"We are in the final testing process before launching our website early next week. There have been a lot of adjustments in our original plans since COVID19 and the ability to provide Telehealth. As well the Government added EMDR therapy to the Medicare Benefits Schedule as part of the Bushfire Response Mental Health Strategy.
So the main purpose is to connect people who have acute stress or PTSD with professional trauma therapists who volunteer to provide services at no cost to the individual. With Telehealth a larger number of therapists are available to remote clients where no existing services exist.
Then our next step will be to work with communities on building resilience by providing education on trauma and teaching community based workers (nurses, counsellors, etc) trauma intervention for people who need more than Psycholgical First Aid.
We will begin recruiting experienced practitioners through our website, asking them to agree to set aside up to 3 places in their practice for bushfire victims. As more people join, we should also be able to build a clear map of the needs of communities and how Rotarians can be involved." VP PAMELA BROWN, R100 TRAUMA RECOVERY
WHAT IS THIS PROGRAM?
you can view this film to be informed: http://www.
EYE MOVEMENT DESENSITISATION and REPROCESSING (Taken from "Healing the Hurt" Rotarian Action Group for Family Safety)
As EMDR therapy does not require people to describe the memory in detail, it facilitates effective treatment where people are reticent about personal disclosure and protects the therapists from vicarious traumatisation. Used internationally in disasters since 1995, EMDR trauma recovery programs have developed effective treatments for all stages of community recovery. There are specific early intervention protocols which can be used to prevent the development of PTSD. There are group protocols which can be delivered on location and to children.
This activity can be delivered in disaster-prone areas either in the aftermath of a disaster, during the three months following, before traumatic memories are consolidated into PTSD, or as a preventative and capacity-building project in places which suffer disasters cyclically - eg cyclones and bushfires. The program helps emergency workers and whole communities who have been exposed to traumatic events.
