Mastering Psychosocial Hazards: Trauma

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED

Our next STAGE28 event is Firefighting TRAUMA, a two-day workshop in Perth on 6–7 October 2026, providing considerably more time to explore trauma, response and recovery in depth.

AFTER A TRAUMATIC INCIDENT, WHAT SHOULD AN ORGANISATION ACTUALLY DO?

Trauma is a recognised psychosocial hazard.

But knowing that trauma is a risk is one thing.

Knowing what to do when someone is psychologically injured is another.

What should happen in the hours, days and weeks following a traumatic event?

What should leaders do — and what should they avoid?

And is there an opportunity to act before distress becomes more entrenched?

STAGE28 Mastering Psychosocial Hazards: Trauma takes an advanced, experience-led look at these questions.

This is not another general mental-health awareness session.

It is a challenging exploration of trauma, psychological injury and organisational response — and what leaders can actually do when serious events happen.

WHAT YOU WILL EXPLORE

• What makes traumatic exposure different from ordinary workplace stress
• Trauma as a psychosocial hazard
• What leaders should understand following a traumatic incident
• Recognising emerging psychological risk
• What organisations can do following traumatic events
• The relationship between psychological injury, organisational responsibility and operational effectiveness
• Practical approaches to responding to post-traumatic distress
• What an action-oriented approach to trauma might look like

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

Designed for people responsible for people.

Particularly:

• senior leaders and executives
• HR and People & Culture leaders
• WHS and psychosocial-risk professionals
• psychologists and mental-health professionals
• emergency services and first responders
• policy makers and organisational decision-makers
• anyone responsible for responding when serious incidents affect their people

PERTH LAUNCH — 50% OFF

STAGE28 is launching its Mastering Series in Perth with admission currently reduced by 50%.

THE STAGE28 APPROACH

STAGE28 exists to challenge the assumption that psychological trauma is simply something organisations have to wait and respond to after the fact.

Our starting point is different:

WHEN SOMEONE IS INJURED, WHAT CAN WE DO?

Drawing on the mindset of emergency response — assess, act, reassess — STAGE28 explores whether a more purposeful approach to psychological trauma can reduce avoidable harm while helping organisations meet their responsibilities to their people.

MEET DR JOHN DURKIN

Firefighter. Psychologist. Researcher.

The history of STAGE28 began with John's early career as a firefighter, a diagnosis of PTSD and the loss of two mates to suicide.

Those experiences changed the direction of his life.

Determined to understand what could be done differently, John sought out people who had already confronted trauma — including peer-support teams within the NYPD and FDNY. He later took that experience into crisis intervention work with London's Metropolitan Police.

Following the 2017 London terror attacks and other mass-fatality incidents, John led a Metropolitan Police crisis response team working with officers and forensic personnel exposed to traumatic events.

John Durkin PhD now brings a rare combination of frontline experience, psychological expertise, research and practical knowledge of crisis intervention, psychological risk and posttraumatic growth.

His work has taken him from firefighting, through psychological research and crisis intervention, to working directly with people and organisations dealing with the consequences of traumatic events.

He is particularly interested in one question:

What can we do when trauma happens — rather than simply waiting to see what happens next?

Now approaching retirement from clinical psychological practice, John continues his work as a trainer, researcher and consultant.

STAGE28 is the next chapter of that work.

THE QUESTION STAGE28 WANTS LEADERS TO ASK

If one of your people experienced a traumatic incident tomorrow, would your organisation know what to do?

If the answer isn't an immediate yes, this conversation is for you.

Come prepared to challenge assumptions, examine the evidence and consider what your organisation would actually do after a traumatic event.

Includes: Certificate of Attendance

Info: Need to know - Nice to do - What to do and How

Info: How the WH&S regulations kept her alive

Info: Predicting PTSD, measuring changes, confirming recovery

Info: Debrief and Networking

Event venue & nearby stays

137 St Georges Terrace, 137 Saint Georges Terrace, Perth, Australia

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.

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