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Psychological First Aid: Field Operations Guide

For Disaster Mental Health Responders

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 mental health specialists including 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. NOTE: Available in Chinese. See below.

NOTE: This guide is ONLY available online and is not available in hard copy. Please make sure you have the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader to download these files. Not having the latest version (8) of this reader may cause error messages saying that the PDF file is "damaged".

The Psychological First Aid Manual Contents

Table of Contents
PFA Manual complete with Appendices (PDF 3.4 mb)
PFA Manual complete with Appendices (smaller PDF, same information as above - 1.3 mb)
PFA Manual without Appendices (PDF 739 k)
Chapter 1	Introduction and Overview
Chapter 2	Preparing to Deliver Psychological First Aid
Chapter 3	Core Actions
	1. Contact and Engagement
	2. Safety and Comfort
	3. Stabilization
	4. Information Gathering: Current Needs and Concerns
	5. Practical Assistance
	6. Connection with Social Supports
	7. Information on Coping
	8. Linkage with Collaborative Services
Appendices for Psychological First Aid Manual
Overview of PFA (PDF 134k)
Service Delivery Sites and Settings (PDF 111k)
Psychological First Aid: Provider Care (PDF 178k)
Provider Worksheets (PDF 170k)
Handouts for Survivors (PDF 484k)
	1. Connecting with Others: Seeking Social Support (For adults and adolescents)
	2. Connecting with Others: Giving Social Support (For adults and adolescents)
	3. When Terrible Things Happen (For adults and adolescents)
	4. Parent Tips for Helping Infants and Toddlers (For parents/caregivers)
	5. Parent Tips for Helping Preschool-Age Children (For parents/caregivers)
	6. Parent Tips for Helping School-Age Children (For parents/caregivers)
	7. Parent Tips for Helping Adolescents (For parents/caregivers)
	8. Tips for Adults (For adult survivors)
	9. Basic Relaxation Techniques (For adults, adolescents and children)
	10. Alcohol and Drug Use after Disasters (For adults and adolescents)

The Psychological First Aid (PFA) Field Operations Guide, 2nd Edition was created by the Terrorism Disaster Branch of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network and the National Center for PTSD as well as others involved in disaster response. Production of this information was supported by SAMHSA.

Available in Chinese on the National Child Traumatic Stress Network website: Link to PFA in Chinese

Also see: SAMHSA Video Presentation about Psychological First Aid by Dr. Patricia Watson, NCPTSD.