Between 30–50% of those undergoing the recommended treatments for PTSD still do not recover. This has a profound impact on the lives and families of first responders, and decreases their capacity to remain at work. There is a clear need to better understand non-response to treatment, and to establish next steps to better support this vulnerable subgroup’s recovery—through improvements to current treatments and/or the pursuit of promising alternative approaches.
This project aims to conduct in-depth qualitative interviews with first responders who have and have not recovered after gold-standard PTSD treatment, to (a) explore their experiences, expectations, and unmet needs during treatment, and (b) explore how to better support them within current and novel alternative approaches to treatment.
Participants are being recruited from the National Emergency Worker Support Service PTSD clinic at UNSW. Phenomenological qualitative methods are being used to collect rich data on participants’ lived experiences and perspectives, and generate impactful insights regarding next steps to improve the support that they receive. Data collection is underway, and will be completed in 2025. Data will be analysed alongside a researcher with lived experience as a firefighter.
Insights drawn from this study will better inform what clients need from the therapeutic process to recover from PTSD—what works within the current gold standard approach, how to capitalise on those elements, and what about the process may not be suited to every first responder. This study will inform how to provide pathways for those that don’t recover after treatment, including the barriers and motivators to pursue innovative alternative treatments. Practical recommendations will be explored for clinicians, service providers, policymakers, and researchers.

First responders - including volunteer and employed police, firefighters, paramedics, and corrections officers - face cumulative occupational stressors and are at elevated risk of suicide. In Australia, suicide deaths among emergency service personnel have risen over the past decade, with profound impacts on families, peers, and organisational functioning. Yet civilian bereavement supports are often poorly aligned with the cultural and operational realities of first responder communities. The Support After First Responder Suicide (SAFeRS) Study sought to understand how bereaved families and colleagues experience support and to identify barriers and enablers to timely, culturally appropriate postvention.

Co-designed with a lived experience advisory group, SAFeRS employed a two-stage mixed qualitative design: an online national survey with open-ended questions (n=64) followed by semi-structured interviews (n=33). Participants self-identified as family members, peers, or service providers supporting those bereaved by a first responder suicide. Data were analysed thematically.

Findings revealed substantial gaps in awareness of services, clarity of organisational roles, and alignment between available supports and community needs. Participants highlighted inconsistent information, fragmented coordination, and limited proactive outreach. Central to effective postvention were trauma-informed, peer-led, and occupation-specific approaches that acknowledged the operational culture of emergency services and the parallel impacts on families.

The translational impact of SAFeRS is already emerging. Civilian resources, such as those by StandBy Support After Suicide, are being adapted for emergency services, embedding sector-specific language, cultural sensitivity, and role-relevant pathways. Work is underway to develop a national best practice postvention framework with potential for policy adoption and organisational embedment across Australia. More broadly, SAFeRS offers an internationally transferable model, contributing to global efforts to strengthen culturally responsive, system-wide bereavement support for first responder communities.

Policing is an inherently stressful occupation, where cumulative exposure to acute and chronic stressors can have significant impacts on those who serve in the profession. Beyond exposure to trauma, policing-specific operational and organisational stress can lead to the onset of mental health challenges, including anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and sleep disturbances.

Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are gaining significant attention for reducing stress and improving mental health in other high-stress professions. These programs teach practical skills to build mindfulness, which in turn improves adaptive coping to stress. But how well do they actually work for police?

Drawing from research undertaken globally, this poster presents the findings of a systematic review and meta-analysis which examined how MBIs affect stress and mental health in police, both immediately after the programs and over time. Eleven studies were included, with a total of 967 participants. Results showed small to moderate improvements in stress and mental health at post-intervention. Compared to police who did not complete a mindfulness program, those who participated in an MBI also showed a small improvements in mental health at follow-up, though effects on stress were less consistent. MBIs seem particularly beneficial for reducing anxiety, and improving sleep quality among police.

