Psychological First Aid is a type of disaster response that focuses on the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being of a person immediately after a traumatic event. There may be instances where you may need especially when with colleagues and friends. Continue reading to know more about it.
What is Psychological First Aid?
This is a type of intervention to promote safety, stabilize survivors, and connect individuals to resources and help. As an initial response to disasters and traumatic experiences, Psychological First Aid or PFA is intended to assess and respond to the immediate concerns of individuals in the aftermath of a disaster, rather than to provide on-site therapy.
Who can provide PFA?
PFA may be conducted by first responders, healthcare workers, and even staff of the building or establishment who are trained in it. While PFA doesn’t require advanced medical training, it is crucial that the person providing this psychological response is prepared and has the fundamental expertise in managing trauma among disaster patients.
What are the beliefs of PFA?
It is believed that survivors, witnesses, or responders to disastrous or traumatic events may be vulnerable to new challenges after the event. This does not mean that they will necessarily develop mental health issues or long-term difficulties, but there is an understanding that people affected by such events are prone to experiencing a wide range of early, negative reactions. Some of these reactions may cause enough distress that it will interfere with how they adapt to and cope with new situations following the event. Thus, recovery can be aided by support from disaster responders.
What are the 8 core actions of PFA?
The core actions of PFA include the following, usually in this order:
● Initiating contact and engaging with the survivor, which involves responding to the call of or initiating contact with a survivor of an event, sometime after the event occurs
● Providing a sense of safety and comfort by providing physical and emotional support
● Calming, stabilizing, and re-orienting emotionally overwhelmed survivors
● Identifying the immediate needs and concerns of survivors, including gathering additional information and tailoring PFA interventions to that specific survivor
● Offering practical assistance to survivors to address immediate needs and concerns
● Establishing brief or ongoing contacts with support persons or other sources of support, including family, friends, and communities of the survivor
● Providing information about coping, stress reactions, and adaptive functioning
● Linking survivors with available services they might need at the time or in the future
Note that PFA is not limited to these actions alone, but these are the initial responses to traumatic events that are most helpful to survivors.
Why is PFA necessary?
Psychological First Aid is necessary to ensure that survivors, witnesses, or responders to a traumatic event can function well beyond the experience. It ensures that these people can move on by addressing the most time-constrained concerns first. PFA is not meant to replace or replicate post-traumatic therapy, which can extend until long after the event is over, but rather it is done days up to weeks after the event occurs to identify and address immediate distress.
How can you benefit from PFA?
PFA is a proven method for addressing the psychological effects of past outbreaks and pandemics such as SARS and COVID-19. It is a crucial intervention for reducing the
negative impact of traumatic events on individuals who have experienced, witnessed, or survived disasters. PFA can help to prevent maladaptive reactions which can hinder the
recovery process of those affected. PFA benefits people from all backgrounds and cultures, both men and women. Safety and comfort are at the center of PFA, making it particularly important for communities affected by disasters. PFA helps to manage stress and anxiety in both the general population and health workers, allowing them to recover more quickly and fully from traumatic events.
What comes after PFA?
After PFA, negative symptoms can still manifest. Long-term reactions may include unpredictable mood swings, flashbacks of the disastrous event, strained relationships, and even physical symptoms like nausea or phantom pains.
For some people, PFA is not enough to fully recover, especially if the event they experienced was particularly traumatic. Trauma is an emotional response to a terrible event, and it is different for everybody. If you have experienced a traumatic event and PFA has not been enough to help you recover completely, you may want to consider further help from a mental health professional, like trauma therapy.
Key Takeaway
In this article, we have provided an overview of PFA, including its core actions, the context in which it is used, and its importance. We have also discussed ways in which
individuals can utilize PFA in the aftermath of a disaster or traumatic event.
If you feel the need for either PFA or trauma therapy, our team of doctors and mental health professionals from our Mind Care Center will be glad to help you. Contact
PERPETUAL HELP MEDICAL CENTER-LAS PINAS for your health and well-being concerns.