PSYCHOLOGICAL FIRST AID!!!
Psychological First Aid (PFA)
What is Psychological First Aid?
Psychological First Aid
(PFA) is an evidence-informed approach that is built on the concept of human
resilience. PFA aims to reduce stress symptoms and assist in a healthy recovery
following a traumatic event, natural disaster, public health emergency, or even
a personal crisis.
Why use PFA?
Emotional distress is
not always as visible as a physical injury, but is just as painful and
debilitating.
After going through a
life altering experience it is common to be effected emotionally.
- Everybody who experiences a
disaster is touched by it
- Reactions manifest differently
at different periods of time during and after the incident.
Some common stress
reactions include:
- Confusion
- Fear
- Feelings of hopelessness and
helplessness
- Sleep problems
- physical pain
- anxiety
- Anger
- Grief
- Shock
- Aggressiveness
- Withdrawal
- Guilt
- Shaken religious faith
- Loss of confidence in self or
others.
While Physical First Aid
is used to reduce physical discomfort due to a bodily injury, Psychological
First Aid is a strategy to reduce the painful range of emotions and responses
experienced by people exposed to high stress
Goal of Psychological First Aid
The goal of
Psychological First Aid is to create and sustain an environment of:
1) Safety
2) Calm & Comfort
3) Connectedness
4) Self-Empowerment, and
5) Hope
Psychological First Aid
addresses basic needs and reduces psychological distress by providing a caring
comforting presence, and education on common stress reactions. It empowers the
individual by supporting strengths and encouraging existing coping skills. It
also provides connections to natural support networks, and referrals to
professional services when needed.
Psychological
First Aid is tool that each of us can use to reduce our stress level. By
understanding your stress reactions and utilizing Psychological First Aid
principles, you can enhance resilience in yourself, your family, workplace, and
community.
What is the difference between PFA and
counseling?
PFA is not traditional
psychiatric or professional mental health treatment, but rather a strategy to
reduce stress reactions by providing additional support to those who have been
affected by a traumatic or emergency incident.
Do I need to have a degree to use PFA?
No, Psychological First
Aid does not rely on direct services by mental health professionals, but rather
on skills that most of us already have.
Who needs PFA?
Psychological First Aid
can help everyone—children, adolescents, adults, elders, families, and
communities who have been exposed to a traumatic or emergency incident,
including responders and support service providers.
Is there a different PFA for children?
Psychological First Aid for
children and adolescents uses the same basic core strategies of: safety; calm
& comfort; connectedness; self-empowerment; and hope, but with
modifications to make them developmentally and age level appropriate.
Where do you use PFA?
Psychological First Aid
is designed to be simple and practical so that it can be used in any setting.
Psychological First Aid can be provided anywhere that trauma survivors can be
found - in shelters, schools, hospitals, private homes, the workplace, and
community settings.
Is PFA administered differently amongst
different cultures?
Psychological First Aid
encourages the use of “Cultural Leaders” for the provision of PFA services
within various cultural groups. While the core strategies remain the same,
inter-personal interaction and written communication should be adapted to
respect and fit the needs of the impacted culture.
What do I do if someone needs more help
than I can give?
When in doubt – consult!
While most people will recover on their own from a traumatic incident, some
people may need more intensive or professional support services.
If you feel that someone
needs more help than you are qualified to provide, speak with your supervisor
or a mental health professional on how to best assist the individual, or how to
refer them to on to professional mental health services.
Keep it simple!!!
Comments
Post a Comment