It is a desolate landscape razed of flora and fauna during the November bushfires, and Kiwarrak State Forest near Tinonee mirrors vast swathes of land destroyed on the Mid North Coast.

Tuncurry is home to the CatholicCare Social Services director and he says: "Driving through a devastated area and seeing so much loss and so many people without their homes, it's absolutely heartbreaking."

His family is rallying to support his sister-in-law's parents as they work through the emotional challenges of losing their home in Rainbow Flat.

"It's been awful watching family go through the devastation of losing their home and having to rebuild," Gary said.

The process of individual and community recovery in the wake of a natural disaster is complex, and trauma will impact lives and the region long after the first and second responders have left.

"That's what drives me to do what we do at CatholicCare - to help people, to make sure we are there to provide any support that we can," Gary said.

"Disasters are a bit like when someone has a death in the family; everyone brings the casseroles and after a week or two everyone goes.

"However, it's not until two, three, four weeks on, and then months down the track that trauma starts to hit, and the grief starts to hit."

He is championing the need for people directly impacted by bushfires to care for their mental health, and says CatholicCare will provide free counselling.

"People will be trying to rebuild properties, to deal with issues with insurance companies, to deal with the devastation of having lost everything, so we want to provide counselling in the long term," Gary said.

"Everyone has a role to play in helping people to heal after trauma, not just counsellors. It's so important to ask, are you OK? and for people to recognise signs of mental health issues.

"Trauma impacts mental health in different ways; it can be feeling more sad than you usually would, not sleeping, having fits of rage or anger, crying uncontrollably, rapid weight loss, overeating, and of course turning to alcohol and other drugs in a way where it becomes dangerous.

"Those things are indicators and I think mental health needs to be a whole of community approach, so that we are checking on each other.

"If you know someone who is affected, and they aren't getting help, then help them to get help."

CatholicCare Social Services is not limiting its support to counselling, with Gary sharing the organisation will work to provide wrap-around support that meets the need of the individual.

"People are trying to rebuild properties, to deal with insurance companies, to deal with the devastation of having lost everything, so we want to provide counselling in the long term, but also, people might have others needs, and those needs might not be necessarily be for clothing and furniture - it might be food, it might be child care, it might be a need for some financial support to get them moving forward.

"We don't have a huge bucket of money but we can certainly individualise the support that we provide, and if we can't provide it, then we will send people to where they can get it from. We want to provide help and hope."

To access CatholicCare Social Services assistance contact the Taree office on 6539 5900.

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