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IF YOU ARE IN CRISIS PLEASE CALL 000 IMMEDIATELY     000  |      

The Code 9 Foundation provides a place of support for current & veteran professional first responders & 000 operators who live with PTSD, depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions that result from their service to the community.

This support is available both in the ‘virtual world’ as well as via organised Peer to Peer ‘Catch-up’ nights, Coffee meet ups and other formal events.

The path through mental illness can be an isolating and lonely road.   At Code 9 we reach out and teach one another that they are never alone in their respective journeys, and we protect, support and encourage one another to do what is necessary to recover.

WHAT IS PTSD?

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that can occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event ...

DIAGNOSIS & TREATMENT

Diagnosis should be carried out by a qualified practitioner. We have listed the criteria required for the diagnosis of PTSD....

HOW TO GET HELP

If you believe you are suffering from PTSD you should seek clinical help immediately. Here are some suggestions...

Donate Now

code 9 paypal qr codeHelp The Code 9 Foundation to provide more life saving assistance dogs to those suffering from PTSD.
Your donation will assist The Code 9 Foundation in supporting the mental health of current and veteran first responders, 000 operators, and their partners and carers through a range of projects and activities.

What we do

Code 9 help first responders and their families directly by:

  • Offering a safe space for first responders to connect and receive support and advice.
  • Supporting families with meals
  • Providing mental health referral
  • Providing respite weekends
  • Facilitating mental health forums
  • Provide crisis accommodation
  • Providing peer support catch up groups, both in person and online
  • Sponsoring assistance dogs

Thanks Code 9...

“Finding out it wasn't just me was huge. Especially chats at the couple of meetings I went to. Just knowing that I wasn't alone was so important to recovering."

- Police Officer

To Don and the admins of C9 who have gone over and beyond to support a member of this page, I cannot express how great full I am for your supporting this member and the impact you have made on their life. The simple joy I heard when he returned home from hospital today I wish I could share with all members but am mindful of confidentiality. I encourage members to reach out if you are in need this page and admins are amazing and have been life changing with their contributions to my friend and their recovery. Alone we are lost, together we are United!!! Thankyou code 9 for all you have done for my amazing friend!!!!!

- Friend of Paramedic

Just want to publicly thank Code 9 for their generosity and for really "walking the walk". ...

Code 9 contacted us and organised (and paid for!) about 10 days worth of home-made frozen evening meals to be dropped off. It's seems a small gesture and wasn't about financial hardship for us, but it really took the pressure off us time and effort-wise. Just one less thing to fret about, that has made a HUGE difference, particularly as we live in Melbourne and have just gone back into lockdown....”

- Anonymous

"The Code 9 Group is a safe haven for its members to establish contact with other police and emergency services personnel who are travelling the same PTSD road. The shared experiences, knowledge and camaraderie help re enforce the notion that members are never alone during their struggles with this insidious injury." 

- Paramedic

"Pretty happy with the contact and camaraderie, can't find it too many other places."

- Police Officer

"This group equates to a strong rope ladder, thrown down the dark hole, and providing the encouragement to climb into the light."

- Firefighter

"If there's one thing this site has showed me, is that I am never alone. "

- Police Officer

"This group with its meetings and Facebook messages has brought me out of the isolation I encountered from my PTSD. I have many new friends and even caught up with some old ones as well. Code 9 has been and is invaluable."

- Police Officer

"This group has given me a place to be me where I don't get judged."

- ESTA Operator

"My life is pretty good. I have great family and friend support. I have a fantastic health team. We have a definitive diagnosis of PTSD and other illnesses and my multitude of drugs generally keep me well. However despite how well I was travelling with my illnesses, I was often lonely in my diagnosis. Ostracised from work I had no comradeship, no one to have a coffee with. After 23 years there was no one who knew me for the awesome copper I was, no one to recognise me now that I was ill. To all my support I wore the smiling face but bore the saddened soul. Then someone put me on to Code 9, and I have found that missing piece of the puzzle. I have laughed, I have cried, I have supported and have been supported. I have found a group of troubled survivors fighting to make sense of work, sick leave, Workcover, medical retirement and beyond. Finding out where it all fits into life to keep themselves alive. I’m finally not alone."

- Police Officer