Preparing for Emergencies Guidance

Appendix 8 - Psychological First Aid (PFA)

The various components of effective PFA^{[4], [5]} are set out below.

However, there is no order to follow, as this will depend on the individual and the emergency:

• provide immediate care for physical needs
• protect from further threat and distress
• provide comfort and console distress
• provide practical help and support for real-world-based tasks (e.g. arranging funerals, information gathering)
• provide education about normal responses to trauma exposure. This should involve two essential elements:
• recognise the range of reactions
• respect and validate the normality of the post-trauma reaction
• facilitate reunion with loved ones where possible and/or connection with social supports
• provide information on coping and accessing additional support