Military and First Responder roles present significant challenges and unique experiences for individuals and their families.
Stress Resilience and Functioning is an 8 week skills based program that empowers participants to gain an understanding of how their service identity has influenced their self perception and life perspective. SRF is targeted at Military and First Responder personnel and is squarely aimed at better personal and interpersonal functioning, through improved skills in reflective practice and active (and effective) efforts to change the way they respond to stress and stressful situations. The program is delivered in a group setting to 8-15 participants and facilitated by lived experience peers.
SRF was developed by Associate Professor Jonathan Lane (FRANZCP) and builds on previous programs that have displayed favourable outcomes for workshop participants. Dr Lane's work has proved extremely successful with previous participants through the delivery of culturally specific content to small groups of people who are able to easily relate with the peer focused facilitation model.
Research has shown improved clinical outcomes when using group facilitation, lived experience peer facilitators and culturally specific content, all of which SRF embodies.
Stress Resilience and Functioning is delivered over 8 weeks. Explore the program content.
Week 1 - What is stress?
- Understanding what stress is (stress can be good and bad).
Week 2 - Understanding emotions.
- Understanding emotions and using values to guide effective coping behaviours .
Week 3 - Stress management.
- Understanding your role in managing stress and using values based behaviour for stress management.
Week 4 - Tools for emotional regulation.
- Psychological skills and tools for emotional regulation.
Week 5 - Service culture.
- Service culture, self-identity, and transition stressors.
Week 6 - Interpersonal relationships.
- Interpersonal Relationships and maximising quality psychosocial supports.
Week 7 - Maximising quality relationships.
- Maximising quality relationships, boundaries and meeting needs and wants.
Week 8 - Conflict resolution and summary
- Managing conflict.
What makes Stress Resilience and Functioning different
Custom Learning Management System
The SRF program comes backed by our custom designed Learning Management System. Workshop participants will have access to the system not only for the duration of the program, but in the weeks post completion to ensure that content is able to be consolidated. Our goal is to not just provide training, but to facilitate lasting change. Key benefits of our learning system include:
- Access to additional resources beyond the core program, including video content and links to other resources.
- Enhanced accessibility through captions, transcripts and audio descriptions to support diverse learning needs.
- Options for ongoing engagement with workshop facilitators and other participants.
Core Principles Validated Through Research
The SRF program is culturally specific to personnel in the Military and First Responder roles. The small group format reflects Service learning experiences, ensuring that participants have an opportunity to contribute, the ability to learn from each other and recognise the expertise they bring to the room.
Outcomes are evidence based and use validated psychological tools for stress and distress management. The content is presented in an approachable and engaging format by lived experience facilitators. The content is research backed and operates within a clinical governance framework.
Licensing Model
One of the key strengths of the SRF program is the ability for Frontline Mental Health to train peer facilitators in your workplace, equipping internal personnel to deliver the program. Your facilitators will have access to exclusive resources via our Learning Management System, ensuring that ongoing support is provided to keep your trainers up to date with current resources and best practice.
Adaptable beyond Service roles
Due to the SRF principles being relevant across all industries, SRF was adapted to meet the needs of organisations outside of the Military and First Responder space. This program is particularly relevant to those in team leader or management roles, either as stand alone leadership training or as part of your existing professional development.
Watch Matt's SRF presentation from the 2025 Frontline Mental Health Conference
Organisations that have benefitted from the SRF Program
