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Psychological First Aid

Phoenix Australia Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health

Psychological First Aid is a 3-hour self-paced online course and workbook that teaches practical, evidence-informed strategies to support people after trauma.

  • Online

Pricing: Paid

Origin: Developed in Australia for Australian schooling contexts

Affiliations: University of Melbourne

Product type: Professional learning; Whole school approach or initiative; Learning modules

Contact details

Phoenix Australia Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health
ABN: 47 720 569 707

https://education.phoenixaustralia.org/product?catalog=Psychological-First-Aid

phoenix-training@unimelb.edu.au

Focus areas

  • Mental health literacy and life skills

  • Resilience and optimism

Curriculum alignment

Prospective users

Audience: Targeted small group early intervention (Tier 2), Intensive individualised approach (Tier 3)

Context: School or centre-based, Outside School Hours Care (OSHC), E-schools

Main beneficiaries: Early learning, Year 1, Year 4, Year 7, Year 10

Aims & approach

This 3-hour online course delivers practical, evidence-informed training in Psychological First Aid (PFA), using the Prepare, Look, Listen, Link framework.

Grounded in five key principles - safety, calm, efficacy, connectedness, and hope - the course helps learners manage distress, support others, and maintain their own wellbeing.

It features real-life scenarios, reflection activities, and a downloadable workbook, and is suitable for both professionals and laypersons across health, emergency, education, and community sectors.

Implementation support

  • Ongoing helpdesk, email or phone support

Evidence

Psychological First Aid (PFA) is an evidence-informed approach developed by international experts, including those at the World Health Organization and the National Center for PTSD. PFA is grounded in well-established principles from trauma, crisis intervention, and resilience research. It reflects a consensus on best practice for providing immediate emotional and practical support after trauma, and is designed to reduce initial distress, promote safety and stabilisation, and support recovery.

The positive impact of PFA training is supported by several journal articles, examples of which include:

  • Berger, E., & Samuel, R. (2020). The effectiveness of psychological first aid training for school teachers: A controlled study. School Mental Health, 12(3), 626-637. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-020-09375-7
  • Field, E. L., & Cottrell, L. (2017). Helping the weeping, worried, and willful: Psychological first aid for children. Journal of Asia Pacific Counseling, 7(2), 169-180. https://doi.org/10.18401/2017.7.2.5