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Using Psychological First Aid to Support Children During the Pandemic

by Christy Jones-Hudson
July/August 2020
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Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/using-psychological-first-aid-to-support-children-during-the-pandemic/5025422/

The ability to anticipate means you expect, or even predict, that something will happen before it does. None of us could predict the current COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent impact it has had on our daily lives. Moreover, there remains uncertainty of when we will return completely to normal or whether we ever will.

What we can expect, though, is that many of the children we work with will be affected by the circumstances surrounding COVID-19 in some way; whether it be misinterpreting the transition to homeschool as abandonment by their beloved teacher, increased time spent in unstable home environments, or repeated activation of stress response systems, children are also experiencing challenges.

Many of us are fortunate enough to still provide some semblance of service delivery to children and families by means of distance learning or careful in-person contact. Because we can anticipate many young ones will need additional support throughout these times, it is helpful to focus on an approach that anyone can use. In fact, Psychological First Aid is recommended for use by non-mental health clinicians when mental health practitioners may be overwhelmed or otherwise inaccessible. PFA is not therapy. Rather, it is a system that focuses on providing a supportive ...

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