- Establish a human connection in a non-intrusive, compassionate manner.
- Enhance immediate and ongoing safety and provide physical and emotional comfort.
- Calm and orient emotionally overwhelmed or distraught individuals.
- Help individuals relay their immediate needs and concerns and gather additional information as appropriate.
- Offer practical assistance and information to help individuals address their immediate needs and concerns.
- Connect individuals to social support networks as soon as possible. This includes family, friends, neighbors and campus and community resources.
- Support adaptive coping, acknowledge coping efforts and strengths, and empower individuals; encourage students, faculty and staff to take an active role in their own recovery.
- Provide information that may help individuals cope effectively with the psychological impact of large-scale crises or traumatic events.
- When appropriate, link individuals to services and resources in the community.
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network offers a six-hour interactive online course about Psychological First Aid (PFA). Participants are put in the role of a provider in a post-disaster scene. This professionally-narrated course is for individuals new to disaster response who want to learn the core goals of PFA, as well as for seasoned practitioners who want a review. It features innovative activities, video demonstrations, and mentor tips from the nation’s trauma experts and survivors. PFA-Online also offers a Learning Community where participants can share about experiences using PFA in the field, receive guidance during times of disaster, and obtain additional resources and training.