By
Eileen Weber
April 1st, 2025
Sarah Gaer, MA, is a clinical mental health counselor, a suicide prevention specialist, mental health speaker and author. She also serves as chair of the Central Massachusetts Coalition for Suicide Prevention.
As Americans, we have seen our fair share of disasters. We have witnessed countless mass shootings in schools, theaters, clubs, and even concerts. Massive storms, floods, and wildfires have destroyed homes and upended lives.
Each of these cataclysmic events can cause psychological trauma. One way to subvert that trauma is through psychological first aid, or PFA.
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) and the National Center for PTSD jointly developed PFA, designing it to reduce the initial impact of stress while also providing coping skills.
But PFA is not psychotherapy, counseling, or treatment. Nor is it to be confused with Stress First Aid (SFA) or Mental Health First Aid (MHFA).
SFA was developed from a military resilience ...
