Public Health Agency - Psychological First Aid

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and Red Cross advise that people are more likely to be able to psychologically cope with and recover from ongoing crisis situations like COVID-19 if they can:

• Feel safe, connected to others, calm and hopeful;
• Have access to social, physical and emotional support; and
• Feel able to help themselves, as individuals and communities.To support staff, the HSC NI in collaboration with the Red Cross and NHS Education Scotland has made available interim guidelines and a short E-Learning module on Psychological First Aid. Learning psychological first aid skills and understanding reactions to crisis, empowers helpers to help others and apply the same skills to their own lives.The Resources and E-Learning Webinar will help individuals and teams to help people with whom they are in contact both during and after the COVID-19 pandemic by:
• Addressing basic needs and concerns and providing practical support
• Connecting them to information, services and social supports
• Offering comfort and helping them to feel calm
• Reducing distress and fostering adaptive coping
• Protecting them from further harm

Anyone who is not a member of the HSC Learning Centre can use a guest log in via the following link: https://www.hsclearning.com/course/view.php?id=1042. This can be accessed at any time.