2. Psychosocial support
Fiji Training Toolkit
Table of CONTENTS......................................................................................................................................................................................
The PSS Fiji Training Toolkit contains three sections:
Training Tools
• Provide information to understand psychosocial impacts and the role of volunteers in providing psychosocial
support
Community Tools
• Describe psychosocial impacts, common reactions to stress and provide information on strategies for de-
stressing and recovery.
Volunteer tools
• Provide information for volunteers on caring for their wellbeing when working with affected communities
post-disaster
Using the Psychosocial Support Fiji Training for Volunteers Toolkit:
The training tools are for use by Red Cross trainers when preparing volunteers to undertake psychosocial
support after a traumatic or disaster event.
The community tools are for use by Red Cross volunteers when they are working with households or
communities.
The volunteer tools are for Red Cross volunteers to keep and share with their families when working post-
disaster.
Fiji Red Cross Society and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) created
this training toolkit post-Tropical Cyclone Winston using psychosocial recovery material from New Zealand Red
Cross.
Training tools:
• Understanding psychosocial support
• Providing good care
• The key elements of psychosocial support
• Conducting psychosocial support
• Referring people to professional support
• Caring for ourselves while supporting others
Community tools:
• Recovering from disaster
• Act on stress
• Supporting children to recover
Volunteer tools:
• Caring for our wellbeing
Psychosocial Support – Fiji
Training toolkit
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies,
Pacific Office, Suva, 2016
Any part of this publication may be cited, copied, translated into other
languages or adapted to meet local needs without prior permission
from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent
Societies (IFRC), provided that the source is clearly stated. Requests
for commercial reproduction should be directed to the IFRC at
communications.pacific@ifrc.org
Illustrator: Tui Ledua
Psychosocial support Fiji Training Toolkit.
For further information, please contact:
P. O Box 2507
Government Buildings
Suva, Fiji
Tel: +679 331 1855
Fax: +679 331 1406
E-mail: communications.pacific@ifrc.org
Web site: www.ifrc.org
June 2016
4. Pacific Toolkit - Training tool
Psychosocial support
Fiji Training Toolkit
Question: What does ‘psychosocial’ mean?
Responses:
• The term ‘psychosocial’ combines the two concepts ‘psychological’ and ‘social’
• Psychological refers to: our emotions, how we think, our memory and our ability to
make decisions; social refers to the relationships with have with our family, friends and
community
• People can have a range of psychosocial impacts after a traumatic or shocking event
like a disaster
• Disasters cause loss and grief, so emotional responses like being sad or angry is normal
• Most difficult emotions will reduce over time, most people recover with support from
family, friends and their community.
Point to the picture of the people building.
Question: What is resilience?
Responses:
• Resilience is the ability to adapt and help yourself and your loved ones and community
to recover after a traumatic event or disaster
• Most people have strengths and capabilities to recover.
Point to the picture of the female volunteer supporting the woman.
Question: What is psychosocial support?
Responses:
• A supportive caring response to a person who is suffering.
• It involves:
• Being a caring listener and letting the person tell their story when they are ready
• Reminding the person of their own strengths and the strengths they have from their
family and community
• Linking the person to services if they need professional help.
Point to the picture of the men crying and looking angry and women looking shocked and scared.
Question: How do you know if someone needs psychosocial
support?
Responses:
• People in distress
• People who are stressed.
Question: What is distress?
Responses:
• There are many different types of emotional distress
• ‘Loud’ emotions might look like: crying, shouting, anger, frustration
• ‘Quiet’ emotions might look like:
• withdrawal from others – not wanting to be with people
• shock – wide eyed, blank face, not knowing what to say or finding it hard to talk
• jumpiness – jumping at loud noises, shaking
• anxiety – being very worried or scared.
Question: What is stress?
Responses:
• Stress is our body’s natural way of responding to danger
• Stress hormones like adrenalin help us to run faster and be strong so we can survive a
threat or danger
• Stress can impact negatively on our ability to recover if we cannot calm down after a
traumatic event
• Stress affects our brains – we don’t remember things as well and find it hard to make
decisions
• Stress affects our health – it can stop us sleeping or make us feel very tired all the time,
make us more likely to get sick, can make us gain or loose weight
- training tool 1
Key messages
• It is natural to feel upset or stressed after a disaster or traumatic event
• Red Cross volunteers provide basic psychosocial support which is about being
supportive and caring to a person in need.
• People who are stressed or emotional benefit from psychosocial support
Psychosocial support – training tool 1
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Psychosocial support
Fiji Training Toolkit
Point to the picture of the female volunteer supporting the woman and the counselor providing
counselling.
