PROFILE
Keith Banks is one of Queensland's most decorated police officers, a recipient of the Bravery Medal and twice awarded the prestigious Queensland Police Valour Award medal, among other honours.
He is the best selling author of two autobiographical books which document his experiences as a Queensland police officer as an undercover operative and a special weapons tactical operator over two decades. His police experience left him with undiagnosed chronic Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), anxiety and depression.
Access to psychological counselling provided by the Queensland Police Service did not exist in that era and, although he maintained an outwardly confident and calm manner, beneath the surface Keith was battling the demons of PTSD. In 1995 he resigned to accept a senior corporate role in risk management, emotionally broken and leaving the job he loved, knowing that if he stayed it would destroy him.
He completed a Master of Business Administration in 2000 and subsequently worked in a variety of senior executive roles, the most recent as Chief Operations Officer for a membership association. In 2019 he was formally diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and took this as a positive, now knowing he had not been imagining his mental health struggle.
Keith started writing about his police experiences as part of self-motivated therapy, hoping to give his family an understanding of his mental health challenges and to help them comprehend the causes. He finished his first manuscript and to his great delight, it was published by Allen and Unwin Publishing in 2020. This motivated Keith to write a second book, a raw account of his battle with PTSD and his recovery, published in 2021.
The success of both books has provided a platform for Keith to help achieve his goal of enabling others who are affected to understand they are not suffering alone. His aim is to help people build resilience and to recover.
As part of his passion for authentic discussions to destigmatise the conversation about mental health, Keith is a volunteer peer support officer for Police Veterans Victoria and an advocate for similar organisations to be established throughout Australia.
Keith is a passionate advocate for changing the way mental health is regarded, discussed and supported and has helped those affected by trauma to find a path to recovery through open conversation and engagement.
SPEAKING TOPICS
Personal Mindset and Communication
Keith talks about his lived experience with PTSD, and the need to be honest and authentic with ourselves and others.
Affirmation and connection are as necessary as breathing. The world needs authentic leadership, both in the workplace and in our personal lives.
Resilience and Recovery
We all have some degree of trauma, that’s the result of living. Sometimes this trauma becomes too painful to bear and can result in tragic consequences. Keith shares his story of recovery and the lessons he has learnt that we can all use to enrich our own lives, both personally and professionally.
Mental Fitness
Just as we invest financially, we must also invest in our mental fitness daily so we can truly enjoy life. Keith speaks about what he terms ‘Superannuation of the mind’ and how we can start today.