The review suggests that MBIs may offer cumulative benefits, especially when integrated into broader wellbeing strategies. However, the evidence also highlights gaps, such as limited long-term data and a need for programs that reflect the realities of frontline work.

Looking ahead, this research advocates for stronger partnerships between researchers and police organisations to co-design safe, relevant, and effective mental health supports.
By highlighting both the promise and limitations of MBIs, this work offers practical insights for police officers, clinicians, policymakers, and organisational leaders working to improve mental health in high-stress professions.

A new concept for WAs First Responders

We are a frontline, mobile additional and alternative form of mental health support for First Responders.

Our aim is to bridge the gap between first responders performing their duties and seeking support.

Our mission is to prevent mental health deterioration, compassion fatigue, burn out, self-harm, PTSD and suicide of First Responders by using experienced first responders and therapy dogs to help break down barriers and open up lines of communication.

We believe we fit into the Good Practice Framework put together by Beyond Blue after the Nation Survey they completed between 2016 - 2020 (Answering The Call) by creating a pathway for First Responders to use their unique experience in an alternative capacity.

D41R handlers must have 15+ years frontline, first responder experience in a paid position and must also complete the following additional training for the role:
- human first aid
- pet first aid
- mental health first aid
- gate keeper suicide prevention workshop

We have a professional membership with Animal Therapies Ltd and are guided by their code of ethics, code of conduct and most up to date research. Our dogs are accredited through Perth Animal Training Specialists (PATS) and we have a behavioral vet on board through Animal Sense.

Our concept is supported by a GP, Clinical Psychologist and Psychiatrist, and, we also work with the Fortem Team at the First Responder Wellbeing Hub based in Victoria Park, WA.

We understand First Responders find it difficult to reach out for support and feel that using experienced First Responders who have 'walked the path' and 'get it' symbolizes the fact that it's okay not to be okay while the therapy dogs assist with connection and being present in the moment.1

I joined NSW Ambulance in 2010 as a 21 year old with very little life experience. My more recent lived experience with physical and psychological injury highlighted the amazing internal services available to us but due to mistrust in the organisation itself, were grossly under-utilised.

In 2021 I herniated a disc in my lower back with nerve compression. Through help from psychologists and a great neurosurgeon, I recovered. After sharing my struggles, the conversations made it clear, the isolation, depression and suicidal thoughts I experienced, was experienced by many others in the same situation. I continue to share my stories about my career, mental health and running in an attempt to breakdown the stigma.
In 2023 I developed a psychological injury when my partner was assaulted. Again, I sought advice from our staff psychologist.

I created The NSW Ambulance Pacemakers, a run club for all NSW Ambulance staff. The club wasn’t really for runners, most weeks we walk, it was to create connection with our colleagues outside of the workplace. It gives us an opportunity to have conversations we might not have at work and check in with each other.

We now have over 700 staff as members of our private Facebook group and about 180 staff have signed up to our couch to 5k program. In Sydney we have a run or walk every Friday and 5-15 people attend each week on average. We are slowly building trust in the health and fitness team by creating the entry level run program as well as referring people onto different support services if needed.

While the Pacemakers have reached goals we didn't think were possible, I am excited to see how our little club can create a happier and healthier workforce through our peer work.

Public perceptions of the prestige and trustworthiness of frontline occupations have been shown to impact worker mental health and public interactions with the frontline workforce. Where the public hold stigmatised views of frontline workers it can lead to worker mental ill-health, recruitment difficulties, and staff shortages. However, data on public perceptions of frontline occupational groups is extremely limited in Australia. Therefore, two studies aimed to 1) measure Australian perceptions on the occupational prestige of frontline workers including police officers, correctional officers, parole officers, firefighters, paramedics, surf life savers, SES volunteers, and military personnel among others (data analysis underway), and 2) assess the impact of public perceptions of occupational prestige on the wellbeing and turnover intentions of Australian frontline workers using correctional officers as a case study (data analysis underway). Using a large representative Australian sample, Study 1 collected ratings of the prestige, social standing, honesty and ethics of frontline occupations which will be compared to international ratings of these groups. Study 2 will build on these results to ascertain whether public perceptions impact staff wellbeing and turnover intentions using survey data from Australian correctional officers. These results can be used to combat public stigma and enhance public image of frontline groups and support the wellbeing of frontline staff, potentially improving recruitment and retention.

