How to Perform“Psychological First Aid” for Trauma

A Step-By-Step Guide to Helping a Friend Through a Traumatic Experience

Photo by camilo jimenez on Unsplash

A friend calls you late at night and tells you something horrible just happened. Do you know what to do? The answer is to perform Psychological First Aid.

Here are the 3 Steps in Psychological First Aid for Trauma:

1. Make Sure They’re Safe

There are two main types of safety that you need to check for: safety from outside and safety from themselves.

Safety from the Outside

First, find out exactly where they are. This could become important later. When the trauma is caused by another person, as in the case of abuse or assault, you’ll want to help your friend get away from that person. When the trauma is caused by an event, like a car accident, a terror attack, a weather event, help them navigate to a safe, sheltered place.

The possibilities are too broad for me to give specific advice on how to do that. Think on your feet. Remember, you may need to be the rational, logical, proactive one. They may not be capable of thinking right now. Be calm but be forceful and tell them exactly what to do, step by step.

Safety from Themselves