Tips
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 The words you say to anyone in distress will have a profound effect. Following are some phrases that you will find helpful and some that you should avoid in your dialogue.
You should say:
"Can you tell me what happened?"
"I'm sorry."
"This must be difficult for you."
"I'm here to be with you."
"These are normal reactions to a disaster."
"Things may never be the same, but they will get better and you will feel better."
You should not say:
"It could have been worse."
"Don't cry."
"Pull yourself together."
"You need to relax, grieve, calm down."
"You're strong. You'll get through this."
"I know how you feel."
(de Klerk, 2007) (Gaspari, 2009)
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Dear ,
Day-to-day interaction with co-workers is easy enough, but how can you communicate with someone who is distressed and agitated? Psychological First Aid (PFA) is a set of skills identified to limit the distress and negative behaviors
that can increase fear and arousal (National Academy of Sciences, 2003). Since the concept was introduced in 1954, PFA has been defined in many ways. The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) and National Center for PTSD (NCPTSD) have defined PFA as a set of procedures intended for the use of mental health professionals and other trained experts (Shultz, 2009). If you ever encounter a situation where PFA is necessary, you should not hesitate to contact a mental health professional. However, should you ever choose to provide assistance yourself we hope you will find the following information beneficial. Even without a background in mental health, with the right information and attitude anyone can apply the concepts behind PFA to a suffering individual.
If you have questions that have not been
answered, please feel free to peruse the related resources we have
shared or contact us by email at info@traumaoutreach.com.
Best regards,
Vanessa & Wilma
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How To: Administer Psychological First Aid
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 There are four main parts to administering successful Psychological First Aid: physical support, emotional support, de-escalation, and connecting with follow-up resources. These four parts of PFA are outlined below. For more information and formal trainings, please feel free to refer to our related resources.
Step 1: Physical Support
The first step you should take to help an individual in distress is help them meet their basic needs if necessary. Shelter, protection from threat, food, water, and medical attention are all important needs to consider. If an individual requires but lacks any of these needs it will be extremely difficult to help them psychologically through the situation. Helping the individual meet these needs can entail anything from identifying and relaying the appropriate information to guiding them to medical professionals that can help.
Step 2: Emotional Support
Providing emotional support is possible through supportive communication and supportive presence. Successful supportive communication allows the distressed individual to express their feelings instead of acting on them. When approaching someone who is emotionally distressed, it is important to be comforting and consoling as well as ever mindful of your words and actions. Keep a relaxed and open posture and use warm and caring speech. Be an active listener, ask clarifying questions - but only if necessary, and set aside your own biases before you respond. When you respond, validate and address the person's feelings, and focus on what the person is really trying to communicate. (de Klerk, 2007)
Supportive presence involves being a helpful and caring comfort and does not necessarily involve speech. Reuniting the distressed individual with loved ones is also an important goal to keep in mind. Displaying genuine empathy, concern, respect and confidence through your actions and body language will be your strongest assets in both supportive presence and communication.
Step 3: De-escalation
When you attempt to de-escalate an agitated individual, asking close-ended, yes/no questions is a useful tool. This will allow the person you are talking to to focus on what you are asking and give concise, definite answers. Also, work together toward a solution of the problem or issue at hand. Finding something to agree about will help you build rapport and gain their trust. Finally, always convey an attitude of respect. Don't forget to constantly employ the tools of supportive communication and presence in your attempts to de-escalate. If you can't calm the individual down or you feel uncomfortable, seek assistance from another party and/or trained health professional.
Step 4: Connecting With Follow-up Support
After you have done what you can for the individual, try to link them to some form of community support. This may involve linking the individual to the local YMCA, AA groups, or health clinics in the area. It is also important to try to identify the need for further counseling and intervention.
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________________________________________________
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Thank you for taking the time to read this month's Trauma Talk. We hope you have found the information useful. If there are any topics you would like to see featured in a future
article of Trauma Talk, please let us know and we
will do our best to address them. We appreciate your comments, stories,
and thoughts as they will help us further refine and enrich our newsletter to benefit you.
Until our next talk, stay healthy and be prepared!
Warmly,
The Trauma Team
Trauma Outreach Associates, Inc.
Phone: 415.772.9999
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In the next issue...
The Year in Review
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