Psychological First Aid Treatment Plan Paper

EARTHQUAKE SURVIVOR: DISTRESSED BUT UNHARMED PERSON
Psychological First Aid Treatment Plan Paper
DeCarol Gulliford
TRMA820: Disaster Mental Health and Community Response (D01)
Professor William Holland
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2
Nature of the Disaster
A large earthquake unexpectedly hit a city’s center in the middle of the workday.
Structures have fallen, there is extensive destruction, and you are among the many distressed
people. Many people, young and old, men, and women, have survived and are now in a
shelter. You have each been affected differently and are distressed, but no one has experienced
life-threatening harm.
An earthquake can result from the ground shaking violently, landslides, avalanches,
fires, or blocks of the earth’s crust pulling apart and moving past one another [ CITATION
Mar17 \l 1033 ]. Immediate and long-term effects on health are expected. Injuries and trauma-
related deaths occur as buildings collapse, burning from fires close to structures. Earthquakes
affect all ages, races, socioeconomic classes, and ethnic backgrounds. Mr. Foster is
experiencing a situational crisis, which is expected following the disaster of an earthquake.
I have selected to complete a treatment plan for a very distressed person who is
unharmed but whose family is lost in the disaster. Mr. Curtis Foster is a 49-year-old African
American male who worked at a local business on the 5th floor when the earthquake began.
Mr. Foster was recently married and is expecting twins. Mrs. Foster was at a doctor’s
appointment in the building across the street from Mr. Fosters’ structure, which is ten stories
high, and Mrs. Fosters’ doctor’s office is on the 4th floor. Mrs. Foster’s building has
completely collapsed, and fires are still burning in her building. Mrs. Foster is not at the
shelter where her husband is; he fears she and their unborn children are missing.
3
Alleviating the Psychological Distress
Mr. Foster is pacing back and forth and speaking softly to himself, with a very
distressing look and tears occasionally running down his face. Mr. Foster’s building has a
safety evacuation plan, which he has followed to get safely out of his building unharmed. Mr.
Foster is healthy, takes no medication, and can efficiently complete daily activities. Mr. Foster
continuously looks towards the door as many other survivors arrive at the shelter. He is more
distressed with each new group of arrivals, as he does not see his wife. Mr. Foster has no
mobility issues but is constantly looking at his cell phone. Mr. Foster experienced an
earthquake when he was a teenager and is quickly reminded of that event and wonders about
the aftershocks that will inevitably occur.
Mr. Foster hesitates to engage anyone in conversation and eventually goes closer to
the shelter door, glaring out. As Mr. Foster moves closer to the door, he checks his cell phone
for reception, but to no avail. Finally, Mr. Foster leans against the wall and gently slides down
the wall in tears. Mr. Foster cries as he tries to wrap his mind around his wife and unborn
children being missing, hurt, or dead.
4
Eight Core Actions of PFA
Contact and Engagement
Goal= initiate contact with Mr. Foster
Observe Mr. Foster before approaching him.

Present myself and describe my role as a psychological first-aid responder.
Ask Mr. Foster if it is okay to speak with him.
Converse with Mr. Foster gently, soothingly, and lovingly.
Determine if he has any immediate needs.
Safeguard that Mr. Foster has privacy, protecting his confidentiality while
demonstrating respect.
Safety and Comfort
Goal= meets the immediate needs of Mr. Foster and provides emotional comfort.
 Ensure Mr. Foster is out of physical danger by gently asking him to move away from the
door.
 Walk with Mr. Foster to another sheltered area, ensuring he can view the door.
 Provide Mr. Foster with a chair to sit down on.
 Ask Mr. Foster how you can assist him.
Stabilization
Goal= reduce the stress Mr. Foster is experiencing
 Allow Mr. Foster to share with me his thoughts about his wife.
 Listen intently to Mr. Foster and respond with empathy and comfort.
 Ask Mr. Foster what he has done in the past to move through these feelings.
 Address Mr. Foster’s primary concerns.
 Offer Mr. Foster some Kleenex and water.
Information Gathering
Goal= assess Mr. Foster’s immediate needs.
 Ask Mr. Foster about the safety concerns he has about his wife.
 Share with Mr. Foster about some of the services they have at the shelter that may assist
him in getting information about his wife.
 Ask Mr. Foster how the earthquake affected him.
5
Practical Assistance
Goal= create for Mr. Foster an environment for him to problem solve
Identify which need he would like to address first.


Clarify the need with Mr. Foster.

Discuss with Mr. Foster the action plan.

Act with Mr. Foster to complete the plan.

