Balancing Formal and Informal Support for Psychological Health in Emergency Services

Abstract

Ambulance staff are likely to be exposed to traumatic events regularly throughout their shifts and working weeks and accumulatively throughout their working lives. This chapter examines two Australian case study organisations and draws together data from a series of interviews with paramedics, support staff, managers and union officials. In essence, both the formal and informal support are critical in providing the type of support that is required at any given moment in time—balancing this system is not easy when the individual support needed changes between individuals.