The Psychological First Aid will be the first help given to people in rural and maritime areas after any domestic abuse or natural disaster.

Mental Health Professional, Selina Kuruleca says people in most villages and islands have undergone special training to become first responders and provide counselling during or after any crisis.

Kuruleca says this help will also include children as we help them go through any ordeal in life.

“Psychological First Aid is the first human assistance or help that your give to someone during a crisis. The purpose of psychological first aid is to protect and promote mental health so it can be delivered during domestic crisis, national crisis or regional crisis or international crisis. This can be done for crisis that can be man-made or natural. So it’s a very comprehensive training.”

The trauma brought about by domestic violence or natural disasters affect people’s mental and emotional state and Kuruleca says this needs to be done to help people get back on track.

The Training manual was developed with support from Asian Foundation Training Manual, Empower Pacific and ADRA together with the World Health Organization and was endorsed by National Disaster Management Council.