Service in an effort to reclaim his mental health.
James is incredibly passionate about changing the stigma that surrounds mental health, raising the profile of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and empowering those who suffer from the debilitating mental health challenges to seek the support of professionals who can help them recover.
Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning Victoria
Allyson Lardner is currently Deputy Chief Fire Officer with the Department of Environment, Land Water and Planning. She joined the department in the late 1990’s and held an operational firefighter role for many years before moving into incident control roles. She manages the teams responsible for the departments preparedness arrangements for bushfire on public land and the fuel management program. DELWP works with Forest Fire Management Victoria partners, and other fire and emergency management agencies to support the operational delivery of bushfire and fuel management across the state.
Queensland Police
Elisha Balfour has been a registered Psychologist for over 10 years now. She has worked across a variety of settings including private practice, employee assistance programs and occupational rehabilitation but has had a continued interest and focus on Trauma response and the prevention and treatment of trauma related disorders. This has led to securing work as a senior Psychologist with the Queensland Police Service where she now works to support sworn and unsworn members. Elisha is passionate about destigmatising mental health in first responders and providing adequate mental health and trauma informed education and support in these areas.
Sponsors
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EMLEML is a national workers compensation claims management organisation helping people get their lives back for nearly 110 years. Our team of more than 2,300 people is committed to the care of more than 80,000 workers across Australia annually.
Renowned for consistently delivering customer care with integrity, EML operates nationally servicing organisations in the public and private sectors.
As an Australian owned mutual, EML reinvests funds back into services and research initiatives to assist employers to create safer workplaces, helping people return to work sooner.
Committed to improving work health and safety for the broader community, EML has invested more than $55 million in just six years and is proud to be a major partner of the Collaborative Partnership.
Whatever your personal injury services requirements may be, the EML team can help you. For more information visit eml.com.au
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Acacia EAPAcacia EAP Wording for First Responders Conference in Melbourne
Acacia EAP has extensive experience working with Multiple Victorian Emergency Services organisations. Acacia EAP is a leader in human resource risk management services offering unparalleled Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) and HR support services to organisations to achieve industry leading outcomes for your people.
Acacia EAP is a specialist provider of EAP services in Australia and internationally with major offices in the UK and China. We recognise the importance of a high-quality counselling service and its benefits for your employees, not only at work but in their home life and the benefits to your employees’ local communities.
Through connections within the Acacia Group of Companies, we are able to offer your organisation a comprehensive and innovative human resources strategy with access to the following services:
- Sia – Artificial Intelligence Counselling and Well-Being chat bot
- Mediations, Investigations & Whistleblowing
- Outplacement Services
- Culture and Mood Surveys
- Workshops and Training
- Critical Incident Support
- Supervision and Psychoeducation
Acacia EAP has a core focus to give back to the communities and industries we serve through our dedicated research institute, Grow Program and Acacia Wishes. These initiatives support individuals experiencing hardships within our local communities and promotes help-seeking behaviour across the population.
Acacia EAP Mental Health Conference in Sydney
Acacia EAP is a leader in human resource risk management services offering unparalleled Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) and HR support services to organisations to achieve industry leading outcomes for your people.
Acacia EAP is a specialist provider of EAP services in Australia and internationally with major offices in the UK and China. We recognise the importance of a high-quality counselling service and its benefits for your employees, not only at work but in their home life and the benefits to your employees’ local communities.
Through connections within the Acacia Group of Companies, we are able to offer your organisation a comprehensive and innovative human resources strategy with access to the following services:
- Sia – Artificial Intelligence Counselling and Well-Being chat bot
- Mediations, Investigations & Whistleblowing
- Outplacement Services
- Culture and Mood Surveys
- Workshops and Training
- Critical Incident Support
- Supervision and Psychoeducation
Acacia EAP has a core focus to give back to the communities and industries we serve through our dedicated research institute, Grow Program and Acacia Wishes. These initiatives support individuals experiencing hardships within our local communities and promotes help-seeking behaviour across the population.
What People Are Saying
Blog
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Date: 2 Feb 2020 By: Criterion Content Team
Privately owned Criterion Conferences has announced a $50,000 response to the Australian bushfire crisis through attendance to mental health conferences to support organisations directly affected. While there has been a widespread outpouring of support for bushfire victims and donations to assist the rebuilding of homes, infrastructure and future planning, the company identified that there has …
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Date: 7 Nov 2019 By: Criterion Content Team
“What other job requires you to be in a constant state of hyper vigilance and alertness yet at the same time be a counsellor, a social worker, a lawyer, or a prison warden. What other profession authorizes you to take a person’s liberty, or potentially use deadly force, but then mandates that you attempt to …
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Date: 1 Aug 2019 By: Criterion Content Team
In a world-first study, the Black Dog Institute has revealed promising strategies for embedding psychological resilience in emergency service workers and first responders. There are over 80,000 fulltime emergency workers in Australia. By definition their roles entail highly challenging working conditions and regular exposure to traumatic incidents. Over half of emergency service responders have experienced …
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Date: 9 Jan 2017 By: Katherine Kingsle
After surveying over 450 current and former police officers and their families, an independent review into the mental health provisions of Victoria Police revealed a deeply entrenched ‘suck it up’ mentality. This is but one of many reports released in the past year addressing the mental health of first responders and emergency services. The nature …