The past week has seen catastrophic flooding across parts of New South Wales, and Queensland and Victoria have also been affected. The resilience displayed by these communities following the challenges of COVID-19, and a terrible bushfire season experienced by some, is once again being tested.
The APS has a long history of supporting our members and communities when disasters like this occur. The following resources and training are here to provide your, your clients and communities with the support needed to begin the slow process of recovery.
APS Practice Certificate in Disaster Support
This training is currently free for eligible APS members (until 30 June 2021) due to Federal Government funding. It is made up of four online modules. Members who meet the criteria will automatically become a member of the APS Disaster Response Network.
Course A: Disasters in context
Course B: Level 1 early intervention
Course C: Level 2 psychological strategies
Course D: Ethical and professional issues in disaster response
Access the training
Disaster Response Network
The APS Disaster Response Network (DRN) is a network of APS psychologists who donate their time to support frontline workers and communities following a range of disasters. The APS partners with the Australian Red Cross to deploy psychologists and to provide a coordinated response.
Please contact the team at with any enquiries about the DRN.
About the DRN
In this InPsych article, the DRN member Dr Elisabeth Wilson-Evered MAPS explains why she decided to join the network, why the training is so important, and shares her experience supporting people serving on the COVID-19 hotline in Melbournee.
Read the article
This free webinar recording is for existing DRN members and APS Members who have started the Practice Certificate in Disaster Support. You can find out about the DRN and listen to members discuss their experiences.
Access the webinar
Resources
We have recently revised our complete suite of resources for the public on how to prepare for and recover from natural disasters, including information sheets for helping children who have been affected by these major events.
Resources for the public
Some of these resources are also listed on the ABC Emergency website. Launched late last year, it aggregates information from national and state emergency services. APS President Tamara Cavenett covers how to talk to children about disasters, and shares our resources with this Australia-wide audience
APS resources on ABC Emergency
The following resources are available for members and for people working in disaster preparedness, response and recovery
Guidelines for provision of psychological support to people affected by disasters
Psychological First Aid: An Australian guide to supporting people affected by disaster
Self-care course for psychologists
This free self-care course has been used by thousands of members during the challenges of last year. It will provide you with information about the meaning and importance of self-care. The self-care toolkit will help you to assess your own self-care needs and develop your own self-care plan.
Register for the course