Introduction to the Learning Unit

Mental health professionals work in collaboration with non-professional first aid workers, even if they do not belong to the pre- or post-disaster response team. Non-professional first aid workers can be trained in psychological first-aid techniques, in order to be able to assess high-risk survivors. The assessment focuses not only on the presence of acute symptoms or stressors such as self-harming or aggressive behavior, disorientation on time/place/person, missing family member/s, direct threat to life because of disaster, significant physical injury to self or family members, delayed relief and/or evacuation, but also history of past mental illness and/or substance abuse or addiction, as it was in the first time of the first aid psychological intervention.

The profile of the psychologist in early intervention is first defined as mental health professional, but it also covers a multi-dimensional role: education, training, administration, negotiating, collaboration, fundraising, skill transferring, advocating, treating and rehabilitation. As soon as possible, it is important to target stress high-risk population in the disaster area without provoking stigmatization, promote accountability and share standards of good practice. It is also crucial to monitor the disaster relief workers’ mental and physical health status, as they are exposed to risk of burnout, compassion fatigue and vicarious traumatisation using stress management techniques.