Need help now?
Psychology and Wellbeing Support Services at St John WA is a team of mental health professionals dedicated to supporting the wellbeing of team members and their families.
As of June 2026, the PAWS team is made up of:
2 x Regional Coordinators supporting the Southwest and Wheatbelt
4 x Coordinators across Urban & Coastal Districts (North, South, Central)
4 x Coordinators across regional areas, including the Upper Midwest, Lower Midwest, Northwest, and Goldfields
2 x WOSO team members operating out of Belmont and Wangara
The Wellbeing Operational Support Officer (WOSO) roles are part of the PAWS team. This role provides timely operational wellbeing support across the state through live monitoring of the CAD software and psychological support to our call takers.
WOSOs primarily operate from the State Control Centres (SCC) in Belmont and Wangara and provide support to team members and operational leads, particularly following challenging or traumatic incidents.
The role forms part of St John WA’s early intervention strategy, helping extend wrap-around care for team members who may have experienced difficult situations.
Current WOSO coverage:
If your allocated WOSO is unavailable during shift, support can still be accessed through the PAWS team and the 24/7 wellbeing line.
Regional PAWS Coordinators support team members located in remote and regional areas of Western Australia.
Their role is to:
Regional Coordinators help ensure team members receive the right support in a way that suits their local community.
No, PAWS does not currently have therapy dogs. However, we work closely with Dogs for First Responders (D41R) to help facilitate therapeutic visits within St John WA. PAWS also collaborates with Jo Ruck, Operations Lead for North Urban and Coastal, to support a new wellbeing initiative. This includes a therapy dog in training, available at selected locations and times to provide additional support and comfort.
For more information, check out D41R visit and Introducing Koda.
PAWS provides confidential psychological and wellbeing support for St John WA team members
Support includes:
Referral pathways to external providers.
Check-ins
PAWS may send an initial SMS and arrange a follow-up call or session if needed. Our follow-ups can be via telehealth (phone or video), or in-person.
Supportive counselling
Short-term or ongoing support for any mental health or wellbeing concern.
Consultation and advice
Guidance regarding concerns affecting:
Referral support
Recommendations and assistance connecting with external providers, including follow-up support while engaging in external care.
Clinic-based sessions
One-to-one wellbeing sessions with our qualified coordinators, tailored to individual needs and goals.
Risk assessments
Clinicians can assess risk concerns and work collaboratively with individuals to develop appropriate safety plans.
Debriefs
Please contact us if you’d like to discuss how we can assist with a debrief.
PAWS is unable to:
PAWS supports team member wellbeing but isn’t involved in workplace investigations. However, PAWS can:
This may include referrals for:
If you are unsure about your needs, please contact the PAWS 24/7 line or email for guidance.
Family members of PAWS clients can access our 24/7 line at any time, and our team can provide immediate support and guidance. While we endeavour to provide as much support as possible, if your family member requires ongoing support, we encourage them to access the external providers available through SJA for ongoing care.
Wellbeing Respite (WBR) is a short-term temporary break from regular duties following a triggering incident or accumulated stress.
WBR may range from approximately:
It is designed to provide early psychological support through:
WBR is individualised and developed collaboratively between the team member and leader.
Repeated WBR unrelated to a specific incident may lead to a Fitness for Work review to ensure ongoing safety and wellbeing.
For more information check out the FAQ on Connect.
Peer Supporters are St John WA team members who have completed ongoing training and supervision to ensure they are equipped to assist in supporting their peers.
They provide:
You can find more information on Wellbeing Supporters on Connect.
PAWS Referrals
PAWS receives referrals through several established pathways:
Operational leaders may contact PAWS to request wellbeing follow-up for team members involved in difficult or traumatic incidents, or work-related matters.
PAWS receives an automated report each day summarising traumatic incidents across the state from the previous 24 hours.
This assists the team in identifying personnel who may benefit from a wellbeing follow-up.
However, not every crew or individual involved in an incident is always captured within these systems. As a result, PAWS may not always be aware of every person impacted by a job.
