Psychological First Aid

Psychological first aid is a practical, flexible, and recommended approach to help people affected by trauma. It helps to reduce the initial distress, assisting people to cope in the days and weeks following a traumatic event – such as a disaster, workplace accident, or assault. It also helps coping with memories and feelings over the longer-term, such as on anniversaries of events. Phoenix Australia’s evidence-informed approach to Psychological First Aid can be used across a range of situations to help individuals, families, teams and communities who have experienced a potentially traumatic event.

Using the principles of Psychological First Aid helps you to support individuals, workgroups and communities to establish a sense of safety and security after a trauma. It helps to calm stress-related reactions and connects people with necessary support and resources. It can also help you to support individuals and communities to feel better able to cope and provide hope that things will get better in time.

Recommended techniques and skills of Psychological First Aid include:

• Understanding how people respond to trauma
• Providing Psychological First Aid safely and effectively
• Listening and communication
• Understanding how to help calm and support others
• Looking after yourself

Interested in developing your Psychological First Aid skills? Phoenix Australia’s Psychological First Aid course was developed by clinical experts in mental health to help you understand the techniques of Psychological First Aid and give you the confidence to support people who have experienced a traumatic event. It takes a practical approach, teaching you skills to create a sense of safety, provide emotional comfort, deliver practical advice and assistance to create calm, connect with others, and help someone cope in those immediate moments and beyond.

It takes a practical approach, teaching you skills to create a sense of safety, provide emotional comfort and deliver practical advice and assistance. The course will help you to create a sense of calm, connect with others, and help someone cope with trauma.