DOES NOT REPLACE THERAPY
Emotional first aid is not a substitute for professional therapy, just as physical first aid does not replace medical care, experts said.
They stressed that first responders must also be aware of their own state of mind when helping others.
“When people are distressed, they don’t pick up the call to call a psychologist. They will pick up a phone to call a friend and a family member. And you provide the first response there,” said Dr Matthew Lim, deputy director of the master’s of psychology clinical programme at the National University of Singapore.
“I think of it like a container. You are providing space, a container for them to pour their distress into.”
But Dr Lim cautioned that this has its limitations, particularly for the person offering support. He said people should consider their own emotional capacity before stepping in, especially if they are already feeling stressed or overwhelmed.
“Your own cup is full. And if you want to be a first responder, you need to have space to contain the emotions of somebody,” he said.
Agreeing, principal registered psychologist Geraldine Tan added that psychological or emotional first aiders do not need to “resolve everything at that point in time”, but focus on de-escalating the emotions.
Once that initial support is given, it is vital to connect the person to professional help – such as a psychologist or psychiatrist – to ensure continued care, said Dr Tan.
She added that emotional first aid can help one to be prepared in moments of crisis.
“If, let’s say, somebody is breaking down in front of you – you’re not frightened, you’re not running away, you’re not succumbing to the fight, flight, freeze responses,” she said.
But she cautioned there is no one-size-fits-all response to people in distress.
“We have a toolbox. When you are hurt, there are different degrees of hurt. There’s different tolerance levels also … so we pick and choose what is most suitable for ourselves,” Dr Tan added.
