The Voices of War 9. Philippa (Pip) Weiland - Perspectives of an Army Psychologist
My guest today is Pip Weiland. She commissioned into the Australian Army Psychology Corps in 2003, and in her career performed diverse roles across clinical, organisational, professional development, research and staff positions. She has deployed to the Solomon Islands, Iraq, and to Afghanistan on two occasions. Whilst deployed to Afghanistan, she was the lead in the critical incident response to Australian Army soldiers killed in action. She ended her military career in 2020, as the Commanding Officer, 1st Psychology Unit.
Pip was awarded a Conspicuous Service Cross in the 2018 Queen’s Birthday Honours for the superior management of several sensitive, high-profile matters including the immediate psychological response to witnesses to the death of a soldier in training.
Pip is passionate about evidence-based treatments and has a special interest in psychological resilience and the mental health issues associated with exposure to combat. She is now a Regional Director for Open Arms – an organisation focused on providing mental health and wellbeing support for current and ex-serving Australian Defence Force personnel and their families.
Some of the topics we covered are:
- Psychological screening on operations
- Stigma surrounding psychological treatment
- Truth about ongoing employability despite mental health challenges
- Critical incident management in response to death on operations
- The importance of the ‘tribe’ for mental wellbeing
- The process of identity creation in the military
- Suicide rates in defence members
- Treatment of mental health challenges
- Services offered by Open Arms
This was another hugely insightful episode that touched on many aspects of mental health challenges experienced by veterans and their families. For our Australian audience, particularly around ANZAC Day, please look out for one another and reach out to any of the numbers below if you or someone you know may need a helping hand:
All-hours Support Line
(1800 628 036 / +612 9425 3878 if O/S)
Open Arms (VVCS)
1800 011 046
1800 IMSICK
(1800 624 608)
Defence Community Organisation (DCO)
Defence Family Helpline
1800 624 608
http://www.defence.gov.au/dco/
Lifeline
13 11 14
Suicide Call back service
1300 659 467
https://www.suicidecallbackservice.org.au
Soldier On
1300 620 380