PSYCHOLOGICAL

FIRST AID
ATTY. ORVILLE T. DELA CERNA
ATTORNEY III – DEPED-DIVISION OF CEBU PROVINCE
1. Psychological First Aid (PFA)
Psychological First Aid (PFA)

1. Making a connection
2. Helping people be safe
3. Being kind, calm, and compassionate
4. Meeting people’s basic needs
5. Listening
6. Giving realistic assurance
Psychological First Aid (PFA)

7. Encouraging good coping

8. Helping people connect
9. Giving accurate and timely information
10. Making a referral to a Disaster Mental Health worker
11. Ending the conversation
12. Taking care of yourself
Providing PFA:
It’s Action Principle:

(1) LOOK,
(2) LISTEN,
(3) LINK
Manifestations of Trauma
1. Avoidance: numbing, detachment, or absence
of emotional responsiveness; reduction in
awareness of surroundings; feeling of not being
oneself or watching from the outside; inability to
recall important aspects of the trauma
2. Re-experiencing: recurrent images, thoughts,
dreams, flashbacks. Repetitive play may occur
in which themes or aspects of the trauma are
expressed.
3. Increased anxiety: difficulty sleeping, irritability,
poor concentration, anger, hypervigilance, or
restlessness.
Preschoolers
2-5 years
 They may become anxious and clingy
 They may take a step backward in development
(Sucking thumbs, wetting beds, refusing to go to sleep,
waking at night)
 They may become aggressive in their play.
 The may play the same game over and over.
 They may express magical ideas about the event
(Daddy died because I was bad. I was raped because I
did not obey my father)
 Though they may say they are having fun in a play, they
may look sullen or angry.
School-age Children
6-12 years
 They may revert to developmentally earlier coping
mechanisms, such as an ego-centered view. (He died
because I had bad thoughts about him). Or worse is
selective mutism.
 They may blame themselves for the event to compensate
for the helplessness.
 They may feel uncertain about the future.
 Change in school performance.
 They may test their parents’ rules: oppositional and testy
 Interruption in relating to a best friend
 Sleep disturbances.
 Reckless play
 They may talk about the supernatural and other magical
thinking topics: e.g., ghosts
Teenagers
13-18 years
 They often feel that only their peers can understand
what they’re going through. Therefore they avoid
parents and parents become concerned.
 Risky behaviors
 Negative self-image
 They may engage in revenge fantasies
 Either they intensify or withdraw from their
developmental tasks.
 Signs of depression. Suicide attempts
Post-Trauma Stress
Symptoms are
NORMAL reactions
to an
ABNORMAL situation.
 How do we listen with empathy?
 DO encourage them to verbalize their ideas
and feelings.
Establish contact
Maintain a natural relaxed posture
Use natural gestures and verbal statements

 DO communicate what you understand of what

the person has said.
Listen to the basic message
Restate a concise and simple summary
Observe a cue or ask for a response
Admit confusion if uncertain of the meaning
Ask for clarification
 How do we listen with empathy?

 DO reflect emotions, content, and experience

“You are feeling very scared and sad by all of these. . .”
“You are very angry at the government/ God.”
“You are thinking: ”How could this happen to us?”
“You lost your home and family members, you are
extremely sad and grieving your loss.”
“You are wondering how you are going to rebuild
and survive in the next couple of days.”
 How do we listen with empathy?

 DO acknowledge and validate their emotions,

content, and experience.

“These feelings of anger and hurt are very real. It is

understandable to feel what you are feeling.”
“After going through what you did, you are feeling
panicky when it starts to rain. The ABNORMAL
REACTIONS that you are experiencing ARE NORMAL
REACTIONS TO ABNORMAL SITUATIONS.”
“I acknowledge and understand your experience of not
feeling safe. This is natural after what you have
gone through.”
How do we steer paradigms from victims to SURVIVORS?

 DO highlight adaptive coping strategies.

“Maayo gani kaayo na bisag naay trahedya nahimo gihapon nato
na matinabangonon ta og mag lingaw-lingaw og magkinatawa ta.”

 DO highlight strengths (positive traits).

“Napanid-an nako or na-obserbahan gani nako na ikaw na tawo
kay dali ra kaayo makabalik o makarekober sa trahedya.”

 DO highlight resources.
“Nadungog nako sa imong istorya na daghan man diay ang
nitabang nimo: ang imong pamilya, imong mga ig-agaw, imong
silingan, imong higala.”
 Facilitation is NOT
 Probing or asking too much
Don’t force people to talk if they don’t want to. If they
forget details, this might be better for them.

 Evaluating, judging, or moralizing

“Na obserba gani nako na wala man kay nahimo…”
“Eh, unsa man diay? Gi-ingnan na bitaw mo na
pahawa na kay taas na ang tubig…”
“Mga sal-an man gud mo, maong gi-baha mo.”

 Giving Advice
“Kung ako ikaw…”
“Eh, may pa lagi…”
 Facilitation is NOT
 Going straight to action points
“Sa akong paglantaw morag kinahanglan na ka magpa
doktor o magpakita sa psychiatrist.”
“Kahibalo ka, himo a na lang tanan nimong mabuhat.”
“Panglimpyo na lang oi. Pangita og trabaho.”

 Minimizing the person’s situation

“Kami gani nawagtangan og tibuok balay, imoha awto
ra.”

 Making the person feel better

“Okay lang yan!” “Kayang - kaya mo ‘yan!”
 People do better over the
long-term if they…
 Feel safe,
connected to
others, calm &
hopeful
QuickTime™ and a

 Have access to
decom pressor
are needed to s ee this picture.

social, physical &

emotional support
 Regain a sense of
control by being
able to help
themselves
Do (Angay Buhaton)

1. Promote Safety

• Help people meet basic needs for food

& shelter, and obtain emergency
medical attention.

• Provide repeated, simple and accurate

information on how to obtain these.
Do (Angay Buhaton)
2. Promote Calm

• Listen to people who wish to share their stories

and emotions and remember there is no wrong
or right way to feel.

• Be friendly and compassionate even if people

are being difficult.

• Offer accurate information about the disaster or

trauma, and the relief efforts underway to help
victims understand the situation.
Do (Angay Buhaton)
3. Promote Connectedness

• Help people contact friends or loved

ones.

• Keep families together. Keep children

with parents or other close relatives
whenever possible.
Do (Angay Buhaton)
4. Promote Self-Efficacy

• Give practical suggestions that

steer people towards helping
themselves.

• Engage people in meeting their

own needs.
Do (Angay Buhaton)

5. Promote Hope

• Find out the types and locations of

government and non-government
services and direct people to those
services that are available.

• Remind people (if you know) that more

help and services are on the way when
they express fear or worry.
DON’T (Dili Angay Buhaton)

1. Force people to share their stories with you,

especially very personal details (this may
decrease calmness in people who are not
ready to share their experiences).
DON’T (Dili Angay Buhaton)

2. Give simple reassurances like

“everything will be OK” or “at least you
survived” (statements like these tend to
diminish calmness).

3. Tell people what you think they should

be feeling, thinking or doing now or how
they should have acted earlier (this
decreases self-efficacy).
DON’T (Dili Angay Buhaton)

4. Tell people why you think they have suffered by

alluding to personal behaviors or beliefs of
victims (this also decreases self-efficacy).

5. Make promises that may not be kept (un-kept

promises decrease hope).
DON’T (Dili Angay Buhaton)

6. Criticize existing services or relief activities in

front of people in need of these services (this
undermines an environment of hope and calm).
Providing PFA:
It’s Action Principle:

(1) LOOK,
(2) LISTEN,
(3) LINK
 FACILITATING THE ACTIVITIES

 GIVE DETAILED AND COMPLETE INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO DO THE

ACTIVITY
 EXECUTE THE ACTIVITY PROPER
 SOLICIT THE EXPERIENCES OF THE PARTICIPANTS
 FACILITATE THEIR LEARNINGS FROM THE ACTIVITY
 ASK HOW THEY CAN APPLY THEIR LEARNING IN REAL LIFE SITUATIONS

ELA = EXPERIENCE + LEARNING + APPLICATION

MODULES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL
FIRST AID
 MODULE 1: VALIDATING AND NORMALIZING FEELINGS

 MODULE II: CALMING DOWN AND CONTROLLING ONE’S

EMOTIONS

 MODULE III: LINKING: IDENTIFYING AND ADDRESSING

NEEDS

 MODULE IV: SOURCES OF STRENTH

MODULE I: VALIDATING AND
NORMALIZING FEELINGS
OBJECTIVES:

Knowledge/Values
- Identify their feelings/reactions related to the disaster
- Accept that all feelings and reactions are normal and valid

Behaviors
- Express one’s feelings through art and body movement
MODULE II: CALMING DOWN AND
CONTROLLING ONE’S EMOTIONS
OBJECTIVES:

Knowledge/Values
- Identify positive ways to manage one’s emotions

Behaviors
- Practice calming down using a relaxation exercise
MODULE III: LINKING: IDENTIFYING
AND ADDRESSING NEEDS
OBJECTIVES:

Knowledge/Values
- To identify one’s current needs and those of one’s family

Behaviors
- Take note of the important numbers and information regarding who
to approach for their needs
MODULE IV: SOURCES OF STRENTH

OBJECTIVES:

Knowledge/Values
- Identify personal, social and emotional sources of strengths during
and in the aftermath of the disaster/stressful situation
Behaviors
- Identify their internal and external sources of strenth
Bangon Visayas, Bangon Pinoy!