Psychological First Aid: Field Operations Guide
Psychological First Aid: Field Operations Guide
Disaster Responders
Developed jointly with the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, PFA is an evidence-informed modular approach for assisting people in the immediate aftermath of disaster and terrorism: to reduce initial distress, and to foster short- and long-term adaptive functioning.
It is for use by first responders, incident command systems, primary and emergency health care providers, school crisis response teams, faith-based organizations, disaster relief organizations, Community Emergency Response Teams, Medical Reserve Corps, and the Citizens Corps in diverse settings.
Helpful resources
- Download the free Psychological First Aid Mobile App
- Download the Handouts for Survivors (PDF) - 5th appendices.
Psychological First Aid Manual contents
| Chapter / Topic | Title of Chapters and Topics |
|---|---|
| PFA Manual complete with Appendices (PDF 60MB) | |
| PFA Manual without Appendices (PDF 1.6MB) | |
| Chapter 1 | Introduction and Overview |
| Chapter 2 | Preparing to Deliver Psychological First Aid |
| Chapter 3 | Core Actions |
| - Topic 1 | Contact and Engagement |
| - Topic 2 | Safety and Comfort |
| - Topic 3 | Stabilization |
| - Topic 4 | Information Gathering: Current Needs and Concerns |
| - Topic 5 | Practical Assistance |
| - Topic 6 | Connection with Social Supports |
| - Topic 7 | Information on Coping |
| - Topic 8 | Linkage with Collaborative Services |
NOTE: PFA is adaptations are available for specific audiences (schools, religious leaders, people experiencing homelessness) and translated into other languages on the National Child Traumatic Stress Network website.
Training on PFA
- Training in PFA: Psychological First Aid Online. Login to learn about this intervention.
- Subscribe to PFA Channel and View the PFA Online Videos.
PFA was created with the Terrorism Disaster Branch of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network as well as others involved in disaster response. Production of this information was supported by SAMHSA.
Hardcopies of the PFA Field Operations Guide can be purchased at www.castlepress.net/nctsn for around $10 each.
NOTE: A current version of Adobe Acrobat Reader is needed to access PDFs on this site.
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