Events Calendar

We are delighted to announce that Suicide Prevention Australia will be jointly hosting a member webinar, with Mental Health Australia.  The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide has published a book, Shining a Light, to honour the contribution of people with lived experience of military suicide to the landmark inquiry. The book features deeply personal stories of our serving and ex-serving Australian Defence Force members, and their loved ones, with lived experience of suicide and suicidal behaviour in a military context. In this member webinar, Commissioner Peggy Brown AO will take us through some of the topics canvassed in the book and explore the significant challenges confronting past and present Defence personnel on a daily basis. Don't miss this member-only webinar and register today. 

Join us to hear from Dr Peggy Brown AO, one of the three Commissioners, to hear about the learnings from the Royal Commission.  Stigma is one of the major barriers for serving Defence personnel and veterans accessing vital mental health and wellbeing services. This includes the stigma:   of recognising you are not okay and need professional help in a Defence role. Hearing from people with lived experience highlights that veterans may not get the immediate treatment and support they need as they are treated as being weak.     surrounding veterans and serving members who are often seen by mainstream psychological service providers as ‘too hard’, ‘aggressive’, damaged irreparably by their service experiences, or that this is a Veterans Affairs responsibility.    These stigmas prevent serving members, veterans and families from accessing the help they need.   This webinar looks at insights into what assists in reducing stigma and increasing access and support.