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Psychological First Aid :

Pocket Guide

Contents :
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1. INTRODUCTION....................................................

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2. CORE ACTIONS.....................................................

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3. BASIC HELPING SKILLS.......................................

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4. TEAMWORK AND COMMUNITY
ENGAGEMENT.......................................................

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5. MANAGING SURVIVORS AND FAMILY
OF SURVIVORS.....................................................
The World Health Organization does
not warrant that information
contained in this guidelines is 6. DISASTER IN MULTICULTURAL

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complete and correct and shall not be COMMUNITY : CROSS CULTURAL
responsible for any losses incurred
UNDERSTANDING.................................................
due to the use of this handbook.

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PSYCHOLOGICAL FIRST AID (PFA)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The Non Communicable Disease Section of Disease Control Division, Ministry of Health
Malaysia would like to express our gratitude to each and every one who contributed. We
also are grateful for the support provided by WHO Malaysia towards the preparation and
printing of this Psychological First Aid (PFA).

The World Health Organization does not warrant that the information contained in this
guideline is complete and correct and shall not be responsible for any losses incurred due
to the use of this handbook.

List of Contributors:

1. Dr. Toh Chin Lee

Technical Advisor for Psychiatric Services
Senior Consultant Child And Adolescent
Psychiatrist and Head of Department
Hospital Selayang

2. Dr. Omar bin Mihat

Head of the MeSVIPP Disease Control Division
Ministry of Health Malaysia

3. Dr. Nurashikin binti Ibrahim

Senior Principal Assistant Director
Disease Control Division
Ministry of Health Malaysia

4. Dr. Azriman bin Rosman

Senior Principal Assistant Director
Disease Control Division
Ministry of Health Malaysia

5. Dr. Lim Chong Hum

Head of Psychiatry Department
Hospital Ampang, Selangor

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6. Dr. Zulkifli bin Ghaus 13. Mrs. Ruhana binti Mahmod

Head of Psichiatry Department Counsellor and professional
Hospital Sungai Buloh Development Branch
Selangor Medical Development Division,
Ministry of Health Malaysia
7. Prof. Madya Dr. Eizwan
Hamdie bin Yusoff 14. Dr. Haniza binti Rais
Psychiatric Medicine Head of Department
UiTM Medical Faculty Department of Education
Campus, Selayang Psychology & Counseling
INSTEAD, UIA
8. Dr. Hazli bin Zakaria
Psychiatrist 15. Dr. Suria binti Hussin
Malaysian Psychiatrist Psychiatrist
Association Department of Psychiatric
Hospital Raja Perempuan
9. Dr. Tiong Chea Ping Zainab II
Psychiatric Medicine Kota Bharu, Kelantan
Hospital Bentong, Pahang
16. Dr. Nurhayati binti Nordin
10. Dr. Devan Kurup Director & Consultant
Senior Principal Assistant Psychiatric
Director (Surveillance) Hospital Mesra Bukit Padang
Disease Control Division Kota Kinabalu, Sabah
Ministry of Health Malaysia
17. Ms. Khadijah binti Minhat
11. Mrs. Norazura binti Ahmad Psychological Officer
Senior Assistant Director Counselling Unit
Counselling And Psychology Wisma Kayu
Division, Hospital Kuala Lumpur
Social Welfare Department
18. Mrs. Roziah binti Ismail
12. Dr. Fatanah binti Ismail Public Health Nurse
Senior Principal Mental Health Unit
Assistant Director Control Disease Division
Family Health Development Ministry of Health malaysia
Division
Ministry of Health malaysia

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19. Mr. Nasiumin binti Mohd Nor 25. Mrs. Naniyati binti Shuib
Medical Assistant Officer Head Principal Director
Family Health Development Psychology
Division Management Division,
Ministry of Health malaysia Public Service Department

20. Dr. Nor Hayati binti Ali 26. Mr. Shahrulnizam bin Husain
Consultant Psychiatrist and Prison Deputy Superintendent
Suicidologist and Intelligence Division
Hospital Selayang Prison Headquarter, Malaysia

