Understanding Trauma in Essential Services: Caring for Others While Looking After Yourself

Understanding Trauma in Essential Services: Caring for Others While Looking After Yourself

Clinical insights for this article were provided by Hannah Humphris, Registered Psychologist and facilitator of the Trauma Skills Day Program at Currumbin Clinic. Drawing on her experience supporting veterans, first responders and essential service professionals, this article explores how trauma can affect daily life and the practical strategies that can support recovery. 

For veterans, emergency service workers, nurses, teachers and other essential workers, supporting others is often more than a job. It's a commitment to helping people through some of life's most challenging moments.

While this work can be deeply meaningful, repeated exposure to distressing situations can have an impact over time. Many people are surprised to learn that trauma doesn't only affect those directly involved in an event. It can also affect the people who witness, respond to, or support others through traumatic experiences.

At Currumbin Clinic, we work with veterans, first responders and essential service professionals who are experiencing the effects of trauma. Through our Trauma Skills Day Program, participants develop a greater understanding of trauma responses and build practical skills to support their wellbeing and recovery. 

What Is Trauma?

Trauma is a response to an event, or series of events, that feels overwhelming, threatening or deeply distressing. While people often associate trauma with a single incident, it can also develop through repeated exposure to challenging situations over time.

Everybody responds differently. Some people recover naturally with support from family, friends and colleagues, while others may experience ongoing emotional, psychological or physical effects.

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), around 75% of Australian adults will experience a traumatic event at some point in their lifetime. [aihw.gov.au]

Why Essential Workers Face a Higher Risk of Trauma Exposure

For many professions, exposure to traumatic events is occasional. For essential service workers, it can be part of the job.

Veterans, emergency service personnel, nurses, healthcare workers and other frontline professionals are often exposed to situations involving serious injury, medical emergencies, violence, natural disasters, grief and loss. Over the course of a career, these experiences can accumulate.

Research from Phoenix Australia highlights that trauma exposure among emergency service personnel is often cumulative, rather than linked to a single incident. [phoenixaustralia.org]

Australian research has found that approximately 10% of emergency services personnel experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). [phoenixaustralia.org]

More recently, research led by the Black Dog Institute found that around one in seven first responders experience probable PTSD related to their work. [blackdogin...ute.org.au]

These findings reinforce an important message: experiencing trauma-related symptoms is not uncommon among people whose careers involve caring for and protecting others.

How Trauma Can Impact Everyday Life

Trauma doesn't stay neatly contained at work. Its effects can be felt across many parts of daily life.

Participants in the Trauma Skills Day Program often report noticing changes across multiple areas of functioning, including emotional wellbeing, sleep, relationships, self-care and physical health.

Emotional Wellbeing

You may notice increased anxiety, irritability, anger, emotional exhaustion or feeling disconnected from activities you once enjoyed.  [aihw.gov.au]

Thoughts and Memory

Trauma can affect concentration, memory and thinking patterns. Some people experience intrusive thoughts and memories, heightened worry, or changes in how they think about themselves and others. , [aihs.org.au]

Sleep

Difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or experiencing distressing dreams can all be associated with trauma exposure. 

Relationships

Some people find themselves withdrawing from friends, family or colleagues, while others notice difficulties connecting with the people around them. 

Physical Health

Trauma can also affect the body. Stress responses may contribute to headaches, fatigue, ongoing tension and other physical symptoms. 

When Trauma Builds Up Over Time

One common misconception is that trauma only develops after a major incident.

In reality, repeated exposure to traumatic events can have a cumulative effect. Phoenix Australia describes a process known as sensitisation, where repeated exposure can increase vulnerability to trauma responses over time. [phoenixaustralia.org]

This can help explain why some people only start noticing changes years into their career. What may initially appear to be resilience can sometimes mask the gradual build-up of stress and trauma exposure.  [phoenixaustralia.org]

Recognising these changes early can help people seek support before symptoms begin having a significant impact on their daily lives.

The Trauma Skills Day Program at Currumbin Clinic is designed to help participants understand how trauma affects the brain and body while providing practical tools to manage common trauma responses, including heightened arousal, avoidance, intrusive thoughts, changes in mood and difficulties with self-care. 