The Struggle Well program, developed by the Boulder Crest Foundation (USA) is a prevention-driven, culture‑transforming initiative grounded in 40+ years of science of Post‑Traumatic Growth (PTG). Since its inception, Boulder Crest has delivered training to over 118,000 serving Military personnel, First Responders, and mental health professionals globally.
In 2024 alone, Struggle Well reached 21,466 participants within the United States.

This presentation will describe a landmark partnership between Boulder Crest Foundation, Frontline Mental Health (Australia), and Australian Partners of Defence (APOD) to bring Struggle Well to Australia for the first time. Built upon Boulder Crest’s proven PTG framework, and bolstered by Frontline Mental Health’s lived‑experience informed expertise and APOD’s deep ties to Military and First Responder communities, this collaboration will culturally adapt the program to suit Australian contexts and professional cultures.

Key elements of the adaptation process include tailoring content to reflect Australian service norms, terminology, and operational environments, while preserving fidelity to PTG’s core domains: new possibilities, personal strength, deeper relationships, appreciation of life, and spiritual‑existential change.

Following the adaptation, a pilot rollout is planned targeting immersive training for peer support and leadership personnel across First Responder agencies, and the Defence sector.

The presentation will outline anticipated outcomes, including reductions in PTSD, anxiety, depression, and stress, as evidenced by Boulder Crest’s 2024 data showing significant improvements across those domains; alongside enhanced resilience, cultural shifts, reduced stigma, and strengthened peer support.

Attendees will gain an understanding of the strategic vision for Struggle Well in Australia, the evidence supporting its impact, and the anticipated benefits for First Responders and Military personnel. This presentation embodies the FMHC26 theme of “Holding the Line Together: Advancing Frontline Mental Health Through Connection, Culture, and Leadership”, showcasing a practical, high-impact model for cross-sector collaboration in the Australian frontline mental health landscape.

Responding to increasing staff burnout, moral distress, and vicarious trauma within the hospital environment, Pastoral Care initiated the development of Soul Space - an innovative, evidence-informed wellbeing intervention. Soul Space provides a safe environment to explore one's personhood and professional identity in the face of frontline challenges and stress. Drawing on clinical pastoral education, therapeutic group work principles, and creative practice, Soul Space has been designed to integrate seamlessly into the workday, making staff care accessible without adding burden.
Soul Space has been met with overwhelming positivity and uptake across hospital departments. Staff report a deepened sense of personal value, emotional resilience, and connection with peers.
The development of Soul Space was grounded in both frontline consultation and evidence-informed research. A co-design ethos informed the iterative rollout of Soul Space. Session feedback loops were embedded to ensure the format and content remained responsive to staff needs. Adaptations were made based on staff demographics, shift patterns, and cultural factors, with ongoing support from leadership and wellbeing champions.
Evaluative feedback has highlighted reduced feelings of isolation and compassion fatigue, with many noting improved capacity to respond to workplace challenges with empathy and clarity. Notably, the program has contributed to a shift in workplace culture - normalising conversations about wellbeing and affirming the role of holistic support. Soul Space is now recognised as a key part of the hospital’s wellbeing framework and has become a model for integrated staff care in acute settings. This combined foundation of consultation and research ensured that Soul Space was not only contextually relevant but also grounded in clinical and therapeutic wisdom. It affirmed the value of interdisciplinary collaboration in developing wellbeing initiatives that honour the complexity of healthcare work - while aligning with the South Metropolitan Health Service values of Care, Integrity, Respect, Excellence, and Teamwork.