Question: What is the difference between basic psychosocial
support and counselling?
Responses:
• Red Cross volunteers provide basic psychosocial support – not counselling, which
requires a professional degree
• Basic psychosocial support is about showing that you care, listening to the person if
they want to talk but not asking questions that encourage the person to say more than
they are ready to
• Basic psychosocial care is all most people need to help them recover
• A small number of people will need more emotional support, such as counselling. A
role of those providing basic psychosocial support is to link those people that need it to
these professional services.
Point to the picture in the top right hand corner of the male volunteer and man.
Question: Why do we need to be careful about the words we use?
Responses:
• We don’t use negative words like ‘victim’ or ‘crazy’ to describe people affected by a
disaster. Remember emotional reactions are normal after a traumatic event. People are
not ‘crazy’ if they show their emotions
• Words can be hurtful. We need to be aware of how we talk about people and to we use
words that acknowledge people’s strengths and capabilities
• We must support people in way that empowers them to recover.
Point to the picture of the female volunteer wearing fancy clothes.
Question: How can we show respect to people?
Responses:
• Wear neutral clothes – not anything fancy or too scruffy. Our appearance can create
a barrier to providing support so we need to think about wearing clothes that are
respectful to those we support
• Avoid wearing sunglasses when providing psychosocial support, people need to be able
to see your eyes to know you are listening
• Follow other culturally respectful norms of the community – for example wearing a
sulu and taking off your hat
• Keep what people tell you private between you and them. Record the details you need
for Red Cross, but do not repeat what the person tells you outside of Red Cross
• Only touch the person if it is appropriate and somewhere non-threatening, such as
their arm or hand.
Point to the picture of the people being photographed.
Question: Why shouldn’t we take photos of people?
Responses:
• We must not take advantage of those we are supporting
• People may feel vulnerable and agree to something they are not happy about in order
to please you.
• Only the Communications Team or authorised people need to take photographs of
affected people.
Key messages
• Know the boundaries of your role – provide basic emotional support not counselling
• Show respect when supporting others, put yourself in their shoes and think about
how you would like to be supported
Psychosocial support – training tool 2
- training tool 2
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Psychosocial support
Fiji Training Toolkit
Point to the first picture of the volunteer and man.
Question: How can you help people feel safe and calm?
Responses:
• Take people away from anything that is dangerous or threatening their safety. Ask if
they might turn off the TV if they are watching news footage of the disaster
• Listen to people who wish to share their stories and emotions, without forcing them to
talk
• Promote getting back to daily routines, these can help people feel connected to their
normal lives again
• Help people feel emotionally safe by reassuring them that their feelings are normal.
Point to the picture in the middle of the group of men.
Question: How can you promote connectedness?
Responses:
• Help people contact friends and loved ones
• Encourage people to use their family and community, sharing what you have gone
through and the tasks of recovery with your family and community helps people
recover faster
• Provide information and link people to services that are available.
Point to the picture of the women weaving.
Question: How can you help people feel able to help themselves and
their community?
Responses:
• Empower people to believe in themselves by reminding them of how they have coped
with difficulties in the past – ask them:
• “What did you do then to cope?”
• “What supports do you have in your family and community?”
• Give information about the disaster and what services can help them so that they can
make decisions about their recovery
• Promote looking after their emotional recovery as well as their physical recovery (like
rebuilding their home) by “de-stressing” and taking time to rest and do activities that
bring them happiness.
Point to the picture of the volunteers with the community.
Question: How can you help people have hope?
Responses:
• Show you care and are here to help
• Reassure them that their feelings are normal
• Reassure them that while it is difficult now most people recover after a disaster
• Red Cross volunteers may return to visit people and follow up with how they are doing,
this can instil hope in people.
Key messages
There are 5 key elements to psychosocial support:
• Helping people feel safe
• Helping people feel calm
• Encouraging people to use their friends and family for support
• Supporting people to feel empowered and able to help themselves to recover and
remind them of their strengths
• Showing you care and helping them have hope for the future
Psychosocial support – training tool 3
- training tool 3
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Psychosocial support
Fiji Training Toolkit
Point to the first picture of the volunteer and man.
Question: How do you begin providing support?
Responses:
• With a friendly introduction, tell them your name, that you are from Red Cross and you
are here to help
• Handshake or culturally appropriate greeting
• Show you care and are here to help by being open and friendly.
Point to the picture of the female volunteer listening to the woman.
Question: How do you start your conversation?
Responses:
• Ask how the person is feeling:
• “How are you today?”
• Ask if they would like to ‘talanoa’ and talk:
• “I am hear to listen if you would like to talanoa and share your story about what
happened after the disaster?”
• Ask what their needs or concerns are:
• “Do you have any needs or concerns you would like to share?”
Question: How could you respond when people tell you their story?
Responses:
• Reassure them that their feelings are normal
• Reassure them that during the disaster they looked after themselves and their family,
and that this was the right thing to do
• Reassure them that there is hope for recovery and ask them how they have they coped
with difficulties in the past:
• “What have you done in the past during difficult times to help you cope?”
• Remember you might not need to say anything, helping the person talk and feel heard
is the most important part of psychosocial support.
Point to the picture of the male volunteer listening to the man.
Question: What do you say to people who have needs and concerns?
Responses:
• Empower people to believe in themselves by reminding them of how they have coped
with difficulties in the past – ask them:
• “What did you do then to cope?”
• “What supports do you have in your family and community?”
• Link them to services provided by Red Cross, if they will help meet their needs
• Give information about other services that provide help, such as the service providers
pamphlet ‘Stay Informed, Be Empowered’ or if the person wants it make a referral
using the referral form.
Point to the picture of the volunteers taking notes.
Question: How do you end your visit?
Responses:
• Give any information you have that might support their recovery
• Take some notes to report back key details to your Team Leader about who you have
supported (age, gender, name of community or village, if a referral is needed)
• Say goodbye and wish them well, do not make any promises for support that you
cannot keep.
Key messages
• The first step to providing psychosocial support is introducing yourself and helping
the person feel safe and cared about
• Encourage people to talk and share their story, if they feel ready, but do not force
them to talk if they don’t want to or press them for details by asking too many
questions
• Show you care by listening well
Psychosocial support – training tool 4
- training tool 4
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Psychosocial support
Fiji Training Toolkit
Question: What do you see in these pictures?
Responses:
• Red Cross Red Cross volunteers observing a man who is distressed
• Red Cross volunteers observing signs of domestic violence
• a Red Cross volunteer giving information about accessing services
• a Red Cross staff member making a referral over the phone to a counselling service
Question: What is gender based violence (GBV)?
Responses:
• GBV includes physical violence such as domestic abuse, usually carried out by a man
against a woman or child. Can include hitting, punching, kicking, slapping
• GBV includes sexual abuse, including rape or sexual assault
• GBV includes psychological abuse, emotional abuse and harassment. These include
being yelled at or called negative names, a person controlling the movements or
activities of another person, behaviour that makes a person feel threatened
• GBV is the result of gender inequality and the abuse of power
Question: When should we refer a person for professional support?
Responses:
• If the person is very emotionally distressed and your support is not enough
• If the person begins to talk about serious emotional needs or serious bad thoughts, and
you are concerned about their emotional state
• If you observe signs of GBV or the person tells you about abuse or violence occurring in
their home
• If the person tells you they have been raped or sexually assaulted, they need urgent
care from the police or hospital
What volunteers can DO
• Encourage the person to talk or get help from the relevant professional service such as
counselling, police or medical care
• Normalise seeking support, explain that everyone needs help sometimes and that it is
not a weakness to seek help
• Learn the signs of GBV and know when people need to be referred to professional
services
• Know what services are available and give information about how the person can
access these, such as the ‘Stay Informed, Be Empowered’ brochure
• Follow the Red Cross referral process: talk to the person about how Red Cross can help
them access services by making a referral, fill in the referral form with the person and
give them their copy, take the other two copies back to your Team Leader so that they
can ensure the referral is made
• If the person does not want a referral or want to report GBV report your concerns on
your referral form and report these back to your Team Leader
• Carry the referral guidelines with you to help you make referrals
Psychosocial support – training tool 5
- training tool 5
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Psychosocial support
Fiji Training Toolkit
Point to the picture in the top left corner of the volunteers and man.
Question: What are some of the challenges when providing psychosocial support?
Responses:
• Difficult seeing people living in challenging situations, people’s problems may feel too big for us to know how we can help
• It can make you feel emotional listening to people’s stories
• You may have also experienced the disaster and be emotionally impacted yourself
• Because you cannot see what you have done or achieved when you provide emotional support (unlike building a shelter or giving non-food items) it can feel like listening is not
“doing anything to help”, this can make you feel powerless
• You may feel like there is so much to do that you cannot take a break and get enough rest, and as a result you run the risk of wearing yourself out
Point to the other pictures.
What volunteers can DO
• Remember that basic psychosocial support is proven to help people recover, even if you cannot see what you have done to help, you must trust that you have
• Be clear about what your role is, remember the difference between basic psychosocial support and counselling, do not try to do more than you can. It is not your role to fix the
person’s problems, but to support them to feel able to fix them for themselves
• Know that it’s okay for you to also be emotionally affected and to seek support from your Team Leader, team or trusted person when you need it
• If you have concerns about what you have heard or seen when out in the community raise these with your Team Leader
• Follow your Team Leader’s advice about taking breaks and resting
• Share your experiences, have a laugh and support your team mates
• Leave any negative experiences at work, try not to take them personally. People may be frustrated with their situation or experiences, this is not about you
• Pace yourself. Rest between shifts – relax and do enjoyable things to keep your batteries charged
What Team Leaders can DO
• Brief and train your volunteers so they are clear about their role
• De-brief with your volunteers so they can share their experiences and stories and ask for advice
• Give positive feedback about the important role psychosocial support plays in people and community recovery
• Supervise your volunteers, make sure they take breaks and rest so they pace themselves and keep their batteries charged
• Remind volunteers it is normal to be emotionally affected and make yourself available to sit and talk if they need to
• Refer volunteers who need more support to National Office so they can be supported
Psychosocial support – training tool 6
- training tool 6
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Psychosocial support
Fiji Training Toolkit
Point to the graph.
Discussion:
• It is normal to feel quite positive after a disaster, you feel like you can clean up and
rebuild and there might be lots of help available
• After some time you might start to feel worse than you did right after the disaster,
you get tired, people who have come to help might leave and you might be left not knowing
what to do
• Coping with, and recovering from, a disaster can take a long time
• Recovery can be like a “roller-coaster ride”. You can feel “up” with good emotions one
day and then “down” with bad feelings the next. This can be confusing
• It helps to give yourself time to recover and to look after your wellbeing
• Most people recover well after some time and are stronger when they do, they are
more prepared for if a disaster or difficult time happens again.
Point to the pictures of the men and the woman looking shocked.
Question: What do you see in this picture?
Responses:
• Man crying
• Man looking angry
• Woman looking shocked
Discussion:
• Disasters are shocking and may take things from us like our belongings, homes,
neighbours homes and even loved ones
• It is normal to have lots of different feelings and emotions
• It is okay to feel bad – sad, angry, frustrated as well as good – proud of how you coped
or lucky to have not lost anything
• Give yourself time to feel your emotions and to grieve.
Point to the picture of the family at church.
Question: What do you see in this picture?
Responses:
• Family at church
Discussion:
• If you feel ready, sharing your experiences and talking about what has happened to
someone who is caring can help you understand what has happened and help you look
to the future
• Talking can help you plan for what you need to do to help you and family recover and
helps you feel more in control.
Point to the picture of the women talking and the family playing cards.
Question: What do you see in these pictures?
Responses:
• Women talking and laughing
• Family playing cards
Discussion:
• Socialising with your family and friends helps you share what you have been through
• Doing things you enjoy and that normally give you pleasure is important for helping
you feel good again.
Key messages
• Recovery can be a long process, but most people end up stronger when they have
recovered
• It is normal and okay to feel lots of different things during recovery such as sad,
angry, frustrated, proud, lucky
• Use your friends and family to help you recover, talk to them and spend time
together
• Get back to doing the things you enjoy
Take action
• How are YOU? Where DO you think you are on the recovery graph?
• What enjoyable things can you DO to help your recovery?
• Who can you TALK to if you need to share your story?
Psychosocial support – community tool 1
- community tool 1
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Psychosocial support
Fiji Training Toolkit
Point to the pictures of people looking stressed.
Question: What do you see in this picture?
Discussion:
• Man with back pain; Man having trouble sleeping; Woman in shock
Discussion:
• Common physical signs of stress:
• sleeping problems
• headaches
• muscle tension/body pain
• fast heartbeat
• nausea
• Common emotions and behaviours that are signs of stress:
• withdrawal from others – not wanting to be with people
• shock – wide eyed, blank face, not knowing what to say or finding it hard to talk
• jumpiness – jumping at loud noises, shaking
• anxiety – being very worried or scared
Question: What is stress?
Responses:
• Stress is our body’s natural way of responding to danger
• Stress hormones like adrenalin help us to run faster or be stronger so we can survive
the threat
• Stress can impact negatively on our ability to recover if we cannot calm down after a
traumatic event
• Stress affects our brains – we don’t remember things well and find it hard to make
decisions
• Stress affects our health – can stop us sleeping, make us more likely to get sick, make
us put on weight or loose weight.
Point to the picture of the man resting, the family eating well, people dancing and the person
getting counselling.
Question: What do you see in this picture?
Responses:
• Man resting, taking a break
• People dancing
• Family eating a healthy meal
• Person talking to a counsellor
Question: What can you do to care for yourself and reduce your
stress?
Responses:
• Take a break and rest
• Eat healthy food
• Get exercise
• Get back to your daily routines
• Talk to a professional, such as a counsellor, about what you have been through if you
can’t reduce your stress yourself
Question: What other things help us to feel better?
Responses:
• Talking about what has happened to someone who is caring and you trust, such as a
Red Cross volunteer, friend, member of the church
• Socialising with family and friends
• Doing things you enjoy that normally give you pleasure.
Key messages
• Stress can seriously affect your health, work and family life
• Don’t ignore the signs of stress, they are your body’s way of telling you to rest and
care for yourself
• Rest and enjoyable activities are the best way to beat stress
Take action
• What can you DO if you are feeling stressed to help yourself feel better?
Psychosocial support – community tool 2
- community tool 2
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Psychosocial support
Fiji Training Toolkit
Point to the first 3 pictures of children.
Question: What do you see in these pictures?
Responses:
• Child with sore tummy
• Child holding on to mother
• Child sleeping in bed with parents
Question: How do children show they are stressed?
Responses:
• Unlike adults children may not tell you “I feel stressed”
• Instead they may show physical signs:
• Complaining about having a sore tummy or head
• Not wanting to eat
• They may start to behave differently:
• Not sleep well
• Cry easily
• Be aggressive or quick to get angry
• Be scared and afraid of things
• Be ‘clingy’ hold onto their parents/carers and want to be close all the time
• Not want to talk or play with other children
• May seem like they are ‘going backwards’ – return to acting like they did when they
were a young child, such as sleeping in the same bed as their parents, wetting the
bed
• Children may switch quickly between showing signs of stress to playing and having
fun. It is normal for children to play even after a traumatic event and doesn’t mean
they aren’t grieving.
Point to the second set of 4 pictures.
Question: How can parents and carers support children?
Responses:
• Encourage children to play with their friends
• Listen to their children’s fears and provide comfort
• Listen with respect, do not make children feel silly for feeling afraid
• Encourage children to ask questions about what happened and give them information
to help them understand the disaster and what they can do to keep themselves safe
next time something happens
• Play with them and do enjoyable fun things together
• Engage children in usual activities and maintain family routines, like eating together,
reading together, visiting family. Routines help life feel normal and safe
• Not wanting to eat: try to eat together as a family, parents shouldn’t force children to
eat but try to make meal times fun and relaxing, be a good role model and eat well at
meal times
• Sleep problems: bedtime routines can help children sleep better, such as having some
quiet time without exercise before going to bed, telling a story in bed, having a cuddle.
Key messages
• It is normal for children to be stressed, just like adults, after a disaster or traumatic
event.
• Children need to feel safe. Parents and carers need to give comfort and help
children feel secure and safe.
• Children need to share their fears and worries. Parents and carers need to listen
and reassure that it is normal and that they are here to look after them
• Routines help children feel safe, try to keep doing the usual activities together as a
family that you did before the disaster.
Take action
• What can you DO to help your children recover?
Psychosocial support – community tool 3
- community tool 3
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Psychosocial support
Fiji Training Toolkit
3. Keep Learning
Being curious and picking up new skills keeps your brain going – try new things!
Key messages
• Making these 5 Ways to Wellbeing part of your life will improve your happiness and
health
• Little things count, just make sure you do them often
• During tough times, such as after a disaster, you need to look after your wellbeing
with more care, make sure you continue to do things that bring you joy, help you
relax and keep you physically active in order to “keep your batteries charged”family
that you did before the disaster.
Take action
• Can you name an example of each of the 5 Ways to Wellbeing that you do each
week?
Psychosocial support – volunteer tool
- volunteer tool
The 5 Ways to Wellbeing
2. Be Active
Physical activity is good for our bodies and our mind
Anything that moves your body and gets your heart pumping counts!
1. Take Notice
Taking a moment to stop, think and notice the things around you helps you to relax
and connect to your environment
4. Connect
Sharing a laugh and spending time with our friends and family helps us feel part of our
communities
5. Give
Be generous with your time, help a neighbour or volunteer
Being kind and doing things for others not only helps them but makes us feel good too
