Twenty senior police from the New England Command in NSW joined Quest team members Esther Mckay, Margie Braunstein and Craig Semple for a Health and Wellbeing workshop in Armidale yesterday, on November 17, 2022.
The group included officers from the New England command’s various police stations including Moree, Armidale, Glen Innes, and Boggabilla. Particpants included sergeants, senior sergeants, detectives, and commissioned officers.
“We met some excellent police – the work that those guys do and some of the things they’ve been through, they’re just amazing cops – and they’re taking the responsibility on themselves in terms of facilitating their own health and wellbeing,” Esther said.
“We want to keep good cops in their job, we don’t want to lose them.”
Esther Mckay – a former policer officer who now works as Quest’s programs development manager – said the workshop was a productive day focused on providing attendees evidence-based strategies on how to manage their health and wellbeing and arm them with confidence to help colleagues who may be struggling with their mental health after difficult experiences on or off duty.
“It was an amazing day of sharing; it was really nice to see all of the laughter too. Police very rarely have an opportunity to honour and care for themselves rather than giving themselves to everybody else by serving their communities – which is what they do every day.
“The workshop is evidence-based and focuses on the neuroscience around how stress sits in the brain and body and what we can do to manage that. It’s all very practical. It’s also culturally sensitive to police, the program was designed especially with police culture in mind and aims to improve people’s overall wellbeing.
“It’s great that we are seeing preventative care finally reaching those who serve our community and encouraging to hear the positive feedback from those who attended.”
Esther encouraged other police who would like a similar police health and wellbeing workshop held in their region to contact her to find out more. Esther is available on 0419 460 530 or you can submit an enquiry through the Quest website.
The Quest for Life facilitates Workplace Health & Wellbeing Workshops around Australia and also offers 5-day residential programs at the Quest Centre in Bundanoon, NSW.
Quest for Life’s Moving Beyond Trauma program is a 5-day residential program designed for people living with post-traumatic stress symptoms and is partly facilitated by former police – including Esther – and attended by many frontline workers and other community members.
The program aims to help people living with post-traumatic symptoms and other difficulties to reclaim their lives and create greater control over their emotional equilibrium.
