Health Officials Promote Psychological First Aid to Boost Emergency Response

In connection with today’s training session for first responders, health officials are emphasizing that Psychological First Aid, or PFA, is a critical tool in strengthening the country’s emergency response system, not just physically, but emotionally as well.

Psychological First Aid is an evidence-based approach designed to help individuals in the immediate aftermath of a crisis or traumatic event. It focuses on providing practical support, ensuring safety, listening without judgment, and connecting affected persons to appropriate services. Unlike long-term therapy, PFA is about stabilizing individuals in the moment, reducing distress, promoting calm, and helping them regain a sense of control.  The training equips police officers, firefighters, emergency medical technicians and other frontline personnel with the skills to recognize emotional and psychological distress in victims of accidents, violence, disasters and other emergencies. It also teaches responders how to protect their own mental well-being, given the repeated exposure to high-stress situations.

Mental Health Coordinator Yvette Quintanilla says a key objective of the initiative is breaking down longstanding misconceptions about mental health and encouraging more open conversations.

Iveth Quintanilla, Mental Health Coordinator, Ministry of Health and Wellness: “So the psychological first aid is a humane response to the different traumas, disasters that are faced. And three things that we normally teach people are to look, to listen and to link. These are the basis of the psychological first aid. Our focus is that the mind and the body are not separate. It’s always anyone has mental health and it can also result in mental illness if we do not take care of our mental health. So we are trying to change how we speak in terms of mental health. We are trying to change the stigma, the discrimination associated whenever we speak about mental health because we know it is very common in our country and most of the time, like I said, the focus is on our physical health but we tend to forget taking care of our mind as well. So that is what we are trying to change as we move along.”

Quintanilla notes that changing the stigma surrounding mental health is essential to building resilient communities. She says when first responders understand how to approach individuals with empathy and without judgment, it not only improves recovery outcomes but also fosters greater public trust in emergency services.  Health officials say the expanded use of Psychological First Aid represents a proactive step toward integrating mental health into national disaster preparedness and response efforts./