The Black Dog Institute is running mental health training for GPs in areas affected by the 2019-20 bushfires,
Funded by the Australian Government, the training on the Diagnosis and Treatment of PTSD in Emergency Service Workers will be held from February through to June 2021.
Demand for the three-hour workshops is high. Anyone interested in attending should book now. Click here for information and to enrol.
GPs often play a central role in providing health care to communities in the immediate, acute phase of emergency situations. This can be ongoing for the long-term recovery of individuals and their broader community.
Emergency service workers are one of the high-risk groups for trauma exposure and are more vulnerable to developing mental health problems. These mental health conditions have significant impact on their employment, family/relationships, and wellbeing.
These workshops have been designed with a focus on GPs, to diagnose patients with acute stress disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and other comorbidities.
Evidence-based guidelines will be used as the foundation to appropriately diagnose and identify treatment pathways. These include recommended referrals, trauma focused psychological therapy and psychological first aid to help support the management of emergency service workers. The workshops may also be relevant to other health professionals.
Topics
Topics covered will include:
- Understanding the context of emergency service workers
- Diagnosing PTSD
- Your role
- Self-care for practitioners
Objectives
This training aims to increase participants’ skills and confidence to:
- Understand the relationship between traumatic events and the development of mental health conditions.
- Identify and apply evidence-based treatment, referral pathways and collaborative care options for a patient impacted by trauma.
- Recommend evidence-based resources, including e-mental health, for family/kinship groups impacted by trauma.
- Identify and use self-care strategies and resources to manage their own mental health and wellbeing.