Abstract

Effective communication is at the heart of frontline mental health and wellbeing. In high-stress environments, the ability to listen, connect, and respond with clarity can transform peer, team, and one-on-one support conversations. This interactive workshop introduces Communication IQ (CIQ), also known as the Life Languages™ Communication Framework, a validated and reliable communication tool created by Fred and Anna Kendall (Kendall & Kendall, 2019). Built on decades of research and practice, the Kendall Communication Profile empowers individuals to understand their unique communication style while recognizing and adapting to others.

Attendees will be invited to take the free CIQ/Life Languages Mini Profile prior to or during the session to discover their primary communication language. This experiential tool provides immediate, practical insight into how individuals naturally process, express, and respond under stress, laying the foundation for stronger support interactions.

References
Kendall, F. & Kendall, A. (2019). Communication IQ: A Proven Way to Influence, Lead, and Motivate People. Life Languages™ International. New Kensington, PA: Whitaker House.

Kendall, F. & Kendall, A. (2019), Life Languages™ Mini Profile. https://tinyurl.com/LL-miniprofile.

Frontline leaders carry the critical responsibility of supporting the wellbeing of their teams while navigating high-pressure environments. Yet, many leaders feel underprepared to hold difficult wellbeing conversations or to respond effectively to staff needs.

This interactive workshop introduces Communication IQ (CIQ), also known as the Life Languages™ Communication Framework, a validated and reliable model created by Fred and Anna Kendall (Kendall & Kendall, 2019). Grounded in decades of research, the Kendall Communication Profile equips leaders with tools to strengthen connection, foster trust, and lead with care.

Participants will be invited to take the free CIQ/Life Languages Mini Profile prior to or during the session to discover their primary communication style. This powerful insight allows leaders to better understand how they naturally process and express information, while also learning how to adapt their communication languages to meet the diverse needs of staff.

References

Kendall, F. & Kendall, A. (2019). Communication IQ: A Proven Way to Influence, Lead, and Motivate People. Life Languages™ International. New Kensington, PA: Whitaker House.

Kendall, F. & Kendall, A. (2019), Life Languages™ Mini Profile. https://tinyurl.com/LL-miniprofile.

Good work – meaningful, structured, and supported – can be a powerful driver of veteran mental health. Yet too often, services fail to accommodate the nuanced psychosocial and cultural dimensions of veteran identity. Systems remain siloed: employment programs, health services, and community supports operating independently, limiting their collective impact.

Innovation is no longer confined to technology or product design—it increasingly involves rethinking stakeholder ecosystems, integrating non-traditional service providers, and re-engineering pathways between health, employment, and recovery.

This workshop showcases an innovative, system-level model leveraging two major developments in Australia: The Commonwealth’s Veteran Employment Program - which mobilises employers to hire and support veterans – and the RSL Queensland Be:Well program – a digital wellness initiative co-designed with Gallipoli Medical Research Foundation and informed by the Veteran Impact Group.

Removing barriers and reducing fragmentation, this synergistic ecosystem of care represents a novel reconfiguration of how we support frontline workers return to wellbeing and work and improve organisational outcomes.

• Cross-sectoral integration: Instead of isolating employment and recovery, this model links workplace engagement directly to culturally competent health behavior change.

• Decentralised intervention: By using scalable digital platforms and involving community organisations, support extends beyond traditional provider networks while maintaining quality and accountability.

• Predictive, preventive logic: introducing Be:Well within the first month of new employment has demonstrated significantly higher uptake and improved psychosocial stability.

• Human-centered design: The co-design process with veterans ensures each module reflects lived experience, promoting dignity, trust, and sustained engagement—attributes often missing in conventional rehabilitation programs.

This interactive workshop will challenge participants to explore the feasibility of embedding such models across broader frontline cohorts, considering any policy or regulatory shifts necessary to support such partnerships and deliver greater mental health impact. Participants leaving with bold ideas for cross-sector coordination that works.

