HomeNews & Media CentreArticlesThe Importance of Psychosocial and Community Engagement Support Services

The Importance of Psychosocial and Community Engagement Support Services

In the lead-up to ANZAC Day on the 25th of April, we want to highlight some of our military support services that are designed to help individuals return to civilian life as smoothly as possible. As a nationally accredited provider of rehabilitation services to the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and Department of Veteran Affairs (DVA), Rehab Management has a strong track record and proven results working with military (both past and present) and civilian personnel.

We understand that DVA clients often have different needs from the ‘typical’ rehabilitation client. Our consultants undergo extensive training and mentoring with the ADF and DVA to be able to work with our clients, as we believe that demonstrating an understanding of military experience can enhance the therapeutic alliance and delivery of effective treatment.

Rehab Management provides a number of one off and ongoing support services to the Veteran community, including psychosocial and community engagement activities. ‘Psychosocial rehabilitation’ is a broad term used to describe rehabilitation interventions which may improve a client’s quality of life and support achievement of their overall rehabilitation goals.

Rehab Management’s DVA Client Relations Manager, Taylor Gilles, says psychosocial activities are important to “help rebuild and reinforce connections with new people, environments and experiences. It helps in fostering self-identity for those who may feel isolated, lost or disengaged in their lives whilst also playing a role in improving their physical and / or psychological health.”

Success Stories

One of our clients, Stephanie Fraser, has been attending group pottery classes at Glazed and Confused once a week for two hours.

“I’m loving the pottery. I’m not too much of a pottery master – it’s a lot harder than it looks especially with the feeling in my pinkies gone; it makes it interesting for hand eye co-ordination. But I am really enjoying it so far, less anxiety about going back each week to because the group is really lovely.”

Research shows that physical activity has a positive impact on the psychological wellbeing on veterans (Caddick and Smith, 2014). Management client, Nat Fenton, participated in a sailing course as part of their rehabilitation plan.

He reported, “Good course. Recommend it to other DVA clients. Thoroughly enjoyed the activity for psycho-social wellbeing”

Rehab Management also works with Happy Paws Happy Hearts (HPHH) who connect rescue animals with veterans. HPHH has been working with Veterans since founding in 2014, running dedicated group programs with RSPCA rescue dogs, which allow veteran participants to learn new skills, meet other veterans, and make a difference in the lives of the dogs waiting to find new homes.

Read more about our partnership with Happy Paws Happy Hearts here. 

With over 20 years of experience serving in this sector and over 100 registered consultants, we are uniquely placed to meet military rehab requirements nationwide.

Find out more about our military services here.

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