Bushfire Recovery Service

Support for bushfire affected individuals, families and communities

The 2009 Victorian bushfires had a significant impact on many individuals, families and communities.

Individuals, families and communities often recover from stressful or traumatic experiences by drawing on their own strengths and resources.

However, sometimes the impacts of such experiences can overwhelm normal coping mechanisms. During these times CentaCare offers a range of community development, counselling and group therapy based services that can assist.

Free services

CentaCare's Bushfire Recovery Service has been made possible through the Catholic community's generous donations to the Archbishop's Bushfire Appeal and through funding from the Department of Families, Housing and Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA). The services are available to any individual, family or community in the Bendigo and Redesdale Fire affected regions who wishes to access them, free of charge.

Counselling

If you feel as though the bushfires have had a lasting impact on your emotional or physical wellbeing, your relationships, or any other
aspect of your life, talking it over with a counsellor could help.

Counselling provides a confidential, respectful and safe environment in which you can express your feelings and thoughts and be supported to move forward.

If you can relate to any of these signs you may be experiencing stress or trauma and may benefit from counselling:

• Lack of concentration or ‘fuzzy' thinking
• Not able to make decisions or feeling confused
• Unable to wind down or relax
• Withdrawal from people close to you
• Angry or short fused
• Unmotivated
• Feeling hopeless
• Increased use of drugs or alcohol
• Difficulty sleeping
  Lack of interest in food
• Not interested in intimacy
• Loss of fun and playfulness
• Arguments in the family

Counselling appointment times and locations can be negotiated to complement your preferences.

Community Development

CentaCare's Bushfire Recovery Service also offers community development based approaches.

CentaCare can support communities to identify their existing strengths and resources and - utilising partnership based approaches - build on those to achieve shared goals.

If you have an idea that may assist your community in its bushfire recovery journey, please share it with us!

Contact us

If you would like to talk to our Team about how we can support you, your family or your community, please call CentaCare on 5438 1300.

If a Team Member is unable to take your call, please leave your name and contact details and a Team Member will return your call

as soon as possible.

Confidentiality

Your privacy is important to us and will be protected.

Other useful contacts

Lifeline 13 11 14

www.lifeline.org.au

Kid's Helpline 1800 55 1800

www.kidshelp.com.au

Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636

www.beyondblue.org.au

Mensline Australia 1300 78 9978

www.menslineaust.org.au

WIRE (information for women) 1300 13 4130

www.wire.org.au

Rural Financial Counselling Service Victoria 5442 2424

St Luke's 5440 1100

Community Health Centres

Bendigo and surrounds 5448 1600

Castlemaine and surrounds 5479 1000

Kyneton and surrounds 5421 1660

Bushfire Legal Help 1800 11 3432

www.bushfirelegalhelp.org.au

Victorian Bushfire Information Line 1800 24 0667

www.cfa.vic.gov.au

www.dse.vic.gov.au

Department of Human Services 5434 5555

www.dhs.vic.gov.au

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