台大心理系

Psychological first aid (PFA) is a recently recommended early psychological intervention model following disasters. PFA is designed to reduce the initial traumatic distress and foster adaptive functioning. The development of PFA originates from the controlled studies showing that Psychological Debriefing does not prevent PTSD and may even increase the risk of psychological problems. In this presentation, I will first describe the introduction process of the PFA in Taiwan and introduce the core actions of two main models of PFA—from the U.S. National Child Traumatic Stress Network and the World Health Organization. The rationales behind PFA (i.e., promoting: a sense of safety, calming, a sense of efficacy, connectedness, and hope; Hobfall et al., 2007) will also be explained. Finally, I will present my own experience of applying PFA in local disaster, crisis, and social movements, including the 2015 TransAsia Airways Flight GE235 Crash, the 2014 Sunflower Movement, and the COVID-19 pandemic.