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.”
