Psychological First Aid

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Psychological First Aid

• Presented by Jim Messina, Ph.D.,

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Objectives for Program

• Identify reason why individuals might need
  Psychological First Aid
• Identify components of Psychological First Aid
• Identify competencies, skills and strategies
  needed to provide Psychological First Aid
• Identify Triage for people needing PFA

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Why would Individuals need Psychological First
Aid?

• They may have experienced a crisis or trauma in
  their lives or the lives of others
• They may be very confused and caught off guard by
  the crisis or trauma which is happening in their
  lives
• They may feel overwhelmed by the need to problem
  solve the issues they have to deal with due to
  the crisis or trauma
• They need help to cope with their fears and
  worries stemming from their crisis or trauma

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Challenges Survivors of Crises Face

• Being part of the collective crisis facing the
  community in which they live
• Repeated exposure to surreal life experiences
  of their community members
• Having to maintain ones cool in face of
  emotionally difficult and exhausting
  circumstances
• Lacking sleep and feeling fatigued
• Feeling like no matter what gets done is never
  enough

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Other Obstacles Faced by People in Crisis

• Facing moral and ethical dilemmas in dealing with
  each other whose issues are not easily resolved
  by simple responses or answers
• Being exposed to anger and lack of gratitude of
  people in their community who feel the system
  has caused their problems
• Feeling frustrated by policies and decisions by
  the organization set up to deal with the crisis
  or trauma which they are facing

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The signs coming from survivors of their needing
PFA

• Wounded ideals and/or cynicism
• Feeling unappreciated or betrayed by organization
• Mistrusting everyone around them
• Loss of enthusiasm and/or inefficiency
• Grandiose beliefs about self-importance
• Heroic but reckless and/or antisocial behavior
• Neglecting personal safety and physical needs
• Excessive tiredness and/or sleep difficulties
• Inability to concentrate
• Symptoms of illness or disease
• Excessive use of alcohol, tobacco or drugs

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What is Psychological First Aid?

• The practice of providing a compassionate
  presence to people in crisis or trauma who need
  help because they are feeling stress, resulting
  from the traumatic situations within which they
  find themselves.

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Skills and Attitudes to be Effective Providers of
Psychological 1st Aid

• Good Listening skills
• Patient
• Caring attitude
• Trustworthy
• Approachable
• Culturally competent
• Empathetic
• Non-judgmental approach
• Kind
• Committed
• Flexible
• Able to tolerate chaos

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Why you should know how to provide Psychological
First Aid

• To create a compassionate environment for
  survivors to help them build their resilience
• To assess what a survivor might need at a
  particular time
• To provide immediate support to survivors in
  stressful situations
• To create a helping environment which helps
  survivors cope in the face of stressful events

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Psychological First Aid Actions to use with
Mental Survivors

• Making a connection with these survivors
• Helping them maintain healthy boundaries with one
  another
• Being kind, calm, and compassionate
• Meeting survivors basic needs
• Listening to them
• Giving realistic assurance to them
• Encouraging them to use good coping
• Helping them to connect with one another for
  emotional support

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Creating a Psychologically Supportive Recovery
Environment

• Providing sound guidance and support in their
  problem solving personal solutions
• Creating an open and sharing communications line
  with them
• Demonstrating and encouraging respect for
  confidentiality
• Creation of peer support system for mutual
  support, problem solving, advocacy, fun, rest,
  and recreation

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What lesson can be taught through Psychological
First Aid?

• What are the normal reactions to stressful events
  experienced by survivors
• How to be aware of ones tension and consciously
  try to relax
• Encouragement of the use of a buddy system
  between survivors
• Encouraging survivors to talk with someone they
  trust and with whom they feel at ease
• Encourage listening to what survivors say and
  think about the daily stresses

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Self-Help Psychological First Aid Strategies

• Use one of the following strategies to express
  your feelings on a daily basis
• Keep a daily journal about your feelings about
  what you experience as you pull out of the crisis
• Daily use painting or drawing art projects which
  help you get out the stress and anxiety faced in
  your recovery process
• Daily use playing or listening to music to get
  out the stress and anxiety you face
• Conduct a weekly or daily debriefing session
  with fellow survivors to tell your stories
  about the stressors experienced your process

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Triage to determine if Psychological First Aid is
not enough!

• If a survivor begins to show signs of physical
  and mental and mental fatigue where compassionate
  presence is not enough!
• If a survivor shows signs of excessively
  self-medicating
• If a survivor has excessively witnessed death of
  relatives, fellow community members or friends.
• If survivors have excessively witnessed serious
  injury to others

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Immediately refer Survivors for Outside
Professional Help

• If in triage you recognize that PFA is not enough
  refer out especially if you witness the survivor
• Threatens to harm or kill self or others
• Cannot be calmed after PFA attempts to comfort
  and respond to requests and/or needs
• Behaves erratically and exhibits questionable
  judgment, because of possible influence of
  alcohol or drugs
• Acts confused and disoriented, saying or doing
  things that do not make sense in the context of
  the situation and that may result in harm to self
  or others

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Can You Help Survivors of Crises?

• Through the use of Psychological First Aid
• You create an environment of compassion
• You show respect for the survivors
• You build up survivors capacity to cope with the
  daily stressors faced
• You encourage survivors to be resilient in the
  face of trauma, disaster, death, and destruction