Recovering from traumatic events

After a traumatic event, it's important to look after yourself physically and mentally. This applies to those who have been directly affected by a traumatic event and also those who have been exposed to events indirectly.

• Look after your health – try to exercise and get some quality sleep.
• Avoid using drugs and alcohol.
• Stick to your daily routine. Spending time in familiar places and with people you know and trust can help ease feelings of uncertainty or anxiety.
• Talk to people you trust when you're ready. If you feel you are focusing too much on the event, let people know you’d like to change the topic and focus on something more positive.

If you need to talk to someone, there are support services you can contact.

Mental Health Line: 1800 011 511 – A 24/7 phone line staffed by mental health professionals who can direct individuals to local support services.

Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800 – This free, confidential service provides online or phone counselling for children and young people.

Lifeline: 13 11 14 – 24-hour crisis support for people experiencing a crisis or suicidal distress.

Headspace: 1800 650 890 – A local mental health support service for young people and their families, with a focus on early intervention.

13YARN: 13 92 76 – Free crisis counselling support for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Q Life: 1800 184 527 – Anonymous and free peer support for the LGBTIQ+ community.

Transcultural Mental Health Line: 1800 648 911 – A telephone service providing mental health information and help accessing community support services for multicultural communities.

Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS): 131 450 – A free interpreting service.

The ongoing coverage of traumatic events can affect your wellbeing. Try to avoid repetitive exposure to news and media featuring the event – including social media channels.

Monitor how you feel. If you become distressed, talk to someone you trust or contact one of the mental health support numbers.

Exercising caution on social media

After an event, it is common for people to speculate about what happened, particularly on social media. These social media posts can include:

• violent, disturbing or harmful material that can cause distress to more people if it is shared
• false or misleading information that spreads quickly, making it difficult to recognise truthful information.

It's important to be cautious of social media posts about a traumatic event, as they may contain misinformation or distressing content:

• Look to trusted sources of information such as emergency services, government websites or their official social media channels.
• News channels will fact-check information before publishing it. You can help others sourcing content that is trustworthy, such as from established media outlets, rather than from individuals.
• Encourage the people you know to think critically about the information, the tone of the content, the ideas it may be promoting and where it comes from.
• Do not share information that hasn't been verified by independent sources, or information that seems to stem from nowhere, or promotes a particular point of view.
• Report violent or harmful material to the social media platform to help it get removed.

Traumatic events like community violence are distressing. Children and young people may be affected differently in the weeks following a traumatic event.

What can parents and carers do?

Caregivers and family members can help by:

• creating a safe and supportive environment
• remaining as calm as possible
• reducing stressors (such as news and media exposure)
• reassure children that they are safe
• let children know they can talk about it whenever they are ready.

Talk honestly and openly

Provide truthful but simple information that will help them understand what is true and what is not. There is no need to share a lot of detail.

Provide children with simple answers to their questions where you can. If you cannot answer a question, it is best to say, "I don't know how to answer that”, “we may never know the answer to that”, “perhaps we can find someone to help us".

Provide children and young people with opportunities to express their feelings

• Encourage children and young people to talk about their thoughts and feelings whenever they are ready – but don’t force them to. You may need to open the conversation for young children. Help children and young people to put words to feelings.
• Let them talk, write, or draw pictures about the event and their feelings.
• Validate the sadness or other feelings your child expresses, encouraging them to come to you.

Limit exposure to repetitive news reports

• Adults can shield young children from traumatic events by not letting them see or hear media reports or overhear adult conversations about the events.
• If older children are viewing media stories of distressing events, it is best to watch with them.

Reassure children they are safe and respond to their needs to feel secure

• Let them sleep in your room (for a short time) or sleep with a light on if they are having trouble sleeping.
• Try to stick to routines, such as reading bedtime stories, eating dinner together, and playing games.
• Help them feel in control by letting them make some decisions for themselves, such as choosing their meals or picking out their clothes.

Look out for possible stress reactions

• Watch out for signs of stress in yourself and others and seek extra support if things become overwhelming.
• Pay attention to sudden changes in behaviours, speech, language use, or strong emotions.
• Contact a health care provider if new problems develop, particularly if any of these symptoms occur for more than a few weeks:
  • having flashbacks (reliving the event)
  • having a racing heart and sweating
  • being easily startled
  • being emotionally numb
  • being very sad or depressed.

The Victims Support Scheme provides counselling, financial assistance and a recognition payment to victims of an act of violence or act of modern slavery.

The Victims Support Scheme provides: 

• Counselling to help you recover from the psychological and emotional impacts of a crime. 
• Financial assistance for immediate needs to help cover urgent health, safety or security expenses resulting from violent crime or modern slavery. 
• Financial assistance for economic loss to cover other expenses resulting from a violent crime or from modern slavery. 
• Assistance to pay for funeral expenses on behalf of family members of a homicide victim. 
• A recognition payment to acknowledge that you have been the victim of a violent crime or modern slavery.

Anyone who has been injured due to an act of violence or an act of modern slavery that has occurred in NSW can apply.

Eligibility criteria and time frames apply, and the type of support available will depend on an individual’s situation. Some people are not eligible for support, even if they are a victim of crime. Check the eligibility criteria for further information.

Find out more about the scheme.