You can call our 24 hour phone service, see a private counsellor or talk to one of our QAS counsellors or psychologists at any time. Some of our counsellors will also see you over a video call.
Benefits of counselling
Counselling can help you:
- understand your thoughts and feelings
- work through any issues and stresses at work or home
- learn ways to cope and develop your skills
- improve your mental health and wellbeing.
All counselling is free and confidential.
What is counselling?
Within Priority One, there are a variety of different counselling services. It can be accessed internally, externally, and through a 24 hour telephone service.
Counselling provides the process and space for the individual to work through any professional or personal issues that they might be struggling with. It also provides a space for them to work through any occupational challenges and through any stresses that are happening at work.
Counselling also utilises specialised interpersonal skills to help empower and facilitate change for the individual. It provides an opportunity for them to learn different approaches and strategies to help them learn how to cope with different things.
Counselling is a collaborative process which helps promote the individual's mental health and wellbeing, enhance self-understanding, and resolve identified concerns.
Much like many health professionals, the counsellors have to be registered. Professionals that practice counselling, whether that be psychologists, registered counsellors, or social workers must all be registered. As part of this registration, they must uphold the Counselling Code of Ethics and Ethical Standards and within this means that all counselling provided is confidential.
Throughout the state, there are over 70 external counsellors which have all been selectively picked for their individual skills for the role. Some of these counsellors also have the ability to perform video sessions. The internal counsellors within Priority One are a mix of psychologists, registered counsellors, and some that have on-road experience either as paramedics or patient transport officers.
Phone counselling
You can call our counselling service 24 hours a day on 1800 805 980. You don’t need to tell us who you are, and you can talk to us about anything. Leave your name and phone number with our team and a counsellor will call you back as soon as they can.
Face to face counselling
We have mental health professionals who work for us in every region across Queensland. They understand our staff and their role in the Queensland Ambulance Service. You can arrange to talk to them for advice, support, counselling or if you need a referral to more services.
You can also see an external counsellor, psychologist or social worker at any time. We offer up to 6 free sessions a year, with the counsellors listed below. We also can arrange more visits if you need them. You don't need to tell us that you want to see one of these counsellors. You can contact them directly and they'll arrange your free sessions.