Target Audience
This workshop is designed for various mental health professionals including psychologists, psychiatrists, psychological counselors, social workers, healthcare providers, and anyone interested in learning practical skills to provide psychosocial support in times of crisis. No prior knowledge about psychological first aid is required.
Description/Purpose
Psychological First Aid (PFA) is an evidence-based intervention that aims to support people who have experienced significant distress in the aftermath of crisis events. It is derived from basic principles of psychosocial support and aims to mitigate initial distress, promote resilience and natural recovery. This intervention addresses ensuring safety, promoting being calm and connected to others, instilling hope and access to physical, emotional and social support. As the world faces increasing crisis that challenge mental health of communities, it has been essential to enable mental health professionals and community members to be competent in terms of providing immediate, humane, and compassionate psychological support to those in need. This workshop is designed to introduce the basic principles and practices of Psychological First Aid. Through seminar, group discussions and case studies, participants will gain knowledge about common psychological reactions after a crisis event and develop the skills to effectively respond to affected individuals.
Learning Objectives
After this activity, you will be able to:
- Define Psychological First Aid (PFA) and its key principles and understand its theoretical background and its role in mental health interventions during crises and traumatic events.
- Distinguish what is PFA and what PFA isn’t.
- Recognize the various signs of common psychological reactions exhibited by individuals facing crisis situations and gain an insight about different reactions to the same crisis.
- Gain a comprehensive understanding of three action principles of PFA (i.e., Look, Listen, Link).
- Demonstrate basic helping skills that are necessary to establish trust with affected individuals, through practicing active listening skills and empathy in case scenarios and enhancing your ability to provide non-judgmental support.
- Gain practical skills by discussing how to apply each principle of PFA in practice through case examples.
- Evaluate your own self-care strategies and potential stress reactions while providing PFA and utilize PFA principles to manage your own distress.