The myth of the 1-day training: the effectiveness of psychosocial support capacity-building during the Ebola outbreak in West Africa

R. Horn, F. O'May, W. Gwaikolo, L. Woensdregt, L. Ruttenberg, A. Ager
07
May
2019
Output type
Location
Sierra Leone
Focus areas
Mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS)
Topics
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This article summarises findings from a study which investigated the effectiveness of training on Psychological First Aid (PFA) delivered during the West Africa Ebola outbreak.

The study investigated whether PFA training could be delivered effectively in a single day. The article concludes that very short training on PFA is unlikely to be sufficient for most non-specialists to provide effective, nonharmful psychosocial support.

The article recommends that Government/NGO standardisation of PFA training and integration in national emergency response structures and systems could strengthen in-country capacity. Adapting PFA training to specific contexts is likely to lead to enhanced understanding and more effective use of the approach.

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