Psychological First Aid

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PFA Foundations - Aid Amidst Chaos

  • Definition: Humane, supportive, practical help for individuals experiencing serious crisis events. It is not professional counselling or psychological debriefing.
  • Core Goals:
    • Provide safety (physical & emotional).
    • Offer comfort & calm.
    • Link to information, practical aid & social supports.
    • Empower; foster adaptive coping.
  • Key Principles: Respect safety, dignity, rights, culture. Non-intrusive.

    ⭐ PFA aims to reduce initial distress and promote short & long-term adaptive functioning.

Psychological First Aid (PFA) provides humane, supportive, and practical help to individuals suffering from serious crisis events. It is a non-intrusive approach.

  • Look: Assess safety, urgent needs, and distress reactions.
    • Prioritize safety for yourself and the affected person.
    • Identify individuals with obvious urgent basic needs (e.g., water, shelter).
    • Recognize signs of serious distress (e.g., panic, withdrawal).
  • Listen: Approach, inquire about needs, listen actively, and help calm.
    • Make contact respectfully.
    • Ask about their primary concerns.
    • Employ active listening skills; validate feelings.
  • Link Up: Connect individuals with information, loved ones, practical support, and services.
    • Provide accurate information about the event and available help.
    • Facilitate contact with family/friends.
    • Assist in accessing essential services.

⭐ PFA is not professional counseling or debriefing; it's about providing immediate support and reducing initial distress to foster long-term adaptive coping. It does not involve diagnosing or labeling individuals with psychiatric disorders.

PFA Communication - Empathetic Engagement

  • Core Principles:
    • Listen actively: Hear their story; don't interrupt. Focus on understanding.
    • Show empathy: Understand & share feelings. Not sympathy.
    • Be non-judgmental: Accept their reactions without criticism.
    • Validate concerns: Acknowledge their distress as real.
  • Key Techniques:
    • Use calm, soft tone. Maintain respectful presence.
    • Culturally appropriate eye contact.
    • Reflect feelings: "It sounds like you are feeling..."
    • Provide factual, simple information; avoid jargon.
    • Respect silence; don't force talk.

⭐ Empathetic listening is crucial in PFA. Focus on understanding the survivor's perspective and feelings without imposing your own views or solutions on them.

PFA Conduct Code - Dos & Don'ts Guide

  • Core Principles (Do):
    • Respect safety, dignity, and rights.
    • Be honest, calm, and compassionate.
    • Listen actively; offer practical support (e.g., food, water, information).
    • Provide accurate information; link to services.
  • Key Prohibitions (Don't):
    • Don't force individuals to share their story.
    • Don't make false promises or give false reassurances.
    • Don't judge actions, feelings, or beliefs.
    • Don't pathologize; distress reactions are often normal.
    • Don't share survivor details without explicit consent.

⭐ PFA is about providing humane, supportive, and practical help to fellow human beings suffering serious crisis events; it is not professional counselling or therapy.

PFA Adaptations & Self-Care - Tailored Aid, Sustained Care

  • PFA Adaptations:
    • Children: Simple language, play, involve caregivers.
    • Elderly: Address sensory/mobility issues.
    • Cultural sensitivity: Respect beliefs, practices.
  • Responder Self-Care (Crucial for sustained aid):
    • Recognize stress: Burnout, compassion fatigue.
    • Strategies: Buddy system, debriefing, rest, limit exposure.
    • 📌 HEART (Self-Care): Healthy habits, Emotional awareness, Ask for help, Rest, Team support.

⭐ Responder self-care is vital for effective aid and preventing secondary trauma. Not selfish, but essential.

Psychological First Aid: ASSIST Method

High‑Yield Points - ⚡ Biggest Takeaways

  • PFA is an immediate, supportive response; not professional counseling or debriefing.
  • Core actions: Look (assess), Listen (understand needs), Link (connect to help).
  • Prioritizes safety, comfort, practical assistance, and emotional support.
  • Special attention to vulnerable groups: children, elderly, disabled.
  • Do not force victims to talk; respect their pace and privacy.
  • Aims to reduce initial distress and promote adaptive coping.
  • Can be delivered by trained laypersons or first responders_._

Practice Questions: Psychological First Aid

Test your understanding with these related questions

All are provisions of WHO mental health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP), except:

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Flashcards: Psychological First Aid

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Rate of cooling after death is more in _____ and old people (demographic)

TAP TO REVEAL ANSWER

Rate of cooling after death is more in _____ and old people (demographic)

children

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