PSYCHOSOCIAL

PROCESSING

Department of Health, Philippines

 LEARNING OUTCOMES

• Demonstrate Psychosocial Processing –

Stress Debriefing
• Understand the benefits of learning PSP
skills

Department of Health, Philippines

 PSYCHOSOCIAL PROCESSING

A PROCESS USED BY A MENTAL HEALTH

PROFESSIONAL OR BY A HEALTH CARE
PROVIDER TO ASSIST PEOPLE IN CRISIS
& TO TRANSFORM THESE VICTIMS OF
CRISIS INTO VICTORS (SURVIVORS).

Department of Health, Philippines

 A direct PSP intervention for individuals
or groups of individuals aimed at:

1. Helping re-establish
equilibrium & harmony
after the disaster;
2. Regaining personal
control

Department of Health, Philippines

 A PSP is….

A group session allowing the ventilation and

sharing of experiences, feelings, and reactions
during the critical incident.

Department of Health, Philippines

 PSP – Useful in Providing
1. Ventilation of Intense Emotion
2. Exploration of symbolic meaning of the event to
those exposed
3. Group support under catastrophic conditions
4. Initiation of the grief process within a supportive
environment
5. Reduction of the Fallacy of Uniqueness – that the
participant is alone in his feelings

Department of Health, Philippines

 PSP – Useful in Providing

6. Reassurance that intense emotions under catastrophic

conditions are normal
7. Preparation for the possibility of the development of a
variety (Emotional, Cognitive, Behavioral, Physical, Spiritual)
symptoms in the aftermath of a serious crisis
8. Education regarding normal and abnormal stress response
syndrome and management
9. Encouragement for continued group support and/or
professional assistance

Department of Health, Philippines

TARGET POPULATION: NORMAL PEOPLE
who are capable of functioning
effectively but due to Crisis, they
show signs of emotional stress

Department of Health, Philippines

Department of Health, Philippines
 PARTS OF PSP
● INTRODUCTION / RE-ESTABLISHMENT OF SAFETY
● FACTS & FEELINGS/ TELLING & RETELLING/

● STRESS RESPONSES/ FINDING COMMONALITY

● COPING STYLES/ RECONNECTION

● CONTINGENCY PLANS/ ORGANIZING FOR
COMMUNITY ACTION
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 INTRODUCTION/ RE-ESTABLISHMENT OF SAFETY
● SELF
● PARTICIPANTS

○ What session is all about - DEFINE

○ Guidelines: Confidentiality, Non-judgmental,

Respect, No Right/Wrong answer, Openness

Department of Health, Philippines

 SHARING OF
FACTS & FEELINGS/
TELLING & RE-TELLING
● EXPERIENCE “Ano ang nangyari? Ano
● FEELINGS then…. ang mga naramdaman/
● FEELINGS now…. naisip mo noon?”
● MEANING OF CRISIS
- differences “Kumusta ka na ngayon?”
- commonality
- universality “Ano ang tingin mo sa mga
nangyaring yun sa iyo? Ano
* STRETCH BREAK ang naging kahulugan nun
sa iyo?”
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 STRESS RESPONSES/ FINDING COMMONALITY
Physical
Emotional
Cognitive
Behavioral
Spiritual

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 COPING STYLES/ Reconnection
● What they have done
to cope? “Ano ang mga ginawa mo
nun? Pano mo nakayanan?”

●Praying -
universal coping

Department of Health, Philippines

 CONTINGENCY PLANNING/
Organizing for Community
Action Ano ang balak mong gawin ngayon?
Ano ang mga plano mo sa hinaharap?
(Pananaw sa kinabukasan)

Department of Health, Philippines

 CLOSING THE SESSION

● Can be done in several ways:

○ Ask participants to say a word or two of support/ comfort addressed to the

group

○ Meditation/ relaxation exercise

○ A song

○ A Prayer (use with caution)

Department of Health, Philippines

 GUIDE:
I. INTRODUCE
II. CONFIDENTIALITY
III. NO RIGHT, NO WRONG
IV. WALANG PILITAN
V. QUESTIONS
a. How are you now?
b. What did you feel? (During)
c. How did you feel now?
d. Coping you used
e. Future plans?
 Find the commonality
 Normal Reaction to Abnormal Situation
 Breathing exercises
 Thank everybody

Department of Health, Philippines

Department of Health, Philippines
ARTS – as a medium
● Drawings of children have an assessing and helping value.

