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Having worked in and around disasters and crisis for several years it has become apparent that when major natural events happen in regional areas there is often a delay in getting outside help, which seems to arrive for a while and then departs back from whence it came.
The local community has to deal with the initial response and also the longer term recovery.
I was deployed to Moree alongside Anglicare during the 2012 floods and heard this confirmed from several sources – a story which I have also heard in other towns, both here and overseas, before and since.
There are also the crises that happen as a part of everyday life – individuals in the community, staff members, emergency service workers etc. The question is, how to we deal with folk on both levels?
Over the past few years I have been fortunate to become approved to present an international program called Critical Incident Stress Management. It includes training utilised widely around the world, proven to be effective in reducing the impact of both community and individual crisis.
Together with my colleagues in Mission Support I am looking to bring this training to areas where it’s needed – so folk don’t need to travel huge distances. We have also decided to keep costs as low as possible, since we believe in the importance of local training.
Just recently the Anglican church in Wagga Wagga has obtained an NRMA community grant that will allow us to partner with them and present this type of training at subsidised fees in that region.
A couple of years ago I presented some training in Goondiwindi, which led to an invitation from Moree council to bring crisis intervention training to Moree. I did look to present something earlier this year, but the timing was not right. Now we are in the second half of 2014 I am looking to come north again, to present training in preparation for next summer, and have a two-day training proposed for September 16 and 17, to be held at Moree Plains Shire Council.
These courses are normally $600 or so where available commercially, whereas we look to provide it for $300, with concessions for volunteers/nfp etc.
Phil Ohman
Director
Mission Support