What is Psychological First Aid and who can receive it?
Psychological First Aid (PFA) is an evidence-informed approach that provides a framework for offering humane, supportive, and practical help to fellow human beings across the lifespan (children through older adults) who have suffered traumatic events (shootings, suicide or sudden death, accidents, rape) or personal stresses (e.g. job loss, divorce) in ways that respect their dignity, their culture, and their ability.
PFA is part of a broader response to large humanitarian emergencies and is built on the concept of human resilience. PFA aims to reduce stress symptoms and assist in a healthy recovery who have been recently experienced a stressful or traumatic event, natural disaster, public health emergency, or even a personal crisis.
PFA has been endorsed by many international agencies including the World Health Organization (WHO) even for global disasters such as the global pandemic, the war in Ukraine, or in the Middle East and reflects the emerging science and international consensus on how to support people in the immediate aftermath of stressful events.
Where is PFA Offered?
PFA can be offered in private clinics or centers, or in community settings, such as close to the scene of an accident, or in health centers, disaster shelters or camps, schools, and other distribution sites or via video but must be offered in a place that is safe and affords the person some privacy to speak. Click here to contact us or reach out to us at (212) 595 9559 or 914 385 1150 and press extension 1 if you are experiencing stress or have just gone through a traumatic or stressful event and would like some help adjusting to it.
What PFA is not?
PFA is not to be mistaken for Psychological Debriefing or Critical Incidence Stress Debriefing, which have not been shown to be effective, and it is not psychotherapy or counseling, which may not be necessary for all individuals who have suffered a traumatic event. PFA does not invite a detailed or chronological discussion of the traumatic event or asks someone to analyze what happened to them or pressures people to share their feelings and reactions to an event.
When is PFA offered?
PFA may be offered during, immediately after an event or days or weeks after the event, depending on the severity and duration of the event or when it is requested.
What is the goal of PFA?
The goal of PFA is to reduce the initial distress caused by traumatic events and to facilitate short- and long-term adaptive functioning and coping. The goal of PFA is also to help people who feel powerless, isolated and traumatized to build the strength to help themselves and regain control of their situation as far as possible.
What does PFA involve?
PFA involves having a trained clinician meet with the person who has experienced a traumatic or stressful event. Broadly, the encounter is intended to be supportive, helpful, calming and non-intrusive. The clinician will primarily listen, support, and calm individuals, and normalize stress reactions. The trained PFA clinician also assesses and understands immediate, urgent needs and concerns, and provides or links the individual to practical help and supports that can provide further help, if needed. Clinicians trained in PFA typically only has one encounter with the individual who needs help.
However, clinicians with broad training in evidence-based mental health can work with individuals for more than one session based on the needs and requests of the person who is or has undergone a stressful or traumatic event and offer PFA plus. Trained clinicians who can offer Psychological First Aid Plus can provide PFA and can provide continued support and skills to minimize negative coping that could increase distress and impede recovery and skills to promote positive coping to reduce distress and promote adaptive functioning. Click here to contact us or reach out to us at (212) 595 9559 or 914 385 1150 and press extension 1 if you are experiencing stress or have just gone through a traumatic or stressful event and would like some help adjusting to it.
References
McGinn, L. K., Bonavitacola, & L., Buerger, W. (2023). Disaster trauma. Cognitive Behavioral Strategies in Crisis Intervention (Fourth Edition). Eds. Dattilio & Freeman, A. NY: Guilford Press.
McGinn, L. K., & Spindel, C. B. (2007). Disaster trauma. Cognitive Behavioral Strategies in Crisis Intervention. Eds. Dattilio & Freeman, A. NY: Guilford Press.
Padesky, C. A., Candido, D., Cohen, A., Gluhoski, V., McGinn, L. K., Sisti, M., Westover, S. (2002). Academy of Cognitive Therapy's trauma task force report.
The World Health Organization: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241548205
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network https://www.nctsn.org/
The Veterans Agency https://www.ptsd.va.gov/