2025 Frontline Mental Health Conference (FMHC)

2025 Frontline Mental Health Conference is organized by Australian & New Zealand Mental Health Association (ANZMH) and will be held from Mar 03 - 04, 2025 at RACV Royal Pines Resort Gold Coast, Ross St, Benowa, Queensland, Australia.

Description:
The Frontline Mental Health Conference bring together some of the country's most dedicated sector leaders, frontline workers, mental health professionals and service providers in the one place for two big days of learning, listening, strategising and conceptualising the future of frontline mental health.

Topics:
Protective influences and mediating factors on the health and wellbeing of frontline workers (aka prevention)

• Building emotional resilience to prevent and combat mental health challenges 
• The role of authentic relationships, social connection and community in mental health protection 
• Physical wellness to improve mental wellness – building health, vitality and energy via exercise, nutrition etc 
• Proactive mental health care – crafting a self-care plan for ongoing mental wellbeing 
• Identity, meaning and purpose and its power to support and heal the frontline community 
• Integrated Prevention Strategies: Managing and Supporting Vicarious Trauma 
• Understanding Empathic Distress Fatigue: Differentiating Stressors and Building Resilience with 
  Self-Compassion
• Leveraging technology to enhance mental health: innovative tools for early intervention

Beyond the individual – the role of organisational culture and stressors

• The impact of organisational culture on health and wellbeing
• The role of the leader in fostering a positive culture / Importance of supportive leadership in mitigating psychosocial risks
• Trauma informed organisational practices and support systems – how a positive work environment can help to buffer stress responses.
• Organisational culture change initiatives and strategies for improving organisational culture
• How culture affects psychosocial risk
• Primary prevention strategies based on psychosocial hazard identification, assessment, and elimination.
• Navigating the return to work: best practices for organisations supporting reintegration after psychological injury or burnout.

Moral injury on the frontlines

• Moral injury and post-traumatic embitterment disorder
• Contributing factors: Events and cultures that increase the risk of moral injury
• Risk factors and protective strategies for moral injury: identifying vulnerabilities, risks and mitigating factors
• Healing and recovery from moral injury: effective therapeutic approaches and interventions for recovering from moral injury
• Learning from case studies and real-life examples: practical lessons from real life experiences
• Future directions in moral injury research and practice

Leadership's Role in Mental Health: How effective leadership can positively impact the mental health and wellbeing of frontline workers

• Understanding the connection between organisational culture and frontline worker mental health: Implications for leadership
• Leading for health: how leaders can better support the mental health and wellbeing of teams
• Leadership strategies for building a culture of psychological safety
• Supporting leaders’ mental health and ability to lead through challenging times
• Navigating the path to leadership: Exploring the common challenges faced by frontline workers transitioning to leadership roles
• Vicarious trauma: what leaders and organisations can do

Impacts of frontline work on parenting and children

• Prevention and management of cumulative stress and burnout in families
• Building resilience within families: strengthening family ties and providing coping strategies
• Vicarious trauma: spousal and partner coping mechanisms
• Research into parental PTSD and child development
• Strategies for explaining a parent's PTSD or psychological health conditions to children
• Breaking the cycle of intergenerational trauma through early intervention

Navigating the lifecycle of first responders: from entry to retirement and beyond

• Essential skills and knowledge for new recruits: preparing for the stresses of frontline work
• Impact of age on trauma responses: How trauma responses vary across different age groups and the implications for treatment and support
• Experience-Based differences: Differences in trauma responses between novice and experienced first responders and tailored interventions for each group
• Promoting career longevity: Best practices for maintaining physical and mental health throughout a first responder's career to promote longevity and reduce burnout 
• Transitioning safely out of service: Understanding the psychological impact of retiring from a first responder role and the challenges associated with identity loss
• After service (retirement) care: post-retirement connection, health and wellness

Treating trauma: latest thinking in therapeutic approaches and treatments

• Psychedelic Assisted Therapy: current research and clinical trials
• Leveraging technology to enhance mental health: innovative tools for personalised treatment
• Up to date research into evidence-based interventions: latest advancements in approaches specifically tailored for trauma survivors
• Somatic therapies and body-oriented approaches
• Trauma informed care and integrated treatment models
• Cultural and contextual sensitivity in trauma treatments
• From surviving to thriving: Post-traumatic Growth (PTG)

Peer support approaches for mental health and wellbeing

• Types of peer support programs: overview of various peer support models
• Developing a structured peer support program: guidance on creating, implementing, and sustaining a structured peer support program 
• Case studies of successful initiatives: successful peer support initiatives, showcasing best practices and lessons learned. 
• Evaluation and effectiveness of peer support programs: methods and tools for assessing the impact and success of peer support initiatives
• Technology and peer support: exploration of digital platforms and tools that facilitate peer support. 
• Building and sustaining a supportive peer community
• Adapting Peer Support Programs: Strategies for evolving with current challenges.
• Supporting PSOs: Methods to manage strain, enhance resources, support mechanisms