A Townsville woman who crochets soft toys to manage her anxiety is now providing emergency services with trauma toys to calm children.
Townsville Trauma Toys started when Maz Gough had an anxiety attack, and police were called to her home for a welfare check.
"My children overreacted to me having a panic attack and thought I was actually attempting suicide," Ms Gough said.
During the visit, Senior Constable Dayel Kerley noticed Maz's crocheted toys and suggested she make them for emergency services.
Police find trauma toys very effective
Trauma toys or trauma teddies are soft toys used to calm children when emergency services attend their home or an accident site.
Snr Constable Kerley said the toys were incredibly effective.
"That calms the children down, and it takes their focus away from what is happening at that particular incident," Snr Con Kerley said.
"They are not looking at mum and dad, or they are not looking at the car that they are in, and we can communicate with them through the doll," she said.
Ms Gough has found that crocheting the trauma toys helps manage her anxiety and has given her purpose.
"If I can do the little unicorns and help a child or an adult … it takes me away from my mental illness," Ms Gough said.
"I'm nearly 50, and I just feel like I have found a purpose for the first time," she said.
Maz Gough is on her way to achieving her goal of 100 trauma toys; police say they could definitely use more.
Snr Con Kerley said since coronavirus, Townsville police were attending twice as many mental health incidents, and domestic violence incidents have also increased.
"We would attend probably two domestic violence incidences per car, per day, so there is a great demand for [the toys]," Snr Con Kerley said.
Trauma Toys Townsville is inviting the community to get involved through donations of wool or by making toys.
