Mental Health and Wellbeing

All of our volunteers play a critical role in rescuing, rehabilitating and conserving wildlife and we know many may sometimes prioritise the welfare of the animals in need above all else.

We encourage WIRES volunteers to keep in mind that in order to care for others well long-term you must also ensure you are taking care of your own health and wellbeing.

We encourage all volunteers to seek guidance and support for yourself and others whenever it's needed. If you or anyone you know may need extra help, please talk to your local GP or encourage them to, as GP’s can now provide access to 10 counselling sessions under Medicare.

There are also many other valuable resources that may be of help. Below we will list any links or helpful resources as they come to light, and we hope that this will be a good repository of support information for our volunteers.

For questions of support within WIRES please feel free to contact the WIRES Volunteer Support Manager at: vsm@wires.org.au.

If you or someone close to you is in distress or immediate danger, please ring 000 as soon as possible.

Mental Health and Wellbeing Resources:

• Black Dog Institute (BDI) have a free mental health support service (NEWSS) for emergency service workers (including licensed wildlife rescuers and carers).
• Follow this link for: Professor Richard Bryant from the Black Dog Institute presentation to WIRES November 2021
• Mental Health Training workshops (Black Dog Institute)
• R U OK? Conversation Flow Chart
• MyCompass: A mental health tool that works around your schedule.
• This way up: Learn practical tools to take care of your mental health. This initiative is attached to St Vincent’s Hospital and the free courses are available to everyone, not just those of us in the WIRES community.
• Crisis Support - Lifeline Australia: 13 11 14
• Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636
• Domestic Violence Advocacy Services: 1800 938 227
• NSW Gov Dept of Communities and Justice: Crisis numbers and helplines