● By asking the child to draw and later allowing her

to talk about his art, one can learn his inner world
– his needs, fears, joys, apprehensions.
● His art is also a graphic representation of the
child’s experience.
● Clay, sand, stick can also be used to represent what
the child wants to express and share.

Department of Health, Philippines

 USE OF ARTS
○ Feelings are assigned to different colors

○ Children can use the colors to express their feelings as they color their drawings.

○ Processing is more important as each child shares the drawing and the facilitator is
able to motivate the child to express verbally

○ Venue for rapport building

○ Graphic representations of the child’s experience, needs, joys, hopes and innermost
feelings otherwise not expressed verbally

○ Enriches the facilitators’ pool of information

Department of Health, Philippines

THELMA S. BARRERA, RN
 RED GREEN BLUE
(ANGER) (LONELY) (SAD)
YELLOW WHITE BLACK
(HAPPY) (NERVOUS) (SCARED)
BROWN ORANGE
(BORED) (EXCITED)

Department of Health, Philippines

THELMA S. BARRERA, RN
DRAWING INTERPRETATIONS

The size of the drawing

If your drawing takes up approximately 50% of the paper, it
indicates a certain balance between extroversion and introversion.

On the other hand, if your drawing takes up the entire drawing

surface, it speaks of an excess of self-esteem, and even certain
aggressiveness. Now, if the drawing takes up less than 20% of the
paper, it can be a sign of insecurity and impulse inhibition.

Department of Health, Philippines

DRAWING INTERPRETATIONS

The projection and location of the drawing

Drawings located at the top of the paper indicate a
tendency to follow a fantasy world, meaning it’s
difficult for these people to adapt to reality. As
children, we usually start to draw using this superior
space and, as we grow, little by little we start to center it.

Department of Health, Philippines

The stroke
The stroke can be another important source of
information.

• Strong strokes correspond to impulsive people, but

also assertive.

• Meanwhile, a weak trace is a sign of shyness and

low energy levels.

• Straight lines may indicate a lack of emotional

control and curved lines speak of emotionality.

• Shadows and blots on the drawing may represent

anxiety and an excess of uncertainty.

Department of Health, Philippines

PSP/ DEBRIEFING CHILDREN

Department of Health, Philippines

 • builds rapport
• relaxes the children
• serves as entry point
• medium to convey messages
• it is a natural way of
expressing
needs, feelings
• helps children work out their
fears
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 NOTE:
● These activities are just avenues for
children to narrate or share their
experience & express their feelings/
reactions.

● To assure them that even extreme reactions are

normal, experienced by normal people subjected
to an abnormal situations.

Department of Health, Philippines

Expressive Arts

Department of Health, Philippines

Department of Health, Philippines
Department of Health, Philippines
 PITFALLS THAT YOU CAN PONDER ON TO
IMPROVE YOUR CONDUCT OF PSP

1. Using untrained member

2. When there is no mental health
worker to refer extreme cases
3. PSP/ Debriefing is not a therapy
4. When there is inadequate facts

Department of Health, Philippines

 PITFALLS THAT YOU CAN PONDER ON
TO IMPROVE YOUR CONDUCT OF PSP
5. Inadequate networking/ coordination
6. Poor community approach
7. Lack of emphasis on confidentiality
8. Inadequate support for facilitators
9. Writing notes on the session
10. When it is intrusive

Department of Health, Philippines

 PITFALLS THAT YOU CAN PONDER ON
TO IMPROVE YOUR CONDUCT OF PSP
11. Lack of input on the part of the facilitator
(educational aspect)
12. Role of the psychosocial care provider is
not clear to the group/
organization/community affected
13. Facilitator is LATE in the session
14. When participants are seated apart
15. None or not enough EYE CONTACT

Department of Health, Philippines

 PITFALLS THAT YOU CAN PONDER ON
TO IMPROVE YOUR CONDUCT OF PSP
16. When FACILITATOR’s body language seems not to
convey concern/warmth/sincerity
17.Late comers/ other disruptions
18. Language barrier
19. No follow-up/ appropriate referral
20. No buddy system/ back up (in case FACILITATOR becomes highly
emotional)
21. Accepting too many groups to be processed during the
day

Department of Health, Philippines

Unexpressed feelings never die
They are buried alive
And come forth later
In uglier ways.

Department of Health, Philippines

Are you ready to be a MHPSS Provider?