Canadian Red Cross Psychological First Aid

Psychological First Aid (PFA) is about taking care of yourself – your thoughts, feelings and emotions when you have experienced stress, crisis or trauma – and then being there for family, friends and community when they are having difficulty coping.

Learn how to anticipate stress and crisis whenever possible and equip yourself with the skillset to practice self-care and to provide care for others during particularly challenging times. Unlike mental health first aid, which trains people to help someone during a mental health emergency, Red Cross Psychological First Aid teaches you how to build up resiliency to stress and establish coping strategies for stress and trauma.

Learners will be introduced to the Red Cross Look, Listen, Link, Live model – a resiliency-building approach to emotional, psychological, and social wellbeing that teaches learners how to support themselves and others to cope with the effects of various types of stress. The course uses primarily case-based learning and includes the latest evidence from the international community.

What you will learn: 

• • How to anticipate stress and crisis whenever possible. 

  • The effects of stress, loss, trauma, and grief. 

  • How to build and use a personal self-care plan. 

  • The skillset to practice self-care and to provide care for others during difficult times. 

  • How to access the various specialized supports that are available to anyone experiencing distress.