Background: Between March 2020 and October 2021, Melbourne, Australia, endured the longest and harshest COVID-19 lockdown globally, with 263 days of restrictions. During this period, frontline healthcare workers continued to provide essential services under protocols mandating strict adherence to PPE requirements, frequently working extended hours to meet high demands on the emergency health system. This study aimed to explore the experiences of psychological distress among nurses and paramedics in Melbourne.

Methods: Seven participants took part in semi-structured interviews, and data was analysed thematically.

Results: Three main themes emerged: (i) symptoms of distress, (ii) COVID-19 workplace stressors, and (iii) strategies to manage distress. Key symptoms reported were occupational anxiety and stress, the physical embodiment or somatisation of distress, and cumulative trauma due to repeated exposure to high-stress events in the workplace. The cumulative impact of this manifested as compassion fatigue, hypervigilance, fear, exhaustion, avoidance, and cynicism. COVID-19 reportedly exacerbated existing workplace stressors, including unsupportive management, negative workplace cultures, barriers to professional development, high-intensity workloads, and insufficient training – particularly with regards to COVID-19 vaccine administration training. To cope, cognitive strategies (desensitisation, reframing through a clinical lens, and social support amongst colleagues) were viewed as central to resilience, helping participants mitigate despair in high-pressure situations and sustain focus on urgent care delivery.

Discussion: This study provides important insight into the lived experiences of frontline nurses and paramedics during Melbourne’s strict COVID-19 lockdowns. Participants demonstrated resilience by reframing stressful experiences through a clinical lens and drawing on peer support, consistent with the stress-buffering model whereby collegial networks mitigate the impact of environmental stressors. These findings underscore the critical role of resilience-building strategies and highlight opportunities for targeted interventions to strengthen support for nurses and paramedics, thereby enhancing workforce sustainability and the resilience of Australia’s frontline health system.

First responders are highly adaptive, often finding innovative ways to navigate adversity in their professional roles. Yet when adversity becomes personal, their coping strategies can take unexpected and deeply individual forms. Chequered Expressions is an informal collective of current and former first responders who share how creative outlets—whether traditional or unconventional—have helped them manage mental health challenges and rediscover a sense of connection after service.

Our members’ stories range widely: from podcasting to acrylic painting, from photography to restoring historic sites. Each example reflects how creativity can provide both personal release and a pathway back into community. These outlets are not about artistic perfection—they are about expression, meaning, and resilience.

For those who leave frontline careers due to psychological injury, the transition can feel like a loss of identity and belonging. Many describe feeling adrift, cut off from their professional networks and communities. Expressive outlets often serve as a bridge: reconnecting people with family, sparking new friendships, or creating entirely new communities of support. For some, these creative practices become not only coping strategies but also sources of purpose, validation, and recovery.

This presentation will share lived experiences from Chequered Expressions members and highlight the importance of recognising and encouraging diverse forms of creative expression within the first responder community.

For over 16 years, Voices Vic has harnessed the humanising power of storytelling through a peer-led approach to supporting people with lived and living experience of hearing voices. This presentation will explore how lived and living experience storytelling through the Hearing Voices Approach challenges stigma, fosters understanding of distress and trauma impacts of psychotic symptoms, and creates space for a new narrative — not just for those who hear voices, but for the frontline professionals on call outs and interacting with those in distress.
The Hearing Voices Approach invites us to listen differently — not to symptoms, but to stories, and meanings. In a world where voice hearers are often silenced, shamed, or pathologised, storytelling becomes a way to understand oneself and to find a path to wellbeing. Drawing on Voices Vic’s long-standing work in peer support, education, and systems advocacy, this session will share LLE accounts from voice hearers that illuminate the complexity, stigma and challenges that voice hearers face in being misunderstood within the healthcare system and demonstrate outcomes from voice hearers attending groups and integrating with community.
Participants will be invited to consider how meaning-making supports identity, and belonging with community is at the centre of wellbeing. Moreover, how organisations and frontline services can centre lived experience not as a supplement, but as a source of wisdom.

