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Psychological First Aid

Learn how to use Psychological First Aid (PFA) to help people cope with the emotional impact of a traumatic event with this online course from the UK Health Security Agency.

Duration

3 weeks

Weekly study

1 hour

100% online

How it works

Unlimited subscription

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Get Psychological First Aid (PFA) training

This Psychological First Aid (PFA) training course will help you to provide support to people who have experienced an emergency or stressful life event in ways that respect culture, religion, and dignity.

Over the course of three weeks, experts from the UK Health Security Agency will help you gain the practical skills to deliver Psychological First Aid.

You’ll learn the best practices for providing support to those that need it whilst also ensuring you maintain your own wellbeing.

Understand how traumatic events impact mental wellbeing

There are many responses to traumatic events and because of this, you may have to adapt to people’s different needs when delivering PFA.

This course will show you how traumatic events, such as emergencies or personal crises, impact mental health as you learn how to distinguish between signs of distress and signs of mental health conditions.

With this knowledge, you’ll better understand the type of care and support to give different people.

Learn to identify those most in need of Psychological First Aid

Next, you’ll focus on how you can best prepare for the services and support you can offer with PFA.

Within this, you’ll also learn how to identify high-risk groups and those most in need of PFA.

Discover emotional support and coping strategies

On the final week, you’ll learn how to identify whether someone needs mental or physical support. Once identified, you’ll discover how to implement techniques for effective listening, promoting well-being, and giving bereavement support.

Finally, you’ll discover how you need to maintain your personal well-being whilst delivering PFA. You’ll learn how to manage stress, where to get help, and how to support yourself and others.

Week 1
Knowledge
- What is Psychological First Aid?
  In this first activity we introduce what Psychological First Aid is and who can provide it.
- How do traumatic events impact mental health?
  Understanding the impact on mental health of a traumatic event, such as an emergency or stressful life event, is important in order to provide the right care and access to resources for those whom you support.
- Responses to trauma
  Before, during and after experiencing a trauma people's responses will vary, in this activity we explore how to identify if someone is in distress or has a more serious disorder that may need further support.
- Resilience and recovery
  In this activity we look at resilience in a traumatic event or crisis, in order for those you support to develop skills to cope with their own situations more effectively.
- End of Week 1
  As we reach the end of this week, we reflect on what you have learned.
Week 2
PFA in practice
- PFA in practice
  We start this week with looking at who can benefit from PFA and who can provide it.
- Stage 1: Prepare
  In this activity we discuss the importance of being prepared when you provide PFA support. This will help you to ensure the safety of yourself and others.
- Stage 2: Look
  To identify the immediate and long terms needs of those you support, requires you 'looking' at the information available, in this activity we discuss the skills you require in order to assess a situation effectively.
- End of week summary
  In this activity we take the time to reflect on the week.
Week 3
PFA in practice and supporting yourself
- Stage three: Listen
  In this activity we consider how to listen and communicate effectively to those you are supporting.
- Stage four: Link
  Once you have established what support some one may require, ensuring they have links to the right services is essential.
- Supporting yourself
  Looking after yourself while delivering PFA is essential, so you are better able to support another person. In this activity we provide guidance on different ways of supporting yourself you may wish to consider.
- End of the course
  In the final activity of the course, we recap on what you have learned and ask you to reflect on how you might use it in your role to support yourself and others.