Organizational implementation of psychological first aid (PFA): Training for managers and peers

Abstract

International guidelines for the management of psychological trauma recommend psychological first aid (PFA) as an early intervention for survivors of potentially traumatic events. Forbes et al. (2011) proposed a Phased PFA model for organizations whose employees are at high-risk of exposure to potentially traumatic incidents (PTEs; i.e., "high-risk organizations"). One of the central elements of the Phased PFA model is the allocation of roles for implementation of PFA to staff at various levels of the organization, including managers as well as those staff with special support roles. This article describes an evaluation of training provided to 321 managers and 261 peer supporters within an A..