Psychological First Aid for Schools

How to access this practice?

A free online resource is made available by The National Child Traumatic Stress Network. The free, online certification can be found at  https://learn.nctsn.org/course/index.php?categoryid=11 .You can also reach out to your ESC region to arrange a training. 

What is the practice? 

Psychological First Aid for Schools (PFA-S) is an evidence-informed intervention model to assist students, staff, and families in the immediate aftermath of an emergency and can be used by any trained staff member or community partner. 

PFA-S assumes that students and staff members may experience a broad range of early reactions (e.g., physical, cognitive, psychological, behavioral, spiritual) following an emergency. Some of these reactions can cause distress that interferes with adaptive coping, but support from informed, compassionate, and caring professionals can help students and staff members recover from these reactions. PFA-S has the potential to mitigate the development of severe mental health problems or long-term difficulties in recovery by identifying individuals who may need additional services and linking them to such services as needed. 

Who is the practice for? 

PFA-S is intended for students, school personnel, and families who have been exposed to a disaster or other emergency. Whether an emergency occurs on school grounds or in the community at large, schools serve as a central location for professionals to assist children, families, school personnel, and school partners. 

What outcomes does the practice produce? 

• Decrease substance use  
• Decrease violence and risky behavior 
• Decrease long term impacts of trauma 

What is the evidence? 

Lee, J.-S., You, S., Choi, Y.-K., Youn, H., & Shin, H. S. (2017). A preliminary evaluation of the training effects of a didactic and simulation-based psychological first aid program in students and school counselors in South Korea. PLOS ONE, 12(7), e0181271. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0181271 

Researchers in this study examined the impacts of PFA training on the knowledge and competencies of those providing interventions after a disaster. In the study graduate and undergraduate psychology students attended a full day of training on PFA (3 hours of lecture & 3 hours of simulation). When comparing pretest and posttest of the group, the knowledge, skills, and confidence in the competencies of PFA improved.  

Ramirez, M., Harland, K., Frederick, M., Shepherd, R., Wong, M., & Cavanaugh, J. E. (2013). Listen protect connect for traumatized schoolchildren: A pilot study of psychological first aid. BMC Psychology, 1(1), 26. https://doi.org/10.1186/2050-7283-1-26 

In this study a group of 20 middle school students referred or self-identified to a nurse as exposed to stressful life experiences are followed over an 8-week time period to assess the life stressors. Students complete a questionnaire at the 2- 4- and 8-week marks and are given the option for the PFA intervention to be provided to them. The students who received the intervention, saw reduced symptoms of depression and posttraumatic stress disorder.  

How is the practice implemented? 

PFA-S is implemented with assistance from designated school-based staff, certified and non- certified, licensed and non-licensed employees can also participate in administering the practice. Due to the emphasis placed on emergency and disaster response and recovery, successful completion of training program is required to implement the practice. 

Because it is not psychotherapy, an extended “treatment,” or a stand-alone mental health intervention, any staff member, regardless of whether he/she has had mental health training, can deliver aspects of PFA-S and can contribute to the school recovery by functioning within the PFA framework. 

Who can implement the practice? 

Designated school-based staff that are trained in the model can implement the practice. Psychological First Aid satisfies training requirements established by TEC Section 37.108 related to district’s emergency operations plans. This statute requires members of the district’s school safety and security committee under TEC Section 37.109; district school counselors and mental health professionals; and educators and other district personnel as determined by the district.

What are the costs and commitments associated with becoming trained in this practice? 

Please contact the program for the most recent costs and commitments, as these may change. 

A free online resource is made available by The National Child Traumatic Stress Network. The free, online certification can be found at  https://learn.nctsn.org/course/index.php?categoryid=11 . You can also reach out to your ESC region to arrange a training. 

What resources are useful for understanding or implementing the practice? 

• The PFA for Schools (PFA-S) information can be found here: http://www.nctsn.org/content/psychological-first-aid-schoolspfa  
• https://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/resources/psychological-first-aid-schools-pfa-s 
• https://omh.ny.gov/omhweb/disaster_resources/pfa/teachers_educators.pdf 

Any training or interventions from this list should be used in accordance with established staff development standards and adopted professional development policies of the Local Education Agency (LEA) per §21.451 and §21.4515 of the Texas Education Code (TEC), as well as the LEA’s grief and trauma-informed care policy and procedures in accordance with §38.036 and §38.351. While this training satisfies the statutory training requirements of §38.036, it is best practice for staff to receive ongoing training which may include job embedded professional development, coaching and annual training opportunities.

The Commissioner and the Texas School Safety Center shall develop a list of recommended training for members of the district’s school safety and security committee under TEC §37.109. The Psychological First Aid training listed here is the only recommended training to meet this requirement. Please note that no other training, including other trainings that cover Trauma Informed Care, meets this requirement.

Rating: Supported

Secondary components: Positive, Safe, and Supportive School Climates