Support for PTSD

August 11, 2022 BY

By Lachlan Ellis

The ‘soldier on’ mindset still remains for some men when it comes to mental health issues, but a local man with counselling experience wants to help Moorabool men open up.

Don Fairlie from Ballan has worked on the MensLine, counselling men with concerns about mental health, and is in the early stages of planning a Moorabool support group for men with PTSD.

Mr Fairlie has PTSD himself, and said that he hoped the group could address a lack of support for men with PTSD in the Shire.

“I’ve been a sufferer from PTSD most of my life, and I just think a men’s group would be a good way of supporting other blokes. Just talking in a confidential way is important, as the matters discussed are usually quite personal,” Mr Fairlie told the Moorabool News.

“There are some blokes who are really doing it tough, who might value some support. As far as I can see, there are no other support groups here in Moorabool.”

There is no obligation for anyone calling Mr Fairlie to join the support group, he said – even if they just want to ask questions or have a chat, that would be “absolutely fine”.

And while chatting about PTSD isn’t a substitute for professional help, Mr Fairlie says it can be a helpful first step.

“It’s hard for men more so than women to open up, but once they take the first step to doing it, and know that it’s not going to be a pressure thing and that it’s confidential, it might help them. If they want to just ring me to have a chat about it initially, without committing themselves, that’s fine too,” he said.

“I would encourage men in the first instance just to give me a ring without the need for any commitment…they can just chat, if they feel it’s not for them, well that’s okay. I think it’s a bit harder to get support in the regions, with a bit of isolation…I thought I could do with a men’s group, and there’s probably other blokes out there that could too.”

The support group is only an idea at the moment, with no concrete plans on where meetings will be held or how often – but Mr Fairlie envisages meetings once a fortnight, “hopefully in a neutral place, depending on where people would like to meet, with maybe five or six members”.

If you’re going through PTSD and feel like a confidential chat would help you, call Don Fairlie on 0467 711 039.