21. Dr. Jamaiyah binti Haniff 27. Mr. Mohd Sabtuah bin Mohd Royali
Clinical Epidemiologist Senior Assistant Director
National Clinical Research Family Health Development Division
Centre Ministry of Health Malaysia
Hospital Kuala Lumpur
28. Mr. Zulkifli bin Muhammad
22. Dr. Faisal bin Salikin Assistant Medical Officer
Emergency Medicine Family Health Development Division
Specialist Ministry of Health Malaysia
Hospital Kuala Lumpur
29. Mr. Jumari bin Sopaman
23. Dr. Uma a/p Visvalingam Assistant medical Officer
Psychiatrist Health Development Division
Hospital Putrajaya Ministry of Health Malaysia

24. Mrs. Hjh. Tuslah binti Abdan 30. Siti Nuruainain binti Zainal Abidin
Senior Coordinator, Administrative Assistant
Discipline and Counseling Ministry of Health Malaysia
Management Sector
Day School Management Division
Ministry of Education,
Putrajaya

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PSYCHOLOGICAL FIRST AID (PFA)

1. INTRODUCTION

Psychological First Aid (PFA) is an evidence-based modular approach to assist

children, adolescents, adults and families in the immediate aftermath of disaster
and terrorism. It can be given to anyone, including survivors and affected individuals
experiencing acute stress reactions or who appear to be at risk for significant
functional impairment or mental health problems. PFA can also be given to disaster
workers. PFA is delivered by disaster response workers who provide early assistance
and can also be delivered during the immediate aftermath of the disaster.

Five Steps to provide Psychological First Aid:

• Information
• Safety
• Basic Needs
• Extended Staff
• Identification of persons who are emotionally overwhelmed

2. CORE ACTIONS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL FIRST AID

1. Contact and Engagement

2. Safety and Comfort
3. Stabilization
4. Information Gathering
5. Practical Assistance
6. Connection with Social Supports
7. Information on Coping
8. Link with other services

2.1 Contact and Engagement

The aim of contact and engagement is to establish a connection with

the victims in a non-intrusive manner.

• Introduce yourself and explain your role

• Ask for permission to talk
• Ask about the immediate needs eg: religious / spiritual needs

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2.2 Safety and Comfort

This means enhancing immediate and ongoing safety as well as provides

physical and emotional support

Steps in providing safety and comfort:

• Ensure immediate physical safety
• Provide information to the victims, survivors or family about disaster
response activities
• Offer physical comfort including basic needs
• Encourage social engagement

Safety and comfort is usually offered to those acute bereaved individuals. In acute
grief condition following the death of a close family member or
of loved ones, families may tear apart. Grief reactions vary from person to
person. Some may cry and some don’t. However, this does not mean that
social support is unimportant. The family needs to be helped to
understand and respect the differences in grieving and how they can help
one another.

2.3 Stabilization

Stabilization is to calm and oriented emotionally-overwhelmed and

distraught survivors. When dealing with stabilization, we are dealing with
a person who wants to calm down but they can’t.

Signs of person who are not stable:

• Fidgety at times
• Irritable, agitated
• Exhibiting strong emotional responses
• Looking fearful
• Frantic behaviour

Steps towards stabilization:

• Give the person a few minutes/ moments (of privacy)
• Remain calm and quiet
• Offer support and help him/ her focus on specific manageable goals
• List support from family and friends
• Teach the person breathing techniques
• Get the person orientated to the surroundings by
• providing him/ her information (Grounding)

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Grounding:

Grounding is to get individuals orientated to the surroundings. Ask the

person to:
• Listen to and look at you
• Talk about a hopeful or positive situation
• Breathe in and out slowly and deeply from the diaphragm
• Name five non-distressing things he/she can see/hear/feel

For younger children/ kids, ask them to identify colors that they see around
them for eg. colour of the shirt they are wearing

2.4 Information Gathering

Information gathering is about identifying immediate needs and concerns,

gathering additional information and knowing what are major areas of
concern such as:
• Nature and severity of experiences eg: how bad is the exposure
• Death of a loved one
• Concerns about post-disaster
• Concerns about safety of loved ones
• Physical illness, mental health condition and need for medication
• Loss of property

Things to consider when gathering information:

• Avoid asking the victims/survivors in-depth description of their
traumatic experience
• When discussing the event, follow the lead of survivor
• Victims/survivors should not be pressed to disclose details of any
trauma/ loss

For survivors who may be anxious to talk about their experiences:

• Emphasize that what is most helpful is for them to give basic
information that can help with current needs
• Tell them that they can discuss their experiences in a proper
professional setting

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2.5 Practical Assistance

Practical assistance is being offered to help survivors in addressing

immediate needs and concerns:
• Identify the most immediate need (s)
• Clarify the need
• Discuss an action response
• Act to address the need
• Know what services are available
• Inform those affected about what they can realistically expect in
terms of potential resources and support
• Help victims or survivors to set achievable goals

2.6 Connection with Social Support

The connection with social support is important to establish ongoing

contacts with primary support persons or other support sources, including
family members, friends, and community helping resources:

2.7 Information on Coping

The goal is to provide information about stress reactions and coping to

reduce distress and promote adaptive functioning. Coping skills is
beneficial to recovery in disaster:
• Provide basic information on ways of coping
• Teach simple relaxation techniques
• Discuss coping with families

2.8 Linkage with Collaborative Services

Links survivors with available services needed at the time or in the future.
Agencies Providing Services:
• Reconnect survivors to agencies that provided them services before
the disaster:
√ Mental health services
√ Medical services
√ Spiritual support
√ welfare services

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Referral to Mental- Health Care is Refused:

• Suggest an evaluation rather than treatment
• Normalize the idea of treatment
• Give educational materials
• Give information about different ways they can seek assistance
• Involve the person’s spouse or partner in the discussion
• Follow- up on the issue

2.9 DO’s and DON’TS in Delivering Psychological

First Aid

Do ‘s:
• Observe
• Ask simple respectful questions
• Speak calmly and slowly, without jargon
• Be patient, responsive and sensitive
• Acknowledge the victim’s strength

Dont’s:
• Make assumptions about victims’ experiences
• Assume everyone will be traumatized
• Label reactions as “symptoms” or
• Speak in tems of diagnoses
• Talking down to or patronizing the victims

2.10 Things to say and not to say for survivor

whose family/ close friend has died

Things to say:

• What they are experiencing is understandable and expectable

• Use the deceased person’s name
(They will most likely continue to experience periods of sadness,
loneliness or anger)

Things not to say:

• I know how you feel

• He is better off now, it was his/her time to go

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• At least he/she went quickly, it was probably for the best

• It’s good that you are alive
• Let’s talk about something else
• You are strong enough to deal with this
• It could be worse, you still have a brother/ sister/ mother/ father
• Everything happens for the best according to a higher plan
• You did everything you could
• You will feel better soon
• You need to relax
• (To a Child) – You are the man/ woman of the house now
• Someday you will have an answer

3. BASIC HELPING SKILLS

3.1 Basic Counselling Skills

Learning some basic skills of counseling is the first step on your journey.
These basic skills include the:

• pattern of sessions
• active listening,
• body language,
• voice tone,
• open ended and close questions
• para-phrasing
• summarizing
• note-taking, homework and
• other fun and informative stuff

3.2 Communication Skills

Communication is a transfer of meaning from one person or group to

another. It focuses on the nature of meaning and ways to maintain the
integrity of meaning through the process of dissemination and reception
of a message. It is very important for the MHPRT to understand the way
on how they communicate with the victims.

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3.3 Helping people Understand changes, their

experience in their body and mind

Ventilation Active Listening Empathy

• Meet people and • Look into the eyes • Feel and experiences
interact • Respond the pain as your own
• Help to talk what occasionally by trying to be in the
their expefience • Be accepting other persons
• Share their feelings • Emphatize situation
and emotions • Listening attentively
• Great sense of relief
of having been truly
understood

4. TEAMWORK AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

In working with a disaster situation, PST and CPRT may need to work with several
government agencies and non-governmental organizations such as police,
firefighters, rescue workers and other volunteers.

5. MANAGING SURVIVORS AND FAMILY OF

SURVIVORS

Survivors and their family need to be assisted in coping with stress associated with
disaster. Special attention should be given to high risk individuals and supportive
counseling given when needed.

6. DISASTER IN MULTICULTURAL COMMUNITY:

CROSS CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING

Cultural differences (ethnicity, age, gender, language, cultural taboos, values, etc):

• If you are not clear of familiar with the culture of the victims or
community, it is best that you should not approach too closely or
make prolonged eye contact, or touch
• Gather information on the cultural norms
• Identify the family’s spokesperson when working with family

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References:

1. Psychological First Aid: Guide for Field Workers. WHO, 2011

2. Psychological First Aid: Field Operation Guide, 2nd ed. National

Child Traumatic Stress Network (NTCSN). National Centre for PTSD. 2006

3. Guidelines for local Mental health Care activities after Disaster. JICA 2001

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