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Helping people to deal with trauma
An Aboriginal man removed from his family when he was a child and a woman supporting the family and friends of missing persons will help give social workers a better understanding of how to work with people who have experienced trauma at a conference held on Monday 30 March.
Hunter New England Health Area Profession Director of Social Work Sue Gould said the one-day seminar is specially aimed at social workers, welfare officers and Aboriginal Liaison Officers to help them provide better support for people who have experienced trauma.
“When someone suffers a traumatic event in their life, they can go through a variety of different emotions. They may be distressed or irritable, become depressed, angry or frightened and they may find it hard to talk about the event and keep their feelings to themselves,” Ms Gould said.
“Trauma can caused by many different frightening scenarios such as accidents, bushfires, floods, illness, sudden death, crime or violence. Responding to such events requires great physical and mental energy. Once the initial crisis is over, people involved may continue to feel exhausted and emotional.”
“The person involved can be affected in many ways, including their ability to work, perform day-to-day activities and relate to their family and friends,” she said.
The impact of a traumatic event can be long lasting, and can have a serious effect on all aspects of someone’s life, including their relationships.
Topics to be discussed at the forum include working with refugees, responding to the loss of a missing person, and strategies to reduce trauma symptoms.
The conference has been funded by the ‘Strengthening Rural Allied Health Project,’ a project of the NSW Institute of Rural Clinical Services and Teaching and sponsored by the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) – Hunter Branch making if free for all Hunter New England Health and AASW employees.
The cost for full time students will be $40 and others $80.
Contact: Kylie Dawson
Phone: (02) 6767 7136 or 0408 667 299
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