Ask Mr. Foster if you can walk him to the tables with information on other structures.

Ask Mr. Foster if he would like to find information on other shelters where his wife may

have been taken.
Connection with Social Support
Goal= assist Mr. Foster with connection with primary support.
Ask Mr. Foster if there is someone that he can connect with that may have heard from his

wife.
 Reassure Mr. Foster that the center will do all possible to get this information to him as
quickly as possible.
Coping Information
Goal= offer Mr. Foster has written and verbal information on coping skills to reduce additional
stress.
Provide Mr. Foster with breathing technique information and ask if you can do some

techniques together.
 Provide Mr. Foster with information on stress reactions to assist with thought intrusion.
 Let Mr. Foster know you will be nearby if he thinks of anything else to help him.
Linkage with Collaborative Services
Goal= inform Mr. Foster that their other services are available to him for the coming months.
 Reassure Mr. Foster that until there is news about his wife, he does not need to move
forward with anything.
 Ask Mr. Foster if he would like to share any activities at the shelter until he gets word
about his family.
 Encourage Mr. Foster to continue contacting family members and services unaffected by
the earthquake.
6
Maintaining and keeping one’s physical and emotional health is critical when disaster
strikes[ CITATION Ros15 \l 1033 ]. Religious coping, problem-focused strategies, emotion-
focused strategies, and meaning-making strategies are some ways people use to heal through
disasters. Taking time to adjust to difficult situations resulting from disasters can be challenging.
Many have found that expressing their feelings or joining a support group can be therapeutic.
Support from family, friends, or a professional may also be needed.
School counselors can also be helpful during and after a natural disaster. Children
certainly need to be surrounded by family, counselors, and members of the counseling profession
when disaster strikes [ CITATION Nik19 \l 1033 ]. Teaching a child to pray is a must. Showing
them how much God loves them and that nothing is their fault will be effective now and in the
future. The Bible says, “I make well-being and create calamity; I am the Lord, who does all these
things (Isa 45:6c–7). Spiritual healing and restoration can ultimately be given through God’s love
and lessons on natural disasters [ CITATION Gra15 \l 1033 ].
7
References
Dodds, G. G. (2015). “This Was No Act of God:” Disaster, Causality, and Politics. Risk, Hazards
& Crisis in Public Policy, https://doi.org/10.1002/rhc3.12074.
Jacobs, G. (2018). Community-Based Psychological First Aid-A Practical Guide to Helping
Individuals and Communities during Difficult Times. Cambridge: Elsevier.
Makwana1, N. (2019). Disaster and its impact on mental health: A narrative review. Journal of
Family Med Prim Care., doi: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_893_19.
Skaine, R. (2015). Abuse An Encyclopedia of Causes, Consequences, and Treatments. Denver:
Greenwood.
Stebnicki, M. (2017). Disaster Mental Health Counseling-Responding to Trauma in a
Multicultural Context. New York: Springer.
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EARTHQUAKE SURVIVOR: DISTRESSED BUT UNHARMED PERSON

Psychological First Aid Treatment Plan Paper

TRMA820: Disaster Mental Health and Community Response (D01)

Professor William Holland

Nature of the Disaster

experiencing a situational crisis, which is expected following the disaster of an earthquake.

Alleviating the Psychological Distress

the aftershocks that will inevitably occur.

children being missing, hurt, or dead.

Eight Core Actions of PFA

Contact and Engagement

Goal= initiate contact with Mr. Foster

Observe Mr. Foster before approaching him.

Goal= reduce the stress Mr. Foster is experiencing

Goal= assess Mr. Foster’s immediate needs.

 Ask Mr. Foster how the earthquake affected him.

Identify which need he would like to address first.

Goal= assist Mr. Foster with connection with primary support.

strikes[ CITATION Ros15 \l 1033 ]. Religious coping, problem-focused strategies, emotion-

Support from family, friends, or a professional may also be needed.

and lessons on natural disasters [ CITATION Gra15 \l 1033 ].

& Crisis in Public Policy, https://doi.org/10.1002/rhc3.12074.

Jacobs, G. (2018). Community-Based Psychological First Aid-A Practical Guide to Helping

Individuals and Communities during Difficult Times. Cambridge: Elsevier.

Family Med Prim Care., doi: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_893_19.

Skaine, R. (2015). Abuse An Encyclopedia of Causes, Consequences, and Treatments. Denver:

Stebnicki, M. (2017). Disaster Mental Health Counseling-Responding to Trauma in a

Multicultural Context. New York: Springer.

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