Working in Bushfire Impacted Communities: tips for GPs and allied health professionals

This webinar will provide an overview of what previous disasters have taught us about trauma reactions in children, adults, families and communities and what the evidence based and evidence informed interventions are that you can use in your practice.  It will give you practical tips on what to say, what to look out for and referral pathways. Strategies to support you and your practice staff to meet the challenges of supporting traumatized communities will also be discussed. 

Learning outcomes:

• You will be able to identify trauma reactions in children, adolescents and families
• You will understand the principles of Psychological First Aid and the importance of taking a trauma informed care approach to your work with patients impacted by the bushfires
• You will be able to identify patients at risk for adverse mental health outcomes and know how to refer them on for assessment and treatment
• You will have strategies to protect your own and your staff's wellbeing

The webinar series

The webinar series examines some of the online mental health treatment programs that GPs need to know about, focusing on evidence-based programs that have been developed in Australia. The evidence around the efficacy and usefulness of different programs will be discussed along with practical aspects of using the programs.

Summary:

• e-Mental Health programs are a useful adjunct to mental health treatment in primary care
• there is good evidence that patient outcomes improve with the use of e-Mental Health programs
• a variety of locally-developed e-Mental Health programs are available
• GPs need to be familiar with the programs their patients are using and be able to recommend the use of these programs appropriately.

Audience

GPs and GP registrars, psychologists and allied mental health practitioners, in fact any health professional with an interest in improving outcomes for patients with mental health conditions.