A new program running out of not-for-profit Dubbo Neighbourhood Centre is tackling post-traumatic stress in people who have experienced the likes of sexual assault, bullying, domestic violence and military deployment.
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The HOPE (Helping Our People Evolve) program aims to treat post-traumatic stress but also prevent it.
Psychologists, psychiatrists and accredited mental health social workers make up the 10-member HOPE team.
The program’s clinical director is Ann-Maree Hartley who reports that trauma and traumatic stress can develop from a wide range of experiences.
“A traumatic event is an incident that causes physical, emotional or psychological harm,” she said.
“The person experiencing the distressing event may feel threatened, anxious, or frightened as a result. In some cases, they may not know how to respond, or may be in denial about the effect such an event has had. The person will need support and time to recover from the traumatic event and regain stability in their life.”
Ms Hartley identified sexual assault, military deployment, domestic violence, natural disaster, bullying, medical complications and accidents as among the “life events that can have a long-term impact on a person and their loved ones”.
Program manager Rachel Thomas said Dubbo had “long needed a program dedicated to the area of trauma”.
“To access free services a variety of options are available, and include a mental health treatment plan, which can be issued by the onsite GP,” she said.
Other members of the team are Annie Fraser, Karine Williams, Kellie Maree Butler, Jessica Woodley, Jen Molyneux, Dr Lynette Reid, Dr Syed Shah and Dr Mei Siew.
A traumatic event is an incident that causes physical, emotional, or psychological harm.
- Ann-Maree Hartley
Appointments can be made by calling 6882 2100 or by dropping into the centre at 1/80 Gipps Street.
View the program’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/hopedubbo.