Supporting Recovery Through Skills and Understanding

Many people working in frontline and essential service roles are used to being the person others rely on. Because of this, asking for support can sometimes feel difficult.

However, seeking help is not a sign of weakness. It is an important step towards understanding what you're experiencing and learning strategies to manage it.

At Currumbin Clinic, the Trauma Skills Day Program takes a psychoeducational and skills-based approach to recovery. Over eight weeks, participants learn about the effects of trauma on the brain and body while developing practical skills that can be applied in everyday life. 

The program explores topics including:

• Arousal and the body's stress response
• Avoidance behaviours
• Changes in mood and enjoyment
• Intrusive thoughts and memories
• Dissociation
• Self-care and coping strategies
• The way trauma can influence beliefs about ourselves, others and the world around us 

The program is DVA-approved and has been developed for veterans, emergency service workers and other essential service professionals seeking a supportive environment in which to better understand and manage trauma responses. 

Evidence-based approaches such as trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR), psychoeducation and skills-based interventions have been shown to support recovery from trauma-related difficulties. [openarms.gov.au], [blackdogin...ute.org.au]

How the Trauma Skills Day Program Works

Understanding trauma is often one of the first and most important steps towards recovery.

The Trauma Skills Day Program at Currumbin Clinic is an eight-week, DVA-approved group program designed for veterans, first responders and essential service workers who may be experiencing the effects of trauma. Rather than focusing solely on past experiences, the program centres on education, understanding and practical skill development. 

Participants gain a deeper understanding of how trauma can affect emotions, thoughts, behaviours, relationships and physical wellbeing. They are also introduced to practical, evidence-informed strategies that can assist in managing symptoms and improving everyday functioning.  [openarms.gov.au]

Currently held each Tuesday from 9:00am to 2:45pm, the program provides a structured environment where participants can learn practical skills while building their understanding of trauma responses. Morning tea and lunch are also provided

We understand that joining a group program can feel daunting, particularly for those who may have had difficult experiences in the past or are unsure of what to expect. That's why the program operates as a semi-closed group, meaning there is only one midway intake point for new participants. This helps create a more consistent, safe and supportive environment throughout the program. 

Creating a safe and consistent environment is a key part of the program's design, helping participants feel supported while learning new strategies for understanding and managing trauma responses. 

Whether you are a veteran, healthcare worker, emergency service worker or another essential service professional, support is available. Recovery is possible, and developing a better understanding of trauma can be an important step forward. [openarms.gov.au]

Australian Support Resources

Immediate Support

Lifeline
13 11 14
https://www.lifeline.org.au

Beyond Blue
1300 22 4636
https://www.beyondblue.org.au

Veterans and Veteran Families

Open Arms - Veterans & Families Counselling
1800 011 046 (24/7)
https://www.openarms.gov.au [openarms.gov.au]

Emergency Service Workers

National Emergency Worker Support Service (NEWSS)
https://www.newss.org.au [blackdogin...ute.org.au]

Trauma Information and Resources

Phoenix Australia
https://www.phoenixaustralia.org [phoenixaustralia.org]

References

1. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Stress and Trauma. https://www.aihw.gov.au/mental-health/topic-areas/health-wellbeing/stress-and-trauma [aihw.gov.au]
2. Phoenix Australia. Emergency Services Personnel: Australian Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Acute Stress Disorder, PTSD and Complex PTSD. https://www.phoenixaustralia.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Chapter-9-3.-Emergency-services-personnel-1.pdf [phoenixaustralia.org]
3. Black Dog Institute. First responder PTSD rates are higher than ever. What happens now? https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/news/first-responder-ptsd-rates-rise/ [blackdogin...ute.org.au]
4. Open Arms - Veterans & Families Counselling. A Snapshot of Australian Veterans' Mental Health Research: Important Insights for Clinical Practice. https://www.openarms.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-01/webinar_9_mental_health_faqs_panelist.pdf [openarms.gov.au]
5. Department of Veterans' Affairs. Mental Health Prevalence Report: Transition and Wellbeing Research Programme. https://www.dva.gov.au/sites/default/files/twrp_mhpr.pdf [dva.gov.au]

This article was developed with clinical input from Hannah Humphris, Registered Psychologist at Currumbin Clinic. Program-specific information relating to the Trauma Skills Day Program was sourced directly from clinic-provided information and clinician expertise.