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Psychological First Aid
Critical Skills in an Unpredictable World
Psychological first aid (PFA) is as natural, necessary and accessible as medical first aid. Psycholgical first aid means nothing more complicated than assisting people with emotional distress resulting from an accident, injury or sudden shocking event. As with basic medical first aid skills, you don't need to be a doctor, nurse or highly trained professional to provide immediate care to those in need.
Emotional distress is not always as visible as a wound or the pain from a physical injury. However, overexcitement, severe fear, anxiety and misdirected anger can interfere with effective coping, thereby complicating or preventing an effective emergency response. First aid techniques can be applied to stress reactions of the mind as well as to physical injuries of the body.
Psychological First Aid is...
Practical frontline emotional assistance Easy to learn, recall and apply A way of preventing harmful behaviors Likely to increase the success of an overall emergency response
Psychological First Aid is not...
Debriefing Counseling Psychotherapy Mental health treatment
Who Should Receive Psychological First Aid Training?
Following a violent or traumatic event, psychological first aid is best delivered by those immediately available to the victims and witnesses of the incident. In addition, this type of emotional support is best provided by those who know the organizaiton and individual employees well, not strangers or external resources.
In a large-scale disaster or an act of terrorism, emergency mental health services may not be immediately available. Community-based disaster mental health services are typically not initiated until hours or days after an event, depending on a number of life-safety issues. Employee Assistance Program (EAP) counselors may also be delayed in responding to your organization's immediate needs due to travel and safety concerns. The best resource for psychological first aid are the employees and supervisors who work within your organization everyday. Candidates for psychological first aid training often include:
Executive Managers Frontline Supervisors HR Professionals Health & Safety Professionals Security Officers Floor Wardens Crisis Team Members Peer support personnel
...and other employees with good interpersonal skills.
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The Psychological First Aid Responder Training Program
The Psychological First Aid Responder training program (PFAR) prepares employees to respond to emergency situations within their organizations. XBRM's concise, comprehensive psychological first aid training program is designed to help your organization anticipate and respond to the immediate emotional impact of disasters, terrorism and other crises in the workplace. Psychological First Aid Responders can assist others in coping with the emotional consequences of the situation by applying practical techniques for supportive communications, assisted coping and verbal de-escalation. This model of emotional assistance is consistent with the recommendations of the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. It is designed for both mental health professionals and non-professional helpers.
The PFAR training program is based upon a 7-hour curriculum lead by XBRM's expert instructors. The program uses didactic and role plays, video case studies and group exercises to transfer a practical skill set to those in your organization identified as potential PFA responders.
Participants receive the full-day of instruction, Certificate of Completion and a Psychological First Aid Kit including the PFA Skills laminated wallet card, PFA Quick Reference Manual and PFA Responder pin. The program equips participants with a knowledge of:
Defining Psychological First Aid (PFA) The role of the PFA responder in a crisis Common emergency stress reactions (ESRs) ESR response guidelines Assisted coping techniques Supportive communication skills Fear management strategies Restoring emotional equilibrium with the P-D-C approach Verbal de-escalation skills for assisting aggitated individuals When and how to access disaster mental health services Care for the caregiver: Managing secondary traumatic stress
It is important to remember that the best sources of help during emergencies are professional responders. However, in situations when professional responders are not immediately available, caring people will want to act and help. History has demonstrated this point time and time again. The PFA Responder course teaches practical skills that people can use to safely help while waiting for professional responders. The alternative is to do nothing and this is not in our nature.
The PFAR training program can be customized to meet the unique challenges within your organization and industry. Programs can be provided on-site at your facilities or at XBRM's New York City offices/conference center. To discuss pricing and logistics, please contact our main office at 800.280.6606.
For more information about the program, please contact our offices at: 800-280-6606 or e-mail info@xbrm.com
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