EMOTIONAL FIRST AID
Even a little child
knows that one must take ‘first-aid’ when injured. It is common knowledge that
first aid consists of examining the injury, preventing it from getting worse
and determining if further treatment is warranted. For several decades, people
have been trained in first aid workshops. This training is provided even to ‘lay
persons’. The idea is that help is made available to every person, at all
times.
As against this level
of care, training and know-how about physical injuries- very little is
available for addressing emotional injuries. In fact majority of doctors also
do not have any idea about EFA. The end result is that our world is becoming
more and more vulnerable to festering and worsening of emotional hurts. Emotional
first aid concept was developed in Australia. WHO has promoted emotional first
aid training and implementation as one of the important methods for mental
health interventions. Emotional first aid is the intervention given to a person
who has suffered emotional trauma. It is given immediately after the emotional
hurt and before professional help becomes available. Many times, due to
effective emotional first aid, professional help becomes unnecessary.
Emotional first aid can
be learnt by any intelligent, helping- natured person through a training
program. The training consists of learning about working of the mind, nature of
emotional trauma and effects of emotional trauma. It will teach the persons to
recognise the symptoms of trauma and to determine whether emotional first aid
can be administered. Then come the actual skills of emotional first aid. Participants
are encouraged to practise their skills as often as possible so that they
become experts.
Emotional first aid is
actually designed to help persons who have suffered mental trauma. Recipients have
reported feeling better upon receiving timely EFA. Not only this, the persons
who underwent EFA training also benefitted. They became more conscious about
mental health, mental hygiene and were able to take better care of themselves. Hence,
even training in EFA helps to improve overall mental health. It is indeed a
simple, effective training that all must avail off.