This presentation offers a rare dual-perspective narrative from a clinical psychologist and a retired police officer who has experienced extensive trauma over the course of their frontline career. With more than two decades in policing, the client brings a powerful voice to the challenges faced by those who serve, including cumulative exposure to violence, sudden loss, and moral injury. These experiences, often layered and complex, are explored through both personal reflection and therapeutic insight.

Together, the client and psychologist will share their therapeutic journey, including moments of difficulty, growth, and transformation. The presentation highlights innovative and relational approaches that were central to progress, such as working with identity and shame, the use of metaphor and narrative in trauma processing, and adapting evidence-based modalities (including EMDR and parts work) to suit the unique needs of someone trained to suppress emotion and maintain control.

Importantly, the presentation will also touch on the therapeutic alliance itself—how trust was built, ruptures repaired, and mutual respect maintained in the face of deeply distressing material. This co-presented format offers a compelling and humanising lens into trauma therapy, with both voices contributing equally to the understanding of what helps and what hinders recovery.

This session is relevant for clinicians working with emergency services personnel and aims to enhance understanding of culturally attuned, flexible, and respectful practice when engaging with those from high-risk professions.

The profile of music therapy in the realm of trauma recovery in Australia has often been under the radar as it were – whilst overseas, it is culturally embedded within trauma recovery and training programs for clinicians. Whilst the potential for healing and role of music in a person’s identity cannot be understated, it is something that needs to start being discussed more frequently within higher levels of care as part of an individual’s holistic approach to trauma recovery. Music therapy allows individuals to not only explore new horizons, but also has the potential to rebuild resilience and encourage neuroplasticity and neurogenesis. There are many avenues to approaching music therapy within PTSD populations, I will be discussing my approach and the effectiveness of it.

I have been working in trauma population for over eight years at St John of God North Richmond. During that time, I have developed a system of teaching individuals how to play musical instruments quickly and without utilising excessive music theory as part
of their recovery and self-care. Again, while most everyone acknowledges the potency of music as an emotionally charged mode of wellbeing and community, it is something most do not pursue as an active means of treatment. As such, I would like to acknowledge that programs within Australia do exist for providing individuals the means to learn guitar, i.e. Guitars for Vets, I would like
to discuss specifically my role and how the role of music therapy within a teaching space should be to empower, mentor, educate, and encourage individuals to pursue something they didn’t think they were capable of achieving.

Exposure to suicide has been associated with an increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviours (Maple et. al., 2016). While not all people who are exposed to a suicide will experience increased risk, research has shown that those bereaved by suicide are 65% more likely to attempt suicide than those who are bereaved by natural causes (Pitman et. al., 2016). This increased risk can lead to concern about social transmission or the event of a suicide cluster, where an excessive number of suicide incidents occur soon after a suicide death amongst a community (Hawton et. al., 2020).

While it may seem safest to minimise exposure as much as possible, there will always be a need for some amount of communication following a suicide. Loved ones, emergency services, places of work or study, medical and support services all need different information on different timelines, and myths and rumours may begin to spread within communities. Some types of information or styles of communication can be particularly risky (Pirkis et. al., 2006), however, the right information presented in the right way can be supportive of help-seeking (Hawton et. al., 2020), and ultimately recovery.

Postvention refers to the actions that are taken following a critical incident such as a suicide. The key aims of postvention are to provide support to those impacted, share messages of hope and help-seeking, reduce risk and distress, and ultimately minimise future harm (Andriessen, 2009). Drawing on over a decade of experience providing postvention support in education and community settings, the headspace postvention model encompasses the key guiding principles, activities, interventions, and timelines for systems to consider when responding to suicide.