Psychological First Aid 05: Practical Assistance

Practical Assistance

Offering practical help

The Practical Assistance stage of Psychological First Aid (PFA) aims to offer practical help to survivors in addressing their immediate needs and concerns. When someone experiences a traumatic event, their early responses can lead to distress that interferes with coping. PFA is a disaster relief technique developed by the National Child Traumatic Stress Network and the National Center for PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).

The goal of this intervention is to provide safety, stability, and resources to people in the immediate aftermath of a traumatic event, thereby increasing their abilities to cope.

Here are some key points about Practical Assistance in PFA:

Not On-Site Therapy

PFA is not professional mental health care. Instead, it connects with people in the aftermath of a disaster by providing resources and support for their immediate needs. Laypeople (individuals without professional credentials) often perform PFA.

Key Characteristics of PFA

• Immediate & Practical: Delivered right after a crisis, it addresses immediate needs like food, water, shelter, and information.
• Non-Clinical: It’s conversational and supportive, not a formal therapeutic intervention; it avoids delving deeply into trauma details.
• Focus on Calm & Safety: Aims to promote safety, calmness, and connection, helping people feel more grounded.
• Empowering: Encourages existing coping skills and connects people to their support networks and professional help when needed, according to Minnesota Department of Health and GoCrisis.
• Delivered by Many: Can be taught to and performed by frontline workers, volunteers, and community members, not just mental health professionals, notes Caring For Care and Verywell Health.

What PFA Isn’t

• Therapy: It’s not counseling or a substitute for professional mental health treatment.
• Intrusive: It respects privacy and doesn’t force people to share their stories or relive trauma.

In essence, PFA is about “humanitarian assistance” for the mind in the first hours and days after a disaster, creating a foundation for recovery

Core Components

PFA includes eight core components:

• Making initial contact
• Ensuring people are safe and comfortable
• Calming and orienting people
• Identifying people’s immediate needs
• Offering practical assistance
• Connecting people with resources
• Providing coping strategies
• Linking people to collaborative services

Guiding Principles

• The need for individuals to feel safe, connected, and hopeful.
• The importance of access to support.
• The value of self-reliance.

History

Although the concept of Psychological First Aid was introduced in the mid-20th century, it gained traction as a disaster response after 9/11. Mental health experts widely endorse and advocate for PFA as an early intervention for disaster survivors.

Immediate Stress Reduction

Reducing immediate stress with Psychological First Aid (PFA) helps survivors cope long-term by fostering safety, calm, and connection, reducing acute distress, and linking them to resources, which promotes better mental health trajectories and resilience, though more robust evidence is needed to definitively prove PTSD prevention. PFA provides practical support and stabilization, not therapy, and its effectiveness lies in addressing immediate needs, enhancing functioning, and building a foundation for recovery.

How PFA Reduces Immediate Stress

• Core Actions: PFA focuses on providing practical help, connecting people to support, offering coping info, and linking them to services (e.g., food, shelter, medical).
• Key Principles: It aims to create a sense of safety, calm, efficacy, and connectedness, reducing the overwhelming feelings from trauma.
• Supportive Approach: It’s a humane, non-intrusive, and culturally sensitive method that respects dignity and culture, unlike therapy which requires professional training.

Impact on Long-Term Coping

• Improved Functioning: Studies show PFA can lead to improved adaptive functioning and resilience in the short to intermediate term.
• Reduced Symptoms: It helps decrease symptoms of anxiety, depression, and general distress, laying groundwork for better mental health.
• Foundation for Recovery: By stabilizing individuals early, PFA helps prevent severe, long-lasting psychological problems, even if it doesn’t directly prevent PTSD in all cases.

Evidence & Limitations

• Positive Findings: Reviews indicate PFA has positive impacts on mood, safety, and connection, and reduces anxiety.
• Evidence Gaps: While widely used, more rigorous studies are needed to definitively prove PFA prevents PTSD and to standardize best practices, as protocols vary widely.

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