From Cpl Sean Burton in East Timor
TEN years ago it would have been impossible to imagine a Psych Support Team (PST) on operations, but these days they are permanently in the AO doing pro-active face-to-face work with soldiers.

Where once Army psychologists sat back in cities recruiting and taking the odd counselling case, times have changed to keep up with the ADF’s operational tempo.

A PST is now an important asset to commanders on operations, to the great satisfaction of the 300 members of the psychology corps which is celebrating its 50th anniversary next month.

OC PST – East Timor Maj Mike Lines said the decision to deploy teams on operations had been a great step forward, allowing psych personnel to provide help where it was most needed and also to have the ability to identify with soldiers’ experiences.

“I see myself as a soldier first, an officer second and a psychologist a distant third,” he said.

“Most of the Australian soldiers are on the border so we are down here providing a service, and we have to understand what the soldiers are talking about. We are here for the soldiers so wherever they are we should be as well.

“We have to be accessible to everybody – I have spoken to everyone from diggers up to the major general.

“Soldiers go into harm’s way so we have a responsibility to look after them. If they get hurt we look after them medically, so if they get hurt emotionally and mentally we should look after them as well.”

WO2 Graham Roberts said the PST EM conducted Return to Australia screenings on units redeploying to Australia from East Timor.

“Day to day in EM we conduct return to Australia screening where soldiers get an opportunity to unload and talk about their deployment so they can get everything off their chests and hopefully not take it home to there families,” he said.

The positives to being on the PST team included the chance to do the job, help the local people and the UN allowances.

“We are not in the soldiers’ chain of command so confidentiality kicks in and they can really let go, it’s like a stress-release before they get home.

“Apart from clinical services and mental health issues, the PST is able to conduct testing during operations for corps transfers and SF testing, so soldiers can keep their career moving even during an overseas deployment.”

Maj Lines said that Psych Corps had learnt some hard lessons from past deployments, operations and conflicts but was now pro-active with an emphasis on education and prevention.

“I believe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has always been there for soldiers but society didn’t want to talk about it.

“Attitudes have changed, people are willing to talk about it now and ask for help, people are doing something about it to rectify it and lessen the impact of conflict.”

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