What is PFA? Psychological first aid (PFA) describes a humane, supportive response to a fellow human being who is suffering and who may need support. Providing PFA responsibly means:
PFA Action Principles: Prepare
Look
Listen
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Ethics Ethical do’s and don’ts are offered as guidance to avoid causing further harm to the person, to provide the best care possible and to act only in their best interest. Offer help in ways that are most appropriate and comfortable to the people you are supporting. Consider what this ethical guidance means in terms of your cultural context. Do’s:
Don’ts:
People who need more than PFA alone: Some people will need much more than PFA alone. Know your limits and ask for help from others who can provide medical or other assistance to save life. People who need more advanced support immediately:
If you are about to be deployed to a crisis or are already working in this area and would like training or support in Psychological first aid then please do get in touch with us today to talk through your needs.
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When terrible things happen in our communities, countries and the world, we want to reach out a helping hand to those who are affected. Perhaps you are called upon as a staff member or volunteer to help in a major disaster, or you find yourself at the scene of an accident where people are hurt. Perhaps you are a teacher or health worker talking with someone from your community who has just witnessed the violent death of a loved one. Knowing how to be supportive, what to say and do for people who are very distressed is vital in these situations and it is essential that all field workers are trained correctly, not only to support the people they are working with but also to care for themselves in what are quite often very difficult situations that affect, not only those directly linked with the incident, but also those providing support roles. Psychological first aid has been recommended by many international and national expert groups, including the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) and the Sphere Project. In 2009, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) mhGAP Guidelines Development Group evaluated the evidence for psychological first aid. They concluded that psychological first aid should be offered to people in severe distress after being recently exposed to a traumatic event. According to Sphere (2011) and IASC (2007), psychological first aid (PFA) describes a humane, supportive response to a fellow human being who is suffering and who may need support. PFA involves the following themes:
If you are about to be deployed to a crisis or are already working in this area and would like training or support in Psychological first aid then please do get in touch with us today to talk through your needs. When a crisis occurs, it not only affects the staff involved, but their families as well. It’s essential during these times of crisis, that organisations support families with a family liaison officer. A family liaison officer will provide a link between the crisis management team and the family in order to fulfil the organisation’s duty of care obligations to the staff member and their family. A strong relationship of trust between the organisation and the family can assist in resolving the crisis through a coordinated response and effective information management. Family Liaison Officers are trained to support families and friends who have lost a loved one or have experienced trauma in some way. They will be able to:
This is an important role within an organisation and therefore it is critical that those in this role are trained properly to provide the support required. Here at FD Consultants we offer training courses and workshops to support organisations and employees in this role so do get in touch with us today for more information. Everyone feels angry from time to time: it’s a natural emotion. We often feel it in response to difficult situations, such as those that make us feel undervalued or like we have no control. Differences in opinion are also a major cause: voices and tensions usually rise when people fight for their opinion. However, we must know how to properly control anger in ourselves – and others – if we want to work with colleagues effectively. When people express their feelings of frustration or anger in unhealthy, destructive ways, everyone in the workplace suffers. People feel like they’re treading on eggshells, and may become too afraid to say anything that might cause a conflict. This lowers morale, communication, and productivity, and makes people feel unsafe at work. No workplace should be controlled by aggressive employees. If you’re a HR representative or employer, it’s your responsibility to protect your staff from threatening behaviour and keep the workplace running in a constructive, professional way. Dealing with Anger in the Workplace Managing anger requires not only a reactive approach to bad behaviour, but also a proactive one. In other words, to prevent anger from occurring in the first place, your workplace should set a standard regarding people’s behaviour and how the business will handle it. If you manage anger issues properly and nip them in the bud, you’ll maintain a work environment that people know doesn’t tolerate bad behaviour. Furthermore, you’ll help people understand how to react if they do encounter aggressive employees. Here are 10 tips for dealing with anger in the workplace. 1. Build a professional workplace culture. You should encourage positive behaviour and rational problem solving to set a standard for how people should behave at work. To do so, you often need to look at your recruitment process. Focus on hiring people who have a positive attitude to work and interact with others amicably. However, plenty of people who have trouble controlling anger are well-mannered the rest of the time, so this won’t guarantee you eliminate anger problems. 2. Set a good example. Behaviour filters down from people in senior positions and influences others in the group: this is simply human nature. If senior staff let their temper control them, then everyone else in the team will do the same. Composed, respectful leaders show everyone by example what professional behaviour looks like, which motivates people to improve themselves. It also discourages bad behaviour as a whole. People will realise that senior staff don’t share their aggressive approach and will therefore not let them get away with acting up in the workplace. While this may not solve the root of their behavioural issues, it’s at least a first step to minimising issues. 3. Have disciplinary procedures in place. Plenty of workplaces will have staff who are set in their ways and aren’t influenced by good example. That’s why it’s so crucial to have disciplinary procedures in place. You’ll use these to discuss with the person what happened, to document the incident, and to take any necessary action. You need people to know they’ll face consequences if they can’t control their conduct, so they avoid getting angry in the first place. Repercussions also help people re-evaluate themselves and avoid repeating their behaviour in future. 4. Provide training. Staff at all levels need to know how to respond in confrontational situations. This includes dos and don’ts. For example, they should know not to react negatively, particularly physically, to aggressive employees. They should know to instead respond calmly and to report the behaviour to senior staff. Those in senior positions need to understand how to deescalate situations and take swift disciplinary action, so aggressive employees know the business has a zero-tolerance approach. 5. Don’t try to fix the person. Despite your purest intentions, it’s unlikely that you’ll change the person’s behaviour with one or two well-spoken words. Their susceptibility to anger is likely deep-seated and beyond your ability to correct in the short-term. Instead, try and find ways to prevent their behaviour from affecting the work environment, and direct them to professional help when the time is right. 6. Keep records. Whenever any incidents of bad behaviour occur, make a note of it. A track record enables you to apply disciplinary actions much more professionally. During your discussion with the person, you can flag up specifics to explain what led to the disciplinary action, as well as address changes or steps you’ll apply to prevent these specific incidents from happening again. 7. Remember that it’s not personal. People’s anger issues usually stem from deep-seated personality traits, which they developed through numerous past experiences. Anger is their way – albeit an unhealthy one – of dealing with situations that present a challenge to them. Therefore, although it may feel personal while they’re throwing insults your way, they would likely respond just the same if someone else were in your shoes. 8. Prioritise safety. If a person is acting physically aggressive, everyone’s safety comes first. People should know to keep their distance and make sure they can get to an exit without the aggressive person blocking their path. Furthermore, people should avoid adopting any nonverbal behaviours that may be misinterpreted as a threat. For example, pointing fingers or clenching fists. 9. Address the behaviour. When a discussion becomes heated, your priority should temporarily shift away from settling the cause of the disagreement. At this point, there’s rarely a chance for constructive discussion. You should instead focus on diffusing their angry behaviour. Effective ways of doing so include keeping your voice level and calm, asking questions such as “Why are you shouting at me?” and telling them that you can’t continue this discussion until they calm down. You can revisit the issue later. 10. Be empathetic and understanding. When the person eventually calms down, you should resume the discussion and aim to find the root of the problem together. To do this effectively, ask simple and direct questions, be patient and listen, and take responsibility for any mistakes you made. Many people will respond well to an empathetic, understanding approach, and admit to their mistakes too. You can then move past the moment of anger and onto the original problem with a calmer, more reflective mentality. If managing staff with anger issues is challenging in your workplace, and it would be helpful to have stress management and resilience building workshops for the staff, then get in touch with us today Anger can lead to problems with your health. When you experience anger problems, you may not cope well with stress. You may have lower self-esteem and may be more likely to experience drug or alcohol problems. Anger can also have significant effects on your body. It can lead to muscle tension, increased heart rate, and other uncomfortable or unhealthy body responses. People who don’t manage their anger well are more likely to get sick because their bodies aren’t able to fight illness or disease. Poorly managed anger can even lead to heart problems. What can I do about my anger? Anger is a sign you need to take constructive action. Anger is a source of energy to get things done and to solve problems. The goal of learning to manage anger is to minimise the negative consequences of this powerful emotion and maximise the positive ones. Strength lies in composure, not confrontation. There are three main ways to manage anger: 1. Emotions Relaxation: You can’t be relaxed and angry at the same time. Think of anger as your boiling point. If you turn down the temperature, you keep yourself from boiling over. Learning to relax can help lower your daily arousal level. Then, when you’re provoked, you have a much greater distance to travel before you get extremely mad. Humour: It is also difficult to be angry when you’re laughing. It is easy to take life’s annoyances too seriously. Making an effort to see the humour in your frustrations and aggravations can help to combat an automatic angry reaction. 2. Thinking Patterns Manage Your Thoughts: A good way to lower anger is to manage angry thoughts about the situation. Take the following steps:
Empathy: You may feel angry when you think that the other person’s behaviour was intended to hurt you in some way. Often, other people’s behaviour has nothing to do with you personally. It usually reflects how they are coping with things in their own lives. To make empathy work for you, ask yourself: “What does this situation feel like for the other person?” 3. Behaviours Problem-Solving: Anger management is a strategic and calculated confrontation aimed at solving a problem. The trick to managing anger well is to have a problem-solving goal. This means making sure that your response to your angry feelings is directed at solving the problem. Don’t take your feelings out on everyone around you, use them in a directed way to solve the problem. Being Assertive Without Being Aggressive: How you communicate depends on your goals. Your goals (even when angry) may include improving a valued relationship, maintaining your self-respect, solving a problem, making a request, communicating your feelings, showing understanding, and more. Anyone can learn assertive communication skills. Being assertive does not mean behaving aggressively to get your own way. Genuine assertiveness is about respecting yourself, respecting others and learning how to communicate your feelings honestly and with care. You communicate your needs without hurting others. See our list of resources on the next page for more on assertiveness. If managing staff with anger issues is challenging in your workplace, and it would be helpful to have stress management and resilience building workshops for the staff, then get in touch with us today |
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