Red Cross staff and volunteers are on the front line of the terrible floods that have devastated so many communities across New South Wales and Queensland.
Stepping up to support them are our Disaster Response Network (DRN) psychologists.
The APS is managing the Remote Activation Support Psychologist program for the Red Cross, putting forward our DRN members who are kindly volunteering their time.
Our psychologists are working remotely, helping Red Cross staff and volunteers through the many and varied challenges of dealing with these disasters, including:
- financial hardship due to property and job loss
- high levels of anxiety about loved ones who have been caught up in the disaster
- being emotionally drained, with some directly impacted by the floods.
APS staff are managing the Remote Activation Support Psychologist program, implementing a roster system of DRN psychologists to put themselves forward to monitor wellbeing and make referrals and recommendations to effectively manage the wellbeing of the Red Cross workforce.
Practice Certificate in Disaster Support | Free training for members
To become a member of the Disaster Response Network, you must first complete the Practice Certificate in Disaster Support.
We are currently offering this at no cost for members (normally $1000) until 31 May 2022 and at a reduced rate for non-members ($115 per module, reduced from $375).
Once you have completed all four modules of the above training, you will receive the practice certificate. If you have full registration with the Psychology Board of Australia, you will automatically become a member of the Disaster Response Network (DRN).
Flood Appeal telethon
Several of our DRN members were proud to take part in the recent Flood Appeal telethon events in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.
Our members were there to provide support to any Red Cross staff who needed to talk through their experiences.
The telethons went on to raise $25.2 million for the impacted communities.