RESPONDING TO THE PHILIPPINES T YPHOON

Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress
The Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress (CSTS) is part of the Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Psychological First Aid:
How You Can Support Well-Being in Disaster Victims
People often experience strong and■■ Do keep families together. Keep
unpleasant emotional and physicalchildren with parents or other
There is consensus among international
responses to disasters. Reactions may
close relatives whenever possible.
disaster experts and researchers
include combinations of confusion,(connectedness)that
psychological
first
aid
canhelp
fear, hopelessness, helplessness,■■ Do give practical suggestions
sleeplessness, physical pain, anxiety,alleviate painful emotions andthat steer people towards helping
anger, grief, shock, aggressiveness,themselves (self-efficacy).
reduce further harm from initial
mistrustfulness, guilt, shame, shaken■■ Do engage people in meeting theirreactions to disasters.
religious faith, and loss of confidence
own needs (selfefficacy).
in self or others. There is consensus
among international disaster experts■■ Do find out the types and locations of government andand researchers that psychological first aid can help
non-government services and direct people to services
alleviate painful emotions and reduce further harm fromthat are available (hopefulness).
initial reactions to disasters. Your actions and interactions■■ If you know that more help and services are on the way
with others can help provide psychosocial first aid to people
do remind people of this when they express fear orin distress. Psychological first aid creates and sustains anworry (hopefulness)environment of (1) safety, (2) calming, (3) connectedness
to others, (4) self efficacy—or empowerment, and (5)DON’T:
hopefulness.
■■ Don’t force people to share their stories with you,especially very personal details (this may decrease
PSYCHOLOGICAL FIRST AID
calmness in people who are not ready to share theirDO:experiences).
■■ Do help people meet basic needs for food & shelter, and■■ Don’t give simple reassurances like “everything will beobtain emergency medical attention. Provide repeated,ok” or “at least you survived” (statements like these tendsimple and accurate information on how to obtain these.
to diminish calmness).
(safety)■■ Don’t tell people what you think they should be feeling,■■ Do listen to people who wish to share their stories andthinking or doing now or how they should have acted
emotions and remember there is no wrong or right way
earlier (this decreases self-efficacy).
to feel (calming).
■■ Don’t tell people why you think they have suffered by■■ Do be friendly and compassionate even if people aregiving reasons about their personal behaviors or beliefs
being difficult (calming).
(this also decreases self-efficacy).
■■ Do provide accurate information about the disaster or■■ Don’t make promises that may not be kept (un-kept
trauma and the relief efforts. This will help people topromises decrease hope).
understand the situation (calming).
■■ Don’t criticise existing services or relief activities in■■ Do help people contact friends or loved ones
front of people in need of these services (this may(connectedness).
decrease hopefulness or decrease calming).

Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD 20814-4799
Tel: 301-295-2470 | Fax: 301-319-6965
www.CSTSonline.org