Source: LA Unified School District
Psychological First Aid (PFA) is an evidence-informed modular approach to help children, adolescents, adults, and families in the immediate aftermath of disaster and terrorism. PFA is designed to reduce the initial distress caused by traumatic events and to foster short and long-term adaptive functioning and coping. The principles and techniques of PFA meet four basic standards. They are:
- Consistent with research evidence on risk and resilience following trauma
- Applicable and practical in field settings
- Appropriate for developmental levels across the lifespan
- Culturally informed and delivered in a flexible manner
PFA does not assume that all individuals will develop severe mental health problems or long-term difficulties in recovery. Instead, it is based on an understanding that crisis survivors and others affected by such events will experience a broad range of early reactions (e.g., physical, psychological, behavioral, spiritual). Some of these reactions will cause enough distress to interfere with adaptive coping, and recovery may be helped by support from compassionate and caring crisis responders.
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