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First Responders Australia: Firefighting, Police, Ambulance, Volunteer Firefighters, SES. PTSD, CPTSD, Trauma and Traumatic Stress - professional psychology, counselling, psychotherapy Australia

Why first responders may be more vulnerable to traumatic stress

What makes some professions more susceptible to traumatic stress, and why isn’t more being done to protect workers from the impact of the role?
 
For people who have never worked in the emergency services or other frontline professions, many questions may arise:
  • “Why don’t they just see a counsellor?”
  • “Why don’t their employers provide more support?”

And sometimes, unhelpful stereotypes emerge:

  • “Don’t date a firefighter,”
  • “They’re all players,” or,
  • “They’re emotionally unavailable.”

Let’s clear a few things up.

If anyone could do this work, more people would be doing it. First responder and emergency services roles require courage, discipline, quick thinking, emotional control, teamwork and the ability to make difficult decisions under extreme pressure. But being capable of managing a crisis does not make someone immune to its effects.
 
Repeated exposure to trauma, danger, injury, death, grief and human suffering can take a cumulative toll. Sometimes the impact is immediate. Sometimes it appears months or years later—in sleep, relationships, mood, behaviour or the ability to switch off.
Emergency Services, Disaster Management Centre, First Responders Australia Queensland NSW Tasmania Victoria WA SA NT

Seeking help is not a weakness

Asking for support is not a weakness, and it does not mean someone is unfit for duty. It means they are taking their wellbeing seriously. But the fear of being deemed “unfit for duty” by an employer is always in the back of the mind of a first responder – which impacts upon help seeking behaviours.
 
Support should be part of protecting the people who spend their working lives protecting others. It should be safe, private, and never result in tarnishing the professional reputation of the individual seeking help. 
 
For professional counselling with an experienced emergency first responder, hit the “Book Now” button at the top of the page. We provide discounted rates for Australian First Responders (past and present). We welcome emergency services and first responder personnel from anywhere in Australia. No referral required. We don’t report to your employer.