Psychology Services for Police and First Responder
Sarah has extensive experience providing psychological services to police and other first responders.
From 2004 - 2014 Sarah worked at Victoria Police, and from 2021-2022 at the Australian Federal Police, providing a broad range of psychological services to police members and specialist squads. Since 2014, Sarah has worked with current serving and retired police members, paramedics, and ADF members in her private practice, providing psychological treatment for PTSD and general mental health concerns.
First responders can experience symptoms of acute stress or trauma following a critical incident or a particularly graphic, disturbing or complex job. For some first responders, these symptoms occur during or immediately after they attend the job. For others, their symptoms might not surface for months, years or even decades. For many first responders, it is the accumulation of many jobs over an extended period of time that eventually can lead to the experience of PTSD and other mental health concerns. Most first responders manage and cope extremely well for several years even decades before they start to notice signs of their work impacting them. For many, frustrations with the organisation and workplace can also contribute to stress and mental health concerns.
Police members and other first responders often find it hard to seek assistance for stress, trauma and other mental health-related problems. Often because of stigma associated with having a problem and asking for help, concerns about confidentiality and the effect on their career, or difficulty knowing where to go for support. Sarah has an in-depth understanding of the unique demands of the policing and emergency services roles, the characteristics of these organisations and the way that these members approach counselling.
Sarah is a clinician with Bluehub, a specialised mental health treatment service for Victoria Police police and Victorian-based AFP members provided through TPAV.
Police Recruit Applicant Assessments
If you are an applicant for the Victoria Police force, or a police force in another jurisdiction, you might be required to complete a psychological assessment as part of your Application process.
Your GP might have to complete a medical and psychological assessment, and might ask you to have the psychological assessment completed by a psychologist.
Dr Pearse is experienced and qualified in conducting psychological assessments of recruit applicants to the police force.
You DO NOT need a referral in order to see Dr Pearse for a Police Recruit Psychological Assessment.
The components required for the Psychological Assessment might be different for each Applicant, but will most likely include:
Interpretation of the Psychometric assessment results conducted by the police force.
A psychological Interview with Dr Pearse (in her office or via Zoom).
Provision of a full Psychological Assessment Report and/or Provision of a Statement of Psychological Suitability to you, your GP and/or Police Recruitment.
Feedback from Dr Pearse on the results of the Assessment prior to releasing her Recommendation including the opportunity for you to ask Dr Pearse questions.
In some cases, further psychological testing and further psychological interviews might be required. For example, where there is psychiatric history or psychiatric diagnoses. This might involve additional costs.
The cost of the Psychological Assessment will vary depending upon the components required and the complexity of each Applicant's situation and will be assessed by Dr Pearse on a case by case basis.
Please contact reception on (03) 9783 7724 or sarahpearsepsychologist@gmail.com for further information and to make a referral.
“Bravery is not the absence of fear, but action in the face of fear"
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Police members can refer themselves privately to see Sarah, or be referred through their GP, TPAV or Bluehub.
For further information about the Bluehub program and/or Trauma-related conditions in police and emergency services please see: