Psychosocial Support and Protection Training: Ethiopian Red Cross Society Danish Red Cross

THE RESILIENCE PROGRAMME FOR YOUNG MEN · DAY 1
PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT AND PROTECTION

TRAINING
ETHIOPIAN RED CROSS SOCIETY

DANISH RED CROSS
Ahmed E. (BSC psyciatry)

INTRODUCTION
SESSION 1
INTRODUCTION
OBJECTIVES
Participants have a better understanding of the protective factors

that can impact the psychosocial wellbeing of people in
emergencies. Participants understand the relevance and
necessities of protection and provide basic PS activities to affected
population as well as to ensure peer support for volunteers and
staff.
PRE-TEST
WHAT IS PSS?
SESSION 3
Exercise
1. Have you ever supported people affected by disasters?

If so, what support did you provide?
2. What comes to your mind if you think about ‘mental health
and psychosocial support’?
3. Who can provide this kind of support, when, and where
WHAT IS PSS?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_h0L6u68tbI
Mental health is a states of mind that a person

realizes his/her own abilities, can cope with
the normal stresses of life, can work
productively and fruitfully, and is able to
contribute to his/her community. (WHO
“Psychosocial support” is a term that can be broken down to

different pieces:
Psycho is about feeling, thoughts, and emotions – the “inner”
world of people.
Social is about the external environment in which the child lives
– family, friends, school, community, etc. – all about the
relationships a child has with others.
Support is the way in which people are helped to cope with
traumas and stress and to build resilience or the ability to “bounce
back” from adverse conditions or events
WHAT IS PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT?

Psycho- Social/
logical cultural
Feelings Traditions
Emotions Values
Thoughts Upbringing
Beliefs Relationships
Perceptions Family
Behavior Community
HELLENIC RED CROSS - LESVOS · DECEMBER 2017
WHAT IS PSS?
Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) guidelines:
The composite term mental health and

psychosocial support is used in this document to
describe any type of local or outside support that
aims to protect or promote psychosocial well- being
and/or prevent or treat mental disorder
(IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial support in Emergency

settings, 2007)
WHAT IS PSS?
‘Psychosocial support is the

process of facilitating resilience
within individuals, families and
communities.’
PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT
Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) guidelines:
(IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial support in Emergency settings,
2007)
World Health Organisation:

Recognition of the importance of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support. Adopted at
United Nations General Assembly in September 2015.
http://www.who.int/mental_health/SDGs/en/
MENTAL HEALTH AND SOCIAL SUPPORT

Characteristics of psychosocial support
Mobilizes the power of humanity.

 Relieves emotional and physical suffering.
Improves a person’s immediate ability to
function under stress.
Reduces long-term negative psychological
effects
COMMUNITY-BASED PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT · MODULE 1
Crisis events and psychosocial support
•Different types of crisis events

•What affects the impact of crisis events
•Psychosocial support and its purpose
•The role of volunteers and staff in
psychosocial support
THE RESILIENCE PROGRAMME FOR YOUNG MEN · DAY 1 COMMUNITY-BASED PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT · MODULE 1
What is a crisis event?
A crisis event is a major event outside the range of

ordinary everyday experience that is extremely
threatening to those involved, accompanied by
feelings of powerlessness, horror or terror.
Within the context of Red Cross Red Crescent

National Societies, people are faced with crisis
events every day. These events include deaths,
accidents, disasters, serious illness (e.g. HIV) ,
rape, suicide.
THE RESILIENCE PROGRAMME FOR YOUNG MEN · DAY 1 COMMUNITY-BASED PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT · MODULE 1
Preparedness and response

Beslan
Bam
Denmark
Israel //Bulgaria
–Pakistan
School
Indonesia
Lebanon
Syria
Austria
Palestine
– Colombia
Hotline
/– Sri Hostage
–Iraqi
Zimbabwe/Southern –-for
–Armed Earthquakes
-Ambulance
Lanka
Trafficking
Refugees
CABAC
- IDP
LonelyCrisis
Conflict
– Tsunami
Africa Drivers
Youth
– HIV/AIDS
oooo
o oo o
What makes events critical?
Work in pairs.
Discuss the following questions:
• Think of a crisis event in your community
that has taken place in the past three years.
• What were the characteristics of the event?
• What factors made it a crisis situation?
• What factors increased the psychosocial
impact of the event?
What increases psychosocial impact of a crises?
Work in groups of three to four.

• Read the case study
• Discuss what factors increased the
psychosocial impact of the events?
Factors affecting the psychosocial

impact of crisis events
1. Characteristics of
the event
2. Crisis/post-crisis
environment
3. Individual
characteristics
4. Family and
community
resources

1. Characteristics of the 2. Crisis/post-crisis
event environment
– Natural versus man-made – Weather
– Intentionality – Time of day
– Degree of preventability – Accessibility to area
– Scope of impact – Amount of physical
– Suffering destruction
– Duration of the event – Number of deaths
– Number of child deaths

3. Individual 4. Family and community
characteristics resources
– Age - stage of life – Weather
– Mental health – Time of day
– Social support systems – Accessibility to area
– Disabilities – Amount of physical
– Social economic status destruction
– Religion – Number of deaths
– Disaster history – Number of child deaths
– Previous traumatic
experiences
Personal experiences
• Think about a situation where a person

you know had a problem.
• How did you know there was a need for
help?
• How did you or others meet those
needs?
• Share your experiences with the person
next to you afterwards.
Local psychosocial needs
Go into the same groups as before.

• Identify psychosocial needs in your
community.
• How can they be addressed? Use examples
and ideas from this session.
Advantages of volunteers
• Volunteers are part of the local

community
• Volunteers know the culture

Matching needs
Recap
• What are crisis events?
• What is psychosocial support?
• How can you apply the knowledge from this

module?
Psychosocial interventions
 Psychosocial interventions do not arise from an initial premise
of need, illness or deficiency of individual children, but build
upon a child’s natural resilience and family
and community support mechanisms, examine possible risk
and protective factors and
attempt to provide additional experiences that will promote
coping and positive
What should be avoided in psychosocial programmes

in emergencies
Counseling or other interventions that focus on single events or

types of reactions, for
example, post traumatic stress symptoms, should be avoided in
the acute and medium
term phase of the emergency, because as described above,
people have
All programmes and staff should be careful not to elicit emotional

material too early,before people are in a safe environment where
their basic needs are met and without guarantee of follow up.
Such practices are usually ineffective and can cause more

distress and harm to the person.
Do not have untrained and/or unsupervised staff perform

diagnostic assessment
and/or counselling
Cont..
Avoid inappropriate explorations of the stressful experiences.

However, if the survivor wishes to speak, do not stop him or her
from telling their story.
Support people with the most severe mental health problems;

refer them to health services or community health centres if
other ways of supporting them are not
effective
Do not discourage or encourage people from using traditional and/or faith

based coping mechanisms, it is up to the individual.
In other emergencies throughout the world, disaster survivors have often

found such supports helpful.
Avoid culturally inappropriate investigation and misuse of diagnostic tools.

Do not screen people for problems without being able to refer the person to a
service
which can provide effective support.
Do not carry out any interventions that risk further isolation or stigmatization
of particular vulnerable groups among the affected population
Intervention pyramid
Intervention
pyramid for
mental health and
psychosocial
support in
emergencies
IASC PYRAMID
WHY PROVIDING PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT?

To strengthen:
• Resilience – the ability to bounce back after

something difficult has happened, or to get
through difficult experiences in a positive way
• Coping mechanisms - the ability to deal with
challenges and difficult situations
• Restoring social cohesion – networks and
structures
• Mobilizing early and adequate psychosocial support

can prevent distress and suffering from developing
into something more severe
• Psychosocial support helps people affected by crises

to recover
Guiding Principles Of Professional PSS Work
Safety: Ensuring the safety of the beneficiaries and their

families
Confidentiality: Respecting the confidentiality of the beneficiaries

and their families
Respect: Respecting the wishes, choices, rights and dignity

of the beneficiaries
Non-discrimination: Ensuring non-discrimination in all service provision

5 INTERVENTION PRINCIPLES
PROMOTING:
1) a sense of Safety
2) Calming
3) a sense of Self – and Community
Efficacy
4) Connectedness
5) Restore Hope
Hobfoll et al.
FACTORS INFLUENCING LIFE
Protective factors literally ‘protect’ people,

reducing the impact of hardship and difficulties
Risk factors literally put people ‘at risk,’

increasing the impact of hardship and difficulties
Protective Factors
1.Equality & Respect

2. Love of family & friends
3.Integration
4.Support from different people in the village
5.Finding meaning( in a seemingly meaningless
situations)
6. Identifying alternative legal source of income
7. Doing good things for others in the community
Cont’d
8.Establishing social gathering and activities

9.Maintaining cultural practices and beliefs
10. Youth who engage in the communities & believe that they can
make changes
11.Youth talking together & discovering that they are facing the
same problems
12.Recrational green areas e.g. park, safe space and playgrounds
13. Establish practical rebuilding together
14.Establish schools and recreational activities
15.Helping and supporting one another
Risk Factors
1. Accessibility/inaccessibility
2. Relocation
3. High level of police arrest
4. Armed soldiers
5. Shooting incidents
6.Demolished houses, Loss of land and livelihoods
7. Limited movement or isolation
“Psychosocial support” is a term that can be broken down to

different pieces:
Psycho is about feeling, thoughts, and emotions – the “inner”
world of people.
Social is about the external environment in which the child lives
– family, friends, school, community, etc. – all about the
relationships a child has with others.
Support is the way in which people are helped to cope with
traumas and stress and to build resilience or the ability to “bounce
back” from adverse conditions or events
Psychosocial support refers to actions that provides immediate

relief suffering, both emotional and physical, improve people’s
short-term functioning and reduce long-term negative
psychological effects.
Mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) refers to any

type of local or outside support that aims to protect or promote
psychosocial well-being and/or prevent or treat mental disorder
Characteristics of psychosocial support

Mobilizes the power of humanity.
 Relieves emotional and physical suffering.
Improves a person’s immediate ability to function under stress.
Reduces long-term negative psychological effects
Purpose of providing psychosocial support

Promoting Connectedness
Promoting Hope
Promoting a sense of safety
Promoting calmness
Promoting a sense of self and collective efficacy
Why do we provide MHPSS?
Providing early and adequate MHPSS can prevent distress and

suffering from developing into something more severe.
It is crucial to provide earlier mental and psychosocial in disaster
and trauma relief to help individuals, families, and communities
deal with distress, suffering, and sorrow and to ultimately recover.
Principles of providing MHPSS (Slide 14) zz Primary focus on

physical and material care and protection people from danger. zz
Immediate intervention: be direct, active and remain calm zz
Focus on the “here” and “now” situation zz Provide accurate
information about the situation zz Do not give false assurances zz
Recognize the importance of taking action zz Reunite with family
members zz Provide and ensure emotional support zz Focus on
strengths and resilience zz Encourage self-reliance zz Respect
feelings of others
What PFA is and is not

• Place of PFA in overall response
• Who, when and where of PFA
• Ac&on principles: Prepare, Look, Listen and Link
• Good communica&on skills
• People who likely need special aQen&on
• Adap&ng PFA to the local context
• Caring for yourself and your team members
What comes to mind when you hear “PFA”? (10
minutes)
Learning Objectives:
By the end of the session, participants should:
» Have explored the meaning of the term “PFA”;
» Have a basic understanding of what offering PFA involves;
» Be alerted to the importance of self and team care
What is PFA?
 •Human, supportive and practical assistance to

fellow human beings who recently suffered exposure
to serious stressors, and involves:
 Non-‐intrusive, practical care and support

 Assessing needs and concerns
 Helping people to address basic needs (food, water)
 Listening, but not pressuring people to talk
 Comforting people and helping them to feel calm
 Helping people connect to information, services and social
 supports
 Protecting people from further harm
What PFA is NOT?
• It is NOT something only professionals can do

• It is NOT professional counseling
• It is NOT “psychological debriefing”
– No detailed discussion of the distressing event
• It is NOT asking people to analyze what happened or
put &me and events in order
• Although PFA involves being available to listen to
people’s stories, it is NOT pressuring people to tell
you their feelings or reactions to an even
PFA – Who, When and Where (15 minutes)
Learning Objectives:
At the end of this session, participants should:
» Know who may benefit from PFA, and who may require more
advanced support;
» Know when PFA can be provided;
» Understand where PFA can be provided safely and with
appropriate dignity and privacy
for the affected person.
Group Exercise (5 minutes)

Following a crisis event...
• WHO may benefit from PFA?

• WHO may need more advanced support?
• WHEN should PFA be provided?
• WHERE should PFA be provided?
PFA: Who?
• Very distressed people who were recently
exposed to a serious stressful event
• Can be provided to adults and children
• Not everyone who experiences a crisis event
will need or want PFA
– Don’t force help on those who don’t want it, but
make yourself available and easily accessible to
those who may want support
PFA: When?
• Upon first contact with very distressed

people, usually immediately following
an event, or sometimes a few days or
weeks
PFA: Where?
 Wherever it is safe enough for you to be there

 Ideally with some privacy (as appropriate)
to protect confidentiality and dignity of the affected person
PFA Action Principles

Prepare
 • Learn about the crisis event
 • Learn about available services and supports
 • Learn about safety and security concerns
Look •
 Observe for safety
 Observe for people with obvious urgent basic needs
 Observe for people with serious distress reactions
Listen •
Make contact with people who may need support
• Ask about people’s needs and concerns
• Listen to people and help them feel calm
Link •
 Help people address basic needs and access services
 • Help people cope with problems
 • Give information
 • Connect people with loved ones and social
Prepare Before you enter a crisis site, try to learn about

The Crisis Event
•  What happened? •
  Where? • 
When? • 
How many and who are affected
Available Services Who is providing for basic needs

(emergency medical care, food shelter)?
•  When and where can people access
services?
•  Who is helping, including community
members?
Safety and Security •  Is the crisis over or ongoing (aftershocks,
fighting)? •  What dangers may be in the
environment? •  Are there places to avoid
due to insecurity or because it is not
What is stress?
Stress is a normal response to a physical or emotional challenge

and occurs when demands are out of balance with resources for
coping.
Types of stress
•Day-to-day stress
•Cumulative stress
•Critical stress
Types of stress
• Day to day stress: This represents those challenges in life which keep us
alert and on our toes, and without which life for many people becomes
dull and ultimately not worth living.
• Cumulative stress: This occurs when the sources of stress continue over
time and interferes with regular patterns of functioning and daily life.
• Critical stress: This represents situations where individuals are unable

to meet the demands upon them and suffer physically or
psychologically.
COMMON SIGNS OF STRESS
• Physical signs (stomach ache, tiredness)

• Cognitive signs (difficulty in concentrating,
losing track of time)
• Emotional signs (anxiety, being sad, feeling
aggressive, feeling useless)
• Behavioural sign (alcohol abuse, withdrawal,
aggressiveness)
How do people usually cope with stress?
•Avoidance – denial and dissociation
•Approach – trying to find meaning, seeking support,

taking action
WAYS OF COPING
Brain storm:
Think of positive ways of coping in your

community. What are the outcomes of positive
coping?
Think of negative examples of coping. How does
negative coping affect the community?
Coping
Coping is a way
to prevent, delay,
avoid or manage
stress
Coping strategies
Imagine yourself in one of the following situations:

•You have suddenly lost the job you have had for the past three years. There is
no immediate prospect of similar work.
•There is a flood in your community. Your family’s income is based on farming,
and you loose all your crops and livestock.
•There are strong political fractions in your country. Your father is active in the
resistance. He disappears following a political uprising. You have not heard from
him for the past three weeks.
Write down at least three actions, thoughts, beliefs, personal

characteristics or strengths that would help you cope with or get through the
situation.
Examples of coping (1)
•Seeking help from others

•Offering help to others
•Trying to make sense of what happened
•Hiding until the danger has passed

•Remaining fearful and alert to any further danger
•Burying the dead
•Using defences like denial to reduce the impact
Examples of coping (2)
•Gathering remaining belongings

•Following religious practices
•Setting goals and making a plan to accomplish them
•Seeking information about loved ones
•Talking about experiences
•Beginning to repair the damage and get on with life
•Thinking a lot about the event to learn from it
How to assist coping?
•Primary focus on physical care and protection

•Stay close
•Provide comfort and reassurance

•Provide information
•Support activities
•Support emotional adaptation
What is assisted coping?
The goal is not to cope

for others, but to provide
the minimal necessary
assistance to help them
begin actively coping
in their own best
interest
Assessment of coping strategies
Go into the same groups as before:

Continue the assessment of your case.
•Discuss possible coping strategies in the situations, and how
they can be assisted.
•Write your findings on a flipchart and prepare a
presentation.
Referral – when assistance is not enough
Anxiety
Depression
Post traumatic stress disorder

Who to refer - when and how?
•A woman becomes seriously ill
•A man loses his wife in a car accident
•A girl gets infected by HIV

When to refer for professional help?
•Severe sleep problems

•Strong emotions
•Talk of suicide
•Persistent physical symptoms
•Alcohol or drug abuse
•Behaviour that is a risk to self or others
•Enduring depression or other disorders
•Inconsistent behaviour
•Indication of abuse or criminal activity
Levels of helping
PSYCHOLOGICAL FIRST AID
SESSION 5
WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGICAL FIRST AID
Psychological First Aid is caring support offered to

people who have experienced a very distressing
event or situation
WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PHOTO?

WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGICAL FIRST AID NOT?
?
5 INTERVENTION PRINCIPLES
PROMOTING:
1) a sense of Safety
2) Calming
3) a sense of Self – and Community
Efficacy
4) Connectedness
5) Restore Hope
Hobfoll et al.
PREPARE, LOOK, LISTEN AND LINK

ACTIVE LISTENING
• What is
“active
listening”?
• How do you
do it?
WHERE IS PSYCHOLOGICAL FIRST AID PROVIDED?
Psychological First Aid can be provided

anywhere safe for the first-aider and
the person seeking help.
WHEN IS PSYCHOLOGICAL FIRST AID NEEDED?
• Immediately for someone in acute distress

• When someone continues to experience
distress
• When someone needs the emotional and
practical support
STEP-BY-STEP PFA ACTIONS
1. Make contact 5. Listen

6. Normalize feelings
2. Keep safe
7. Help prioritise needs
3. Provide quiet and
privacy 8. Connect with loved
ones
4. Practical comfort
9. Give information
VIDEO: PSS IN EMERGENCIES
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrl1T6caUHE
CARING FOR VOLUNTEERS
SESSION 6
CARING FOR VOLUNTEERS
WHY?
THE IMPORTANCE OF PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT
Some of the consequences of not paying attention to

the psychosocial well-being of volunteers include:
• high levels of absence and volunteer turnover

• lack of motivation and poor performance
• increased conflicts within the volunteer group
• increased mental health issues
• increased accidents and incident reports.
RISKS TO VOLUNTEER WELL-BEING
Personal domain
•feeling guilty at the death of someone they were helping
•having idealistic/unrealistic expectations of what a
volunteer can do to help others
•feeling one has to solve all the problems for someone
they are helping
•feeling guilty about paying attention to one’s own need
for rest or support
•facing moral and ethical dilemmas.
Interpersonal domain
• feeling unsupported by one’s colleagues or
supervisors
• having difficult dynamics within a team
• working with team members who are stressed or
burned out.

Working conditions
• performing physically difficult, exhausting and sometimes
dangerous tasks, or being expected (or expecting themselves) to
work long hours in difficult circumstances
• becoming increasingly detached from their own family and home
life
• feeling inadequate to deal with the task, or overwhelmed by the
needs of the people they are trying to help
• being a witness to traumatic events – or hearing survivors’ stories
of trauma and loss.

Organizational issues
• having an unclear or non-existent job description or unclear role on
the team
• being unprepared for facing the frustration and anger of
beneficiaries who feel their needs are not being met
• lack of information-sharing
• being poorly prepared or briefed for the task
• lacking boundaries between work and rest
• having an atmosphere at the workplace where volunteer well-
being is not valued and where their efforts are not being
acknowledged or appreciated.
STRESS
BURNOUT
Burnout is characterized by:
• physical symptoms, such as headaches or sleep difficulties
• behaviour changes, such as risk-taking or abuse of substances
• relational problems, such as temper outbursts or withdrawing
from colleagues
• becoming less efficient at work or having difficulty concentrating
• developing a negative attitude toward the job or organization, or
toward beneficiaries themselves
• emotional distress, such as continuous feelings of sadness,
cynicism and pessimism.
QUIZ
PEER SUPPORT
• Providing comfort by listening
• Helping people to make informed decisions
• Everyone has a role and can contribute with

different skills or knowledge
SYMPAYHY VS EMPATHY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Evwgu369Jw
TARGET GROUPS
SESSION 7
Causes of separation from family members

Possible causes for family members becoming

separated (group work)
Spend ten minutes with the

person next to you identifying
the following:
•Situations that can cause
families and individuals to
become separated
Causes of separation
•Migration
•Disasters – natural or man-made
•Pandemics and epidemics
•Armed conflict and other situations of
violence
•Imprisonment and detention
•The death of a parent or close relative
•Seeking refuge
•Human trafficking.
Consequences of separation from family members

Consequences of separation for different groups (group work)
Spend fifteen minutes with your group discussing the following:

•What might be some of the reasons behind the separation from
family members for your group (i.e. children, women or men)?
•What is particular about the consequences of separation for this
group?
Write down your answers on the post-it notes, one reason per post-it.
Cause of separation
Separation from parents can cause:

•loss of sense of self
•loss of sense of security
•loss of protection
•complicated reactions and feelings
•insecurity due to not knowing if

one’s parents are alive or dead.
Unaccompanied minors
Unaccompanied minors without

adult or parental protection are:
• dependent on external
assistance with regard to their
human rights
• at risk for sexual violence,
abuse, exploitation or
recruitment into armed forces.
Consequences of separation for men

Men report a range of reactions and feelings such as:
•Frustration
•Powerlessness
•Anger
•Desperation
•Denial, loneliness
•Sadness
•Isolation Men are often left alone with the
•Shock. responsibility for housekeeping and
child-rearing, which may contribute to
these feelings
Consequences of separation for women
Women left alone are:

•more at risk for and vulnerable to violence
•more at risk for sex trafficking
•often disconnected from their community
•stigmatized, haunted by guilt and shame
•often feeling that the situation is their own
fault.
Secondary separation
Occasionally, medical evacuations and transfers

n emergencies lead to ‘secondary
eparations,’ which occur when people
annot be traced in the system of being
ransferred
etween health and/or other services in
mergencies.
Have any of you experienced this problem?
How did you deal with it?
Secondary separation
Accurate records are crucial to avoid secondary separation.

•Inform health staff of the risks of secondary separation.
•Take accurate records of all patients on arrival, as far as the situation allows.
•Record all transfers, including departure and arrival points, as well as the
details on individuals transferred and the team performing the transfer.
•Record all deaths, including unidentified persons who have died in medical
facilities, including their place of burial.
Summary
• Staff and volunteers
• Children
• Parents
• Unaccompanied minors
• Men
• Families
• Women
• Women seeking jobs as domestic
workers or as factory workers

The psychosocial impact of separation from family

members
The psychosocial impact of separation
Reactions to loss and separation vary for individuals, families and

communities,
depending on personal resilience, social support and cultural


Place the words below in the circles where they belong • Refusal to accept loss
•Avoidance / Withdrawal • Stigma
•Lack of interest in social activities • Guilt / Self-accusation / Anger
•Emotional isolation / Inability to engage emotionally • Disagreements over the fate of the
•Distress / Uncertainty / Anxiety
missing person
•Undefined social status
• Absence of rituals
•Difficulties in communicating with the rest of the
• Gaps in personal / family story
family
• Swinging between hope and
despair
• Challenges with changed roles
Psychosocial impact of separation
124
Ambiguous loss
Ambiguous loss:
•is defined as the absence of a loved one,
where the individual’s situation, location and
condition are unknown.
•generally refers to situations where people

have gone missing and are therefore
physically absent, but psychologically
present, meaning that their families still
actively seek and/or think about them.
Death and Disappearance (group work)

In groups of three sort the following into the two categories: death and disappearance
• Evidence • Only open question with no

• Rituals (e.g. funeral, witnesses of loss) answers
• Possibility of social stigmatization, • No evidence of death or life

• No rituals
isolation and vulnerability to violence
• • Ambiguous situation (search, wait
New social rôle
• Clear outcome / ending of a relationship or move on?)
• • Unclear social role (i.e. wife or

Clear start to grieving process
• No stigma – death is natural part of life widow?)
• • No social or religious norms

Uncertainty of outcome
Grief
Grief
•is a normal psychological reaction to loss of any kind
•is a natural but painful process that allows the affected person to release the pain
associated with what has been lost
•involves a process of acceptance and adjustment, leading to a stabilization of emotion
and routine, and a turning to the future and moving on.
It is important to keep in mind that the objective of the grieving process is not to forget
the missing or deceased person, but to remember him or her in a way that causes less
pain.
Supporting people in their grief

Supporting people in their grief needs to be adapted to each individual situation and
to the specific cultural frame of reference. It is crucial to allow people to react in their own
way to what they have lost.
Their reactions will be influenced by a number of factors:

•their relationship to the lost person
•the circumstances of the loss
•their own character traits
•the social and cultural environment.

Psychosocial Support & Restoring Family Link
Session 8
Supporting people who have been separated

Basic helping skills
•using supportive communication • keeping questions focused on

what needs to be known
•providing a consistent member of staff
• reassuring families that their
or volunteer for contact with a family, reactions are normal and
if at all possible understandable, given the
circumstances
•giving clear explanations of the
• providing options for
process and possible outcomes participating in activities that
•keeping information confidential can distract them from
disturbing thoughts and
where appropriate
feelings for a while.
•treating people with respect and
dignity
Basic helping skills
Staff and volunteers can support families by:

•Recognizing and naming the situation as
ambiguous loss
•normalising stress levels, confusion and
sense of hopelessness
•creating opportunities for families to talk
about the missing person
•looking for ways of rebuilding roles in the
family and creating rituals to commemorate
the missing person.
Practising support (group work)
In this activity you will be doing a role play in groups of three people.
Read the scenario and divide the following roles between you:
•a helper
•a person who is separated from a loved one
•an observer.
Use basic helping skills and the pointers given in the previous slide to help support the person
in their uncertainty.
•Spend 10 minutes doing the role play
•Spend 10 minutes answering the questions for feedback

Questions for feedback
•What basic helping skills were used?
•What examples were there of supporting the person

in their uncertainty? (naming, normalising, creating
opportunities, rebuilding roles, commemorating)
•What was done well?
•What could have been done better?

Reunification
• Re-establishment of contact
• Identity and kinship
• Mutual consent
• Assessment of best interests
• Primacy of safety
• Logistical support
• Authorization of the authorities.
Delivering news (individual work)
Imagine you are in a situation

where you have to tell someone
that a person close to them has
died.
Think about how to deliver the

news and write down the actual
sentences you would use when
delivering distressing news.
Do
• Mention the person who • Validate feelings: “This is clearly a

has died and acknowledge an shock to you,” “I understand that this
awareness of the loss. is very upsetting news for you.”
• Remember that grieving is
• Keep eye contact, show warmth and
a process and that the person
or family will need support compassion.
long after the event has • Speak calmly and slowly.
passed. • Allow the families time to react; do
• Listen to the grieving not be afraid of silence.
person.
Don’t
• Don’t suggest replacing the person • Don’t encourage the grieving

that is lost, by saying, for example, person to make any big life
“You can have another baby.” changes.
• Don’t use clichés such as, “Time • Don’t give advice or lecture
heals all wounds,” “It will soon pass,”
the grieving person.
etc.
• Don’t try to change the subject
• Don’t compare the way one
when the person is crying or
person grieves with another.
wants to talk about the person
who has died.
PSYCHOSOCIAL NEEDS
Psychosocial needs of target groups
•Safety and protection
•Care and understanding
•Practical support
•Connectedness with the family and community
•Livelihood for her/his family
•Self-efficacy (believing in one’s own abilities)
•Hope for the future.

Esmail l Yesuf
Senior PSS Officer, Ethiopian Red Cross Society
E-mail: esmail.yesuf@redcrosseth.org
Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support: http://pscentre.org

Psychosocial Support and Protection Training: Ethiopian Red Cross Society Danish Red Cross

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

You might also like

Psychosocial Support and Protection Training: Ethiopian Red Cross Society Danish Red Cross

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Psychosocial Support and Protection Training: Ethiopian Red Cross Society Danish Red Cross

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

THE RESILIENCE PROGRAMME FOR YOUNG MEN · DAY 1

PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT AND PROTECTION

ETHIOPIAN RED CROSS SOCIETY

Ahmed E. (BSC psyciatry)

Participants have a better understanding of the protective factors

1. Have you ever supported people affected by disasters?

Mental health is a states of mind that a person

“Psychosocial support” is a term that can be broken down to

WHAT IS PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT?

The composite term mental health and

(IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial support in Emergency

‘Psychosocial support is the

World Health Organisation:

MENTAL HEALTH AND SOCIAL SUPPORT

Characteristics of psychosocial support

Mobilizes the power of humanity.

Crisis events and psychosocial support

•Different types of crisis events

What is a crisis event?

A crisis event is a major event outside the range of

Within the context of Red Cross Red Crescent

Preparedness and response

What makes events critical?

What increases psychosocial impact of a crises?

Work in groups of three to four.

Factors affecting the psychosocial

Factors affecting the psychosocial

Factors affecting the psychosocial

• Think about a situation where a person

Local psychosocial needs

Go into the same groups as before.

• Volunteers are part of the local

• Volunteers know the culture

• What are crisis events?

• What is psychosocial support?

• How can you apply the knowledge from this

What should be avoided in psychosocial programmes

Counseling or other interventions that focus on single events or

All programmes and staff should be careful not to elicit emotional

Such practices are usually ineffective and can cause more

Do not have untrained and/or unsupervised staff perform

Avoid inappropriate explorations of the stressful experiences.

Support people with the most severe mental health problems;

Do not discourage or encourage people from using traditional and/or faith

In other emergencies throughout the world, disaster survivors have often

Avoid culturally inappropriate investigation and misuse of diagnostic tools.

WHY PROVIDING PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT?

• Resilience – the ability to bounce back after

• Mobilizing early and adequate psychosocial support

• Psychosocial support helps people affected by crises

Safety: Ensuring the safety of the beneficiaries and their

Confidentiality: Respecting the confidentiality of the beneficiaries

Respect: Respecting the wishes, choices, rights and dignity

Non-discrimination: Ensuring non-discrimination in all service provision

FACTORS INFLUENCING LIFE

Protective factors literally ‘protect’ people,

Risk factors literally put people ‘at risk,’

 Non-‐intrusive, practical care and support