PTSD and mental health support for police
where to get help, in every force

Inside the job, your force's wellbeing service is confidential and separate from your chain of command. In Victoria, Wellbeing Services is on 1300 090 995, 24/7. Every force's service is listed in the support services table below.

Answering the call, run by the University of Western Australia for Beyond Blue between October 2017 and March 2018, surveyed 21,014 people across police and emergency services, including 8,088 police employees. It compared their results with the Australian adult population.

The numbers show two things. First, if you're struggling, you're far from alone: roughly one in ten officers in the survey had probable PTSD. Second, most officers were coping, and the report found police had the lowest rates of suicidal thoughts of the four sectors it surveyed. Getting help early is a big part of that.

A 2019 Senate inquiry, The people behind 000, made 14 recommendations on first responder mental health, including a national working group on PTSD presumption laws. Progress since has been state by state, as the compensation section shows.

Trauma reactions after a bad job are normal and often settle within weeks. It's worth getting help when they don't settle, get worse, or start affecting sleep, relationships or work. These are common warning signs:

If you're worried about a mate, ask directly whether they're thinking about suicide. Asking shows you care and opens the door to help.

If a colleague shows several of these, a quiet conversation away from the station can make a real difference. You don't need to fix it: listen, encourage them to use the wellbeing service or their GP, and follow up. If there's immediate risk, stay with them and call 000.

Most forces also have chaplains, welfare officers and critical incident support that activates after a serious event. Tasmania's Critical Incident Stress Management Program runs 24/7. The AFP's SHIELD service combines doctors, nurses, rehabilitation case managers and mental health clinicians in one in-house team.

Peer supporters are serving officers trained to listen, check in after critical incidents and point colleagues towards professional help. They understand the job in a way outside counsellors sometimes can't, and for many officers they're the easiest first conversation.

In May 2026 the Queensland Government announced $5.5 million for Cop Care, a charity set up by the Queensland Police Union, including Copline Australia, a 24/7 peer support line staffed by veteran police, and a clinical triage service. Associations in other states also run critical incident and welfare support; our police associations guide lists each one.

Chaplains offer pastoral support to officers of any faith or none. They often attend after deaths, serious injuries and line-of-duty incidents, and can be a good option if you'd rather not start with a psychologist.

Your GP is another strong starting point. A GP can assess you, talk through treatment options and refer you to a psychologist or psychiatrist, and can ask about Medicare-subsidised sessions for you. You don't have to tell your workplace you've seen your GP unless you're claiming leave or compensation.

Fortem Australia is worth knowing about specifically. It's a not-for-profit focused on first responders and their families, offering psychology and counselling, social activities to rebuild connection, and career support for people leaving the job.

Partners and children carry a lot of the weight of policing, from shift work to the moods that come home after a bad job. Most force EAPs cover immediate family. In Queensland, 1800-ASSIST is open to current and former members and their families, and Fortem supports families directly.

When an officer dies, on or off duty, Police Legacy organisations step in to support surviving partners and children, often for many years. Each state has its own:

NSW, Tasmania and the NT also have police legacy organisations; contact your association for their current details.

Yes. A psychological injury caused by work, including PTSD, depression or anxiety, can be claimed through the workers compensation scheme that covers your force. In most places you need to show work was a significant cause. A presumption law flips that: once diagnosed, the injury is presumed to be work-related unless shown otherwise.

Claims for psychological injury can take time and involve independent medical assessments, which many officers find stressful. Our police workers compensation guide explains which scheme covers each force, top-up payments and how claims work.

1. 1

   See your GP and get a diagnosis

   Step 1

   Tell them about the work events involved. A clear medical record from early on helps any later claim.

2. 2

   Report the injury at work

   Step 2

   Follow your force's injury reporting process. Ask your association to help with the paperwork.

3. 3

   Lodge the claim

   Step 3

   Your force or its claims manager handles it under the relevant Act. Keep copies of everything.

4. 4

   Get advice if it's disputed

   Step 4

   Associations and specialist lawyers handle disputed psychological injury claims regularly.

Time away can be part of recovery. Depending on the cause, it may be sick leave, workers compensation leave or a mix while a claim is decided. In Victoria, provisional payments cover up to 13 weeks of medical costs for a mental injury claim while it's being decided, even if the claim is later rejected, so treatment doesn't have to wait.

Coming back is often harder than going off. A graded return, with modified duties or shorter shifts at first, is common, and your treating doctor's advice should shape it. Ask for the plan in writing and agree who you'll check in with.

Your association can sit in on return-to-work discussions and check the plan against your agreement and the compensation rules in your state.

Many officers return to work after treatment, sometimes through a period of modified duties. For some, a psychological injury ends their policing career. That's a hard outcome, but it isn't the end of your financial security if you plan for it.

Depending on your force and super scheme, your options can include ongoing workers compensation payments, total and permanent disability or income protection insurance through your super, and medical retirement with a pension or lump sum under older defined benefit schemes. Our police medical retirement guide explains how each force handles it.

Don't resign before getting advice. Resigning can affect your compensation, insurance and medical retirement rights, and the order you do things in matters. Your association and super fund are the people to ask first.

1. 1

   Tell one person today

   Today

   A partner, a mate, a peer supporter, or a phone line. Lifeline 13 11 14 and Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636 are open 24/7.

2. 2

   Call your force's wellbeing service or EAP

   This week

   It's confidential and free. Ask for an appointment with a psychologist and how many sessions you can have.

3. 3

   Book your GP

   This week

   Ask about a referral to a psychologist, your sleep, and anything you're using to cope.

4. 4

   Call your association

   Soon

   If work caused or worsened the injury, ask about welfare support and workers compensation before you take long leave or make career decisions.

5. 5

   Keep connected

   Ongoing

   Exercise, sleep and time with people outside work all help recovery. Fortem runs social activities for first responders and families.

Shift work and poor sleep make everything harder; our shift work and health guide has practical sleep strategies. If you're dealing with a complaint or investigation as well, our misconduct and discipline guide explains the process.