She and daughter Michaela Smith - who both live in Canberra - were staying at her parents' home in Sunshine Bay when the fires raged dangerously close to the property.

They feel lucky to escape with their lives and their home still standing. But they are among thousands who are now processing what they experienced on the night and days that followed, with the idyllic South Coast changed forever.

Psychologists say ensuring safety, hope and connectedness are all crucial elements to dealing with the trauma experienced.

University of South Australia mental health expert, professor Nicholas Procter, said it was essential the emotions experienced by many people, both those directly affected and those watching the crisis unfold, were recognised.

Ms Gould's mother, Pat Bill, said the support of her community in Batemans Bay has helped her deal with the trauma they've been through. She's amazed at the strength of those who have lost everything.

"I think we all thought we were going to die," she said

"Leading up to Saturday we really thought we were going to die. We slept in our car."

Mrs Bill has stayed at home in Sunshine Bay where there is no power or water at homes and everyone is leaning on each other for support.

"Everyone has been amazing, we all keep going back to to community centre so we can talk about the trauma that we've all been through," she said.

It was her and her husband's wedding anniversary on Monday - but both of them forgot all about it.

While having the benefit of being able to return to their home in Canberra, Ms Gould and Michaela are still dealing with the trauma they experienced on the South Coast. As the fires approached, they fled to Corrigans Beach, where they were surrounded by fires

"We saw the fires from the beach going across and then we saw black smoke and all of a sudden it just went red," Ms Gould said.

"It was a traumatic experience that I could never fully explain, it's pretty raw still and surreal. I was scared. I had Michaela. I had to get home safe and I had to care for mum and dad."

They then went to an evacuation centre at Hanging Rock where they were overwhelmed with the generosity of others.

"They fed us, they welcomed us and it was a beautiful community spirit," Ms Gould said.

Michaela said she was focused on looking after her mother and grandparents and making sure they were calm.

"But then when everything went up around us that's when I got scared, and that's when I went to mum crying," she said.

Professor Procter said service providers and government needed to understand the devastating effects of trauma distress, recognise potential paths for recovery, and do all that was possible to actively resist re-traumatisation.

"People and their regions have been significantly impacted - life as people knew it has changed," he said.

"Impacts are being felt immediately and for a small number this will continue for many years to come. The loss of life, property, familiar surroundings and estimated loss of millions of animals is devastating."

Professor Lisa Gibbs from the University of Melbourne said research showed there were five essential elements to a short term intervention after a mass trauma event.

They are: a sense of safety, calming, a sense of self and community efficacy, contentedness and hope.

She said it was important to keep children informed about what was happening

"They'll try to make sense of it themselves and sometimes that can be scarier than what's actually happening," she said.

"They should have enough information about what's happening without being overloaded."