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Training kit
Module 5: Psychological first aid
Important elements of PFA
• Active listening
• Stay close
• Accept feelings
• Provide general care and
practical help
Focused on skill building in
supportive communication
Attitudes
• Being trained in PFA
provides you with generic
skills that can be used for
a variety of reasons,
including in you personal
life
• People that you assist as
staff and volunteers
• Family
• Friends
• Colleagues
• Neighbours
• And You – helps raise
your awareness and
facilitates actions
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A majority of people wants to help
• They are afraid to do
something wrong
• To make things worse
• To be in the way
• To be confronted
• Through trainings and
advocacy they are
empowered to
• Act
• Support
• Understand
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Flexibility
Different national societies
wants to develop their PFA
tools based on their own
experiences
Good examples are
• Norwegian, British,
Sweedish and Danish,
Georgian, Myanmar
And many others…..
• They can use our
approches, and adopt to
fit local context
• We should advice not
decide
• What we can do is
consult with and ask to
follow the 5 principles
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Empirically supported intervention principles
Intervention and prevention efforts at the early to mid–term
stages after a disaster include promoting:
1) Sense of safety
2) Calm
3) Sense of self– and community efficacy
4) Connectedness
5) Hope
Hobfoll et al. (2007) and TENTS guidelines (2010)
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Restoring family links
• Link up to ICRC
• Help get in touch with loved ones
• Information
• Waiting time
• Support when when bad news have been conveyed
• Together with ICRC we are discovering how we can work together,
to improve and strenthen the link between psychological first aid and
RFL
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PFA a core function of PSP of IFRC and
of the movement the RC Movement
• In a diverse range of
programs
• In disasters, conflict
situations, recovery
programmes, social
services
• Diverse or stand alone
• Principle of humanity:
Psychosocial support is the
heartbeat of humanity!
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Other principles
• Humanity
• The humanitarian imperative
• Being the face of humanity
• Code of conduct
• According to local context
• Participation
• Involvement of affected people in developemnt of services
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Statements about PFA
“PFA is a term that originated toward the end of World War II. It has
been used with a variety of meanings in the literature, and this range of
interpretations has reduced the term’s usefulness.”
Jacobs, G.A. & Meyers, D. (2005)
“There is an absence of direct evidence for the effectiveness of PFA
but indirect evidence supports the delivery of services based on the
principles of PFA in the first few weeks after a traumatic event.”
Bisson, J.I. & Lewis, C. (2009)
“Psychological first aid has been recommended by many international
and national expert groups, IASC (2007) and the Sphere Project
(2011).”
WHO (2011)
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What is Psychological First Aid (PFA)?
• PFA is an evidence-informed modular approach
• PFA aims to help children, adolescents, adults, and
families in the immediate aftermath of disaster and
terrorism and other critical events
• PFA is designed to reduce the initial distress caused
by traumatic events
• PFA aims to foster short- and long-term
adaptive functioning and coping.
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Sphere (2011) and IASC (2007)
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• People will experience a broad range of reactions
Varied reactions
• Distress may interfere with adaptive coping
Reactions cause distress
• Support provided by compassionate and caring disaster responders
Recovery can be supported
• To reduce the initial distress and to support adaptive functioning and coping
Aims of PFA
The Psychological First Aid (PFA) approach
Sphere (2011) and IASC (2007)
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Non-intrusive, practical care and support
Assessing needs and concerns
Helping people to address basic needs
Listening to people, but not pressuring them to talk
Comforting people and helping them to feel calm
Helping people connect to information, services and social supports
Protecting people from further harm
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something that only professionals can do
professional counseling
a clinical intervention
“psychological debriefing”
a detailed discussion of events or putting events in order
asking someone to analyze what happened
pressuring people to tell their feelings and reactions
Sphere (2011) and IASC (2007)
The personal touch
• Difference between First Aid and Psychological First Aid
• Although it is a stepwise approach and based on basic
principles, it will not be provided in the same way by
different volunteers, in different contexts and in different
situations
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Training kit
Module 5: Psychological first aid
Important elements of PFA
• Active listening
• Stay close
• Accept feelings
• Provide general care and
practical help
Focused on skill building in
supportive communication
Local interpretations based on the five
principles of resilience adapted to local
context
• Translated vesion of the manual in to:
• Russian, Mongolian, French, Spanish, Chinese,
Japanese, Georgian, Arabic, Sinhalese and probably
many more
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PFA as part of immediate disaster
response
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Core Actions
Preparing to Deliver PFA
1. Contact and Engagement
2. Safety and Comfort
3. Stabilization
4. Information Gathering
5. Needs and Current Concerns
6. Practical Assistance
7. Connection with Social Supports
8. Information on Coping
9. Linkage with Collaborative Services
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Action principles of PFA
Look
• safety
• obvious urgent basic needs
• serious distress reactions
Listen
• People who may need support
• people’s needs and concerns
• Listen and feel calm
Link
• Basic needs and access services
• Help people cope with problems.
• Give information.
• Connect people with loved ones and social support.
So which guideline/manual should you use?
Training kit Module 5: Psychological first aid (IFRC)
Training in supportive communication.
Sequential particpatory exercises.
Psychological First Aid Field Operations Guide (NCTSN)
For emergency rescue workers, Western settings.
Example dialogues, detailed instructions and questionnaires.
Psychological First Aid – Guide for Field Workers (WHO)
Developed for LAMIC, emphasis on cultural adaption.
Case work with action principles.
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How do you train PFA?
How do you train PFA in your NS?
• How do you make it applicable and practical in field settings?
• How do you address developmental levels across the lifespan?
• Do you aim to make it culturally informed?
• How do you evaluate trainees?
• How do you maintain the teams?
• How do you maintain their skills?
• Do you provide supervision?
PSYCHOLOGICAL FIRST AID