First aid for the mind: Why we need immediate care in the face of a disaster

Psychological first aid is a useful intervention when disaster strikes—and it’s something that communities can arm themselves with.

The relatively clearing skies and the start of cleanup mark the end of a storm’s landfall. Physically, there appears to be the calm after the storm, as restoration, recovery, and repair take precedence.

However, for the victims who have to come back to their upended homes, the survivors who have to attend to their lost loved ones, and the evacuated who do not feel safe with the entire experience—the storm inside continues.

Any natural disaster—most especially now, with the changing frequency and intensity—can bring internal wreckage that remains after the devastation. And this is where mental health professionals and social work responders step in to help.

Psychological first aid: First response for the mind

If there is first aid given to any physically injured person prior to professional medical assistance, there is also a first response that gives immediate and basic care for individuals after a traumatic experience.

Psychological first aid, or PFA, is one of the most crucial psychological interventions to be given right after any traumatic event. According to the Psychological Association of the Philippines, PFA addresses the most basic requirements for care on a psychological level. This means assessing the most urgent concerns of the individual following a tragedy or trauma experience.

“It’s like first aid for the mind—keeping people calm, connected, and feeling safe so they don’t get overwhelmed. Early support like this can make a big difference in how well they recover later on,” says Kay Vardeleon-Binayas, RPsy, psychologist and founding partner of Childfam-Possibilities Psychosocial Services.

She adds, “It’s not just about comforting someone or saying ‘it’ll be okay.’ It’s also about giving practical help when people are in shock or don’t know what to do next.”

In the same way that first aid has its limits—like stopping the bleeding or relieving cranial pressure on the way to the hospital—PFA is not about counseling. At least not yet, because the impact of the trauma may still overshadow a person’s ability to process what has happened. 

Once urgent concerns are highlighted and understood, people can then be directed and linked to other networks of support, which then include medical and psychological services.

Help for the people, by the people

Few can forget the wreckage that Typhoon Yolanda caused a decade ago. During this time, the power of PFA was tested and explored, showing that local counseling models via a group-based setting can be helpful and tailored to the Filipino setting. In a study from the Philippine Journal of Psychology, researchers found that narratives exploring burden-bearing (pagdadala) and relief (ginhawa) help in integrating experiences of challenges and recovery throughout the ordeal.

While there is no cookie-cutter approach to PFA, there are key training tools and techniques that can arm people to become respondents for relief when disaster strikes. In fact, one of the important aspects of PFA is that, with proper training, anyone from first responders, healthcare workers, social workers, or even the general public can facilitate it.

PFA operates with five core strategies: safety, calm and comfort, connectedness, self-empowerment, and hope. All of these are reflected in the way PFA-trained practitioners connect with victims and survivors to help transition them to better and appropriate care.

But perhaps an important aspect of delivering PFA apart from having honed skills, is that a PFA volunteer has the psychological bandwidth for helping others in the moment. Because when disaster strikes, first responders and volunteers may also be carrying their own concerns, especially when they are closer and connected to the battleground.

What does concrete PFA care look like? 

UNICEF provides a concrete three-fold look at what PFA looks like: Look, Listen, and Lin

In the initial shock phase, PFA requires a discerning eye to look at and assess security risks and safety points that surround those who are victims of a disaster. This includes physical, emotional, and psychological risks, as well as sources of strength and assistance.

Skills in listening then become helpful. Listening to a person’s needs can take emotional bandwidth and thus requires volunteers and practitioners to also be attuned with their own limits and needs. The practice of listening without judgment and exercising empathy are two important factors that can bring a safe space to those in need.

When the initial shock of the disaster has been dealt with, next comes the ability to link to the relevant sources of help and assistance. Some survivors and victims need to be connected with medical or psychological professionals. Others may need to be connected with services to help them be reunited with relatives. There are those who may require support for rebuilding or recovery of their lost property. 

Recovering from a disaster is never an individual experience. For the most part, rebuilding with support and a community yields far greater chances of better outcomes. If there is one strength in the Filipino culture that can encapsulate this, it is in the community-based spirit of bayanihan. 

Because after a disaster, there will be people who will need help building either a literal or proverbial house. And the community truly has the power to help move this to action, with the right tools and, more importantly, the strong will to help others.

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