Psychological First Aid

Psychological First Aid

Over the years, the presence of distressing events such as natural disasters, war, fires, and accidents have been linked to major physical damages and loss of life as well as property. However, psychological issues resulting from exposure to this event have also increased, which creates the need to address them to reduce their impact and suffering it causes on humans. For instance, loss of loved ones, separation of families, or witnessing violence can result in various emotional reactions and feeling which are different among individuals depending on their coping capabilities. During such a situation, the provision of Psychological First Aid (PFA) is crucial in offering support to the victims of the event, which is achieved by offering care and support, basic human needs, listening and comforting to speed up their recovery process. Apart from that, PFA can be considered as an alternative to the psychological debriefing which can be offered by anyone to individuals with severe life-threatening injuries and those who are upset t an extent that they cannot care for themselves and are at risk of hurting self or others. Besides, it can be offered anywhere as long as the environment is safe for the person and the provider.

Strategize to promote responsible help

During disasters or distressing events, individuals face a lot of challenges that call for help to enable them to meet their needs, feel better and safe. However, it is worth noting that the objectives of providing the service to them will be more effective when the safety, dignity, and rights of the individuals are respected. These will involve avoiding putting them at risk further by protecting them from psychological and physical damage, treating them with respect and in accordance with their social and cultural norms, and enabling them to access services without discrimination and working to their best interest. These apply to all the individuals irrespective of their age, gender, or ethnic background.

It is also crucial for the individuals providing help to observe and adapt well with the people’s culture to minimize issues of conflict. This is crucial because culture determines how individuals relate, how to communicate as well as what is considered right or wrong. Therefore, having a better understanding of how they dress, their beliefs and religion, language, gender roles, and their behavior will be vital in facilitating responsible help to them. Furthermore, being aware of other emergency response measures present will help in providing relevant information such as the resources available and how they can be accessed. It is also the responsibility of the care provider to take care of their own well-being as well as that of his/her family members. This is because, the exposure of the events in the crisis situation might have an impact on the life of the individuals providing the aid. Thus, they must ensure that their physical and emotional well-being as well as those of their team members is good for them to help others effectively.

Provision of PFA

The success of PFA will depend on various crucial factors such as good communication, and doing the necessary preparation before provision of help. The manner in which individuals providing services to the victims of distressing events should take into consideration the fact that the individuals might be in early stages of grieving process. Thus, they might exhibit confusion, anxiousness and might also be upset about themselves. This emphasizes the need to listen, observe privacy, being patient, offering information that the individuals can understand better and providing factual information among others. Also, the person needs to have adequate preparation to have a better understanding of the issue in order to facilitate proper delivery of the services. This is done through leaning about the event, for example, the causes and the time it too place, the available resource and support together with safety and security issues. For example, knowing areas to avoid entering or dangers that may be present in the environment.

Apart from that, there are three basic action principles that needs to be observed while providing the PFA. This include “look” for safety, people with clear urgent basic needs and those in serious distress reaction, “listen” by approaching those who may need support, asking about their concerns and needs and helping them feel calm. Thirdly, it is crucial to ‘link” by giving information, helping cope with challenges and helping the individuals’ address their basic needs. Observation of the three action principles is critical due to the fact that crisis situation change rapidly. Therefore, it is important to take time in making observation before offering any help because it will give the individual an opportunity to be calm, safe and think before they act. Besides, identification of individuals who needs special attain in crisis such as children, people with health challenges and disabilities and those at risk of discrimination needs to be done to facilitate delivery. However, ending the help provided to the victims will depend on factors such as the role of the individual, the context of the crisis and the needs of the people in needs. Besides, it strongly depends on individual’s judgement of the issue.

Caring for the Self and Colleagues

The individuals providing helps to victims of distressful events may be affected directly or indirectly by the crisis situations. Thus, it is crucial to prepare adequately by learning about crisis situations and responsibilities that can be taken as well as taking important considerations such as personal health and other issues that may cause stress. Besides, it is also crucial to make an honest decision on the readiness to offer help to the victims. Apart from that, managing stress that may result from day-to-day activities, mainly during crisis is essential. This will be done through application of effective strategies such as taking rest, talking to friends, minimizing intake of alcohol and checking out other volunteers among others.

Conclusion

Conclusively, distressful events in the world are present and they result in not only physical damage of property and loss of life but also psychological issues among individuals exposed. Psychological first aid involves offering support, human basic needs, listening and comforting the individuals to enhance the recovery process. Apart from that, the individuals providing the help need to observes the rights, dignity and safety of the individuals they serve. They should also adapt well with the culture and norms of the society to help then interact and deliver services to the victims effectively. PFA success is also dependent on communication and application of the action principles of look, listen and link which influences issues of decision making including those to end help. However, it I the role of the individuals offering help to take care of themselves as well as those they work with through effectives strategies of managing stress.