Learning example psychological support

Introduction learning example 'manual community based psychological support'

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

Tool for programme analysis and programme development

Check the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies website for news and information on this subject. Below, the chapters of the publication are offered as pdf files. A hard copy of the full publication can be ordered on the publications page of the IFRC website.

Explanation

Psychological support, guidance, advice and care are traditionally carried out by family or community members. In todays world, however, community bonds are changing and, in many cases, weakening. Red Cross Red Crescent programme workers have witnessed the breakdown of large, extended and close-knit family or community networks and the loosening of links between people which have meant that, when disaster strikes and help is needed, the traditional support mechanisms are not nearly as efficient as they once were.

Even where these traditional support mechanisms function well, they are likely to break down in the aftermath of disaster or crisis.

The International Federation's psychological support programmes are aimed at reintegrating individuals and families into their communities, and identifying and restoring community networks and coping strategies.

The activities of the programmes range from helping people to have "normal" psychological reactions in response to grief and loss, to support for volunteers, national staff and expatriate delegates.

Analysing the efficiency of these programmes can help improve psychological support programmes, prove useful in advocating for those in need of such support, and promote the particular approaches of various National Societies.

To aid programme analysis and future programme development, the Federation has issued a publication entitled Best Practices, which brings together case studies from Red Cross and Red Crescent programmes dealing with different aspects of psychological support in various parts of the world.

The Best Practices publication is available here in seperate pdf files.

Contents

  • Introduction ( pdf)
  • International Federation Reference Centre for Psychological Support ( pdf)
  • Psychological support programme for delegates ( pdf)
  • American Red Cross: Disaster mental health services ( pdf)
  • Austrian Red Cross: Critical incident stress management and crisis intervention ( pdf)
  • Colombian Red Cross: ?Building the country? mental health programme ( pdf)
  • Danish Red Cross: Psychological first aid and psychological support ( pdf)
  • Finnish Red Cross: Psychosocial care programme ( pdf)
  • French Red Cross: Croix-Rouge Écoute psychological support activity ( pdf)
  • Icelandic Red Cross: Psychological first aid and psychological support ( pdf)
  • Children affected by armed conflict (CABAC) ( pdf)
  • Chernobyl Humanitarian Assistance and Rehabilitation Programme (CHARP) psychosocial support service ( pdf)
  • Crisis mental health assistance (Kenya Red Cross Society) ( pdf)
  • Social welfare programme (Red Cross of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) ( pdf)
  • Creators of their future (Turkish Red Crescent Society) ( pdf)

Community-based psychological support - Best practices.

This document is offered by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

To order a hard copy of this publication, please contact polly.catsicalis@ifrc.org.

Objectives

The objectives of this analytical compilation are to improve Red Cross Red Crescent psychological care by:

  • Drawing people's attention to the invisible psychological scars that disaster and emergency inevitably often create.
  • Giving greater visibility to psychological support programmes, so that people - whether working with the International Federation or not - have a better knowledge of these programmes and their roles.
  • Assembling the lessons learned from the different programmes.
  • Ensuring that the lessons learned from these experiences are recorded in order to consolidate knowledge in this area.
  • Ensuring that National Societies can adapt or apply the lessons learned in their own work related to psychological support.
  • Making recommendations so that guidelines for implementing psychological support can be produced in the near future.

© UNICEF/Brazilië 000369F-credit Alejandro Balaguer