Developing your internal teams to provide "Psychological First Aid"

When considering how to manage potential and actual traumatic events, managers should be proactive rather than reactive.
A management plan framework should be in place before a traumatic event takes place. The framework should contain realistic written procedures and protocols that can be activated quickly and efficiently and be used flexibly as dictated by the event.

To be effective any plan must be rehearsed before it is activated and the plan must dovetail with established procedures.

The Response

• The crisis response team including those responsible for the human support should meet immediately following an incident in order to plan
  a response.
• Gather relevant information about event and who is involved.
• Immediate psychological first aid/support
• A Trauma Risk assessment should be undertaken by appropriately trained and skilled responders some 48-72 hours following the incident . This process identifies those that may be at higher risk for on-going issues of Post Traumatic Stress.
• A further follow up assessment is required 28 days later.

CARE team role

• Problems are often compounded by well-meaning multiple contacts to those who have been traumatised and attempts at lay counselling by untrained, often well-meaning individuals. There is a real danger that inappropriately trained CARE teams fall into this trap.
• Ad hoc response is probably worse than no response at all.
• Be clear about the role of the CARE team.
• Ensure the CARE team are selected by using appropriate selection and screening tools.
• Ensure appropriate training is provided to all of the CARE team.- docleaf recommend a 2 day introductory course and then annual day refreshers for ALL CARE team responders to.
• Have a clear reporting chain so that details are reported to trauma support specialists asap.
• Ensure mental health professionals are part of the immediate and ongoing response. Their role is to provide support to the CARE team and help in more complex cases of trauma support and to undertake the assessments mentioned above.
• Cultivate an organisational champion for human aspects so the ‘soft’ personnel issues are never overlooked

Legal Issues

Over and above the moral requirement to address the psychological needs of employees, there is now a growing body of employment law that requires the employer to make adequate provision for the management of stress in the workplace.