We continue working to improve these systems and supports, but we strongly encourage team members to contact PAWS directly if:
Lack of contact is never intentional and does not mean your wellbeing is unimportant.
WOSOs within SCC monitor incidents in real time.
When a significant or potentially traumatic incident occurs, WOSOs may:
Together, these pathways help ensure team members are identified and offered appropriate wellbeing support as early as possible.
PAWS are notified about the submission of Violence and Aggression and Psychological Injury IRs. We are not notified of any other IR type.
Unless specifically requested otherwise, PAWS will contact:
The purpose of follow-up is to:
If you are listed only as a witness on the IR, you may not automatically receive contact from PAWS. However, you are always welcome to contact the PAWS 24/7 line directly or email PAWS for support.
If you have submitted an IR where PAWS is automatically notified, but would like follow up immediately, please reach out to PAWS via the methods of contact listed above.
PAWS can only follow up based on the information received through referral pathways and reporting systems.
Not all incidents, crews, or personnel are consistently captured in automated reports or notifications. This means there may be times where someone impacted by a difficult incident is unintentionally missed.
We continue working to improve our systems and processes; however, we strongly encourage all team members to contact PAWS directly if:
Accessing PAWS
PAWS office hours are:
WOSO team members operate across four-day rosters aligned with their allocated shift groups.
PAWS also operates a dedicated 24/7 confidential wellbeing line available to:
All SJA team members
The line can be used during or after office hours.
PAWS can be contacted through:
You do not need to be in crisis to contact PAWS. We can assist whenever support is required, which may include:
You are welcome to contact PAWS:
If you are unsure whether PAWS is the right support option, please contact us and we can discuss the most appropriate pathways available.
No. PAWS services are free for eligible team members and their family living in the same household.
There is:
PAWS supports are unlimited, including access to the PAWS 24/7 line.
Support can be accessed:
Because PAWS is an internal wellbeing service, there is no fixed session cap. Ongoing treatment planning may be discussed to ensure support remains targeted and beneficial.
Yes. All contact with PAWS is confidential.
This includes:
Information is handled with care and professionalism.
The main exception is where there are serious concerns about:
In these situations, appropriate information may need to be shared to ensure required support and safety measures are in place. Wherever possible, this will be discussed with you beforehand.
PAWS Clinic and Sessions
Yes. PAWS offers appointments:
Clinic location:
Coolamon Building, 209 Great Eastern Highway, Belmont WA 6104
The following people are eligible:
Yes. A PAWS Coordinator can assist with arranging appointments with external providers.
A list of providers is available here:
Eligible team members and eligible family members can access:
Family members access their own allocation and do not reduce the allocation of the team member.
No. External provider sessions remain confidential.
External providers do not share personal information with PAWS, and invoicing does not include identifying details.
PAWS can assist with:
Supporting Others
You can refer a team member for a check-in or psychological support by contacting the PAWS team directly with relevant details.
For matters related to work
If PAWS have been notified to contact team members through the above referral pathways, consent is not required, as we have a duty of care to respond to any potential impact that work may have on a team member’s wellbeing.
For personal matters
PAWS do need to obtain the team member’s consent before making a referral. This ensures their privacy and comfort are respected while still enabling appropriate support.
Once consent is provided, you can share their:
You can contact PAWS via:
Alternatively, if the team member does not provide consent, you may encourage the individual to contact PAWS directly in their own time.
Observers, students, junior doctors, and other placement participants may also be impacted by difficult incidents attended during shifts.
If PAWS is notified of an incident involving a paramedic student or observer, the team will aim to make contact where appropriate.
Observers and students are encouraged to:
If you are concerned about an observer or student following an incident, you are encouraged to discuss available support options with them and encourage early help-seeking.
PAWS is committed to ensuring wellbeing support is delivered ethically and safely to our clients.
If a PAWS clinician has a personal, professional, supervisory, or organisational relationship with you, it may not be appropriate for them to provide ongoing counselling support. This is in line with the guidelines of both APS and PACFA codes of ethics.
Where a conflict of interest is identified: