Psychological First Aid

Wars, conflicts, and catastrophes have devastating consequences for the mental health of affected populations—consequences that may reverberate for years to come.

Our Support to You

Ongoing wars, conflicts, natural disasters, and severe human rights violations affect millions of people. Our deepest sympathy is with all victims and loved ones living in constant danger, under severe stress, and facing daily unrest.

Resources for Coping

To help in these severe times of stress and unrest, MHHRI provides practical resources: activities, exercises, and psychoeducational messages about stress, body reactions, and mental reactions. Some of these resources are available in English, Arabic, Ukrainian, and Spanish.

The information in the following is compiled or developed for parents, helpers, volunteers, and professionals engaged in emergency work and support to persons exposed to trauma, separation, and loss.

Resources For Parents

Dear parents, these are low-threshold tools to help you support your children. We know that many parents struggle to find ways to help their loved ones facing constant danger, threat, and stress. Here you will find practical exercises and resources about stress, body reactions, and activities.

الدعما لنفسي جتماا عيلا و للأ Psychosocial support for ...

2025Safwat Diab (PhD) et al.

هذا الكتيب مُوجّه للآباء ومُقدّمي الرعاية الراغبين في دعم الأطفال الذين يعيشون في الحرب. يشرح ردود الفعل الشائعة تجاه الصدمات، ويُبيّن أنها استجابات طبيعية للأحداث القاسية. يقدم الدليل ممارسات بسيطة يومية لاستعادة الأمان، والاستجابة مشاعر الأطفال، وإ...

Psychosocial support for children during war. Parents`g...

2025Safwat Diab (PhD) et al.

This booklet is for parents and caregivers who want to support children living through war. It explains common reactions to trauma and shows that these are normal responses to extreme events. The guide offers simple, everyday practices to restore saf...

Protection and Assistance for Children on the Move

2017IFRC Psychosocial Centre

The IFRC is deeply concerned about protection and humanitarian assistance for children on the move. This is heighted by data that shows the number of children on the move, including unaccompanied and separated children, has grown substantially in the...

The Children and Families Mental Health and Psychosocia...

2020MHPSS

The ‘Communicating with children about death and helping children cope with grief’ resource provides guidance for adults on communicating with children about death and helping them cope with grief. Developed during the COVID-19 pandemic, ...

Child Friendly Activity Cards

2017Red Cross and Red Crescent

World Vision International and IFRC Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support launched a Child Friendly Space (CFS) Toolkit in 2017. This set of activity cards is selected and adapted from the existing CFS Activity Catalogue that promotes children an...

How do you talk to children about war?

2022IFRC Psychosocial Centre

A one-page guide for parents and caregivers. The guide can be used by parents and caregivers with children directly affected by conflict and for children who may have friends in conflict settings, it can be used as a guide to help parents support and...

MHPSS Key Message Bank for those Caring for Children an...

2023MHPSS

Key Message Bank for those Caring for Children and Adolescents. In both English and Arabic languages,

 

Resources For Helpers

Dear helpers, volunteers, and professionals, these are low-threshold tools to support you in your work with survivors. We know you are facing enormous challenges in emergency work and supporting people exposed to trauma. Here you will find practical resources.

A Guide to Psychological First Aid

2018IFRC Psychological Centre

Psychological First Aid for Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has been developed for the staff and volunteers of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and other organizations working in situations where psychological first aid (PFA) may be relevant...

Resources for psychological first aid in Arabic

Mental Health Resource Centre (MMHRC)

The links below provide mental health information in Arabic. These documents – easy to download – are intended for individuals interested in learning more about mental health and ways of improving emotional well being.

Save the Children Psychological First Aid Training Manu...

2013Save the Children, Dybdal, Anne-Sophie, Melin, Mie, Terlonge, Pernille

The Psychological First Aid Training Manual for Child Practitioners (PFA) was developed by Save the Children Denmark for the Child Protection Initiative, to facilitate training in psychological first aid with a focus on children. It is aimed at devel...

Supporting people with missing family members

2023IFRC Psychosocial Centre

This one-pager can assist Red Cross Red Crescent staff and volunteers who work with Restoring Family Links (RFL), or giving support to people in need dealing with having a family member who is missing. Additionally, you can find these resources in di...

When a family member is missing

2023IFRC Psychosocial Centre

This one-pager can assist Red Cross Red Crescent staff and volunteers who work with Restoring Family Links (RFL), or giving support to people in need; navigating having a family member who is missing. Additionally, you can find these resources in dif...

The well-being guide

2022IFRC Psychosocial Centre

Reduce stress, recharge and build inner resilience. Humanitarians and people working in helping professions need to take care of themselves in order not to burn out and to be effective in their work. The well-being guide: reduce stress, recharge and ...

Psychological First Aid Field Operation Guide

National Child Traumatic Stress Network – National Center for PTSD.

Gives guidance on responding to disaster or terrorism events using the Psychological First Aid intervention. This evidence-informed approach helps to assist children, adolescents, adults, and families in the aftermath of disaster and terrorism. The m...

The Psychological First Aid for Schools Field Operation...

2012National Child Traumatic Stress Network National Center for PTSD (NCTSN)

Psychological First Aid for Schools (PFA-S) is an evidence-informed intervention model to assist students, families, school personnel, and school partners in the immediate aftermath of an emergency. PFA-S is designed to reduce the initial distress ca...

 

GBV Support Resources

If you work with survivors of gender-based violence, these resources are for you. In conflicts and disasters, GBV increases severely. MHHRI created these manuals, accessible to offer practical tools  to help support survivors.

There are three different manuals, which respectively address working with women, with boys and men, and with children who have experienced sexual violence.

All manuals can be downloaded from this website and are translated into several languages.

We are longing for peace with justice and human rights for all.

Sincerely
The MHHRI team