This program is for youth, adults, and families who have been affected by a natural disaster or other traumatic emergency.

Psychological First Aid (PFA), an acute, community-based disaster response intervention, is designed to help reduce acute trauma-related distress and promote short- and long-term coping abilities.

A randomized controlled trial (RCT) of PFA was conducted in a primarily female sample of victims of violent crime. Results indicated that PFA did not outperform usual services (US) in improving victims’ individual psychiatric or adaptive functioning outcomes when assessed 4 months after baseline. A composite global functioning measure indicated significantly improved global functioning in both groups over time; however, early gains in global functioning were significantly more rapid for those in PFA compared to US.

PFA is administered immediately following an emergency situation by mental health professionals or disaster relief workers and includes eight basic components:

• Contact and engagement: Establish a human connection with survivors in a non-intrusive, supportive manner;
• Safety and comfort: Ensure the immediate and continuing safety and physical and emotional security of survivors;
• Stabilization (if needed): Calm and orient overwhelmed survivors;
• Information gathering on current needs and concerns: Identify and address survivors’ immediate needs, collect additional information (i.e., unmet basic needs, financial/legal issues, mental health concerns, substance use, low social support), and customize additional PFA services;
• Practical assistance: Provide survivors with helpful information such as information on legal advocacy and contact information for agencies that provide food, financial assistance, or short-term housing;
• Connection with social supports: Locate and establish connections with sources of support, including family members, friends, and community resources;
• Information on coping: Educate survivors on common reactions to trauma and adaptive coping techniques such as deep breathing and social activities; and
• Linkage with collaborative services: Connect survivors with local professional services if they need immediate assistance or have ongoing needs for several weeks after the traumatic event.

Engagement and stabilization of the participant are prioritized and subsequent areas are addressed based on individual needs identified in the information gathering process. The program has been adapted for use with school personnel, community religious professionals, Medical Reserve Corps members, and staff at facilities that serve homeless youth and families.

PFA was developed by the National Child Traumatic Stress Network and the National Center for PTSD. The program has been administered in the United States, Australia, China, Haiti, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Spain, and Taiwan. Other models of PFA have been developed, including the Johns Hopkins Model of Psychological First Aid, known as the RAPID-PFA model, and a publication of a PFA guide for field workers developed by the World Health Organization.

This program is facilitated by volunteer mental health professionals or disaster relief workers, and training is available through a free, 6-hour, interactive online course. Please use details in the Contact section to learn more.

Considerations for implementing this program include obtaining suitable volunteers to provide services during an emergency event; providing transportation, housing, and on-site support for volunteer service providers; and realizing the nature of the disaster, the population being served, and the setting in which services are rendered will impact program implementation.

The Clearinghouse can help address these considerations. Please call 1-877-382-9185 or email Clearinghouse@psu.edu

If you are interested in implementing PFA, the Clearinghouse is interested in helping you!
Please call 1-877-382-9185 or email Clearinghouse@psu.edu

PFA is administered in the days and weeks immediately following an emergency situation. Two to three interactions between the participant and volunteer typically occur within 2 months of the emergency; however, program components are delivered with flexibility depending on individual need.

The PFA field operations guide is available online for free, and print manuals are available for a fee. Please visit https://www.nctsn.org/treatments-and-practices/psychological-first-aid-and-skills-for-psychological-recovery/nctsn-resources for more information. Implementation costs may also include transportation, housing, and support of volunteers.

To move PFA to the Promising category on the Clearinghouse Continuum of Evidence, at least one study with a strong design must be conducted that demonstrates sustained positive outcomes lasting at least one year from the beginning of the program or at least six months from program completion.

The Clearinghouse can help you develop an evaluation plan to ensure the program components are meeting your goals. Please call 1-877-382-9185 or email Clearinghouse@psu.edu

Contact the Clearinghouse with any questions regarding this program.
Phone: 1-877-382-9185 Email: Clearinghouse@psu.edu

You may also contact Melissa Brymer by email mbrymer@mednet.ucla.edu or you may contact the National Child Traumatic Stress Network by email info@nctsn.org or visit https://www.nctsn.org/about-us/contact-us

https://www.nctsn.org/treatments-and-practices/psychological-first-aid-and-skills-for-psychological-recovery/about-pfa; https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/treat/type/PFA/PFA_V2.pdf; Everly and Lating (2021); Kouvatsou, Degermedgoglou, Karamagioli, and Pikoulis (2022); and McCart, Chapman, Zajac, and Rheingold (2020).