Psychological first aid

We don't call it counseling here in Philadelphia.

We call it psychological first aid, which is basically what your first responders will get when they come upon a horrific scene, a house fire, fatal shootings, um, things along those lines.

Um, they're offered psychological first aid, and that's what we're offering our jurors as well.

And is it not just exposure to graphic material, but sometimes the weight of the decisions they're making and how it will impact people's lives?

Yes.

And to some extent, common sense, but you have to change how you think and tone it down a bit and get out of that mindset.

You've described psychological first aid as being less about, quote, treatment than about safety, stabilization, reducing stress, restoring self-efficacy, and instilling hope.

Please forgive a layman's analysis, but how is that different from actual treatment?

Well, with treatment, you're treating a problem, a diagnosis.

And one of my colleagues says, we got to go help them.

And I said, maybe you want to go comfort them, right? But it's not helping them.

And maybe that also gets your question about treatment versus psychological first aid.

And that maybe wasn't trauma.

And here at home, the Singapore Red Cross has opened its doors to provide a safe space for people affected by the disaster.

They can speak with trained volunteers and receive psychological first aid.

The organisation's fundraiser that began on Friday has also reached its one million singh dollar target.

It will remain open until the end of November.

So you have villages, markets, but also the infrastructure that is not talked about much, which is schools and hospital facilities, medical facilities that have been wiped away.

So these are areas that we are looking at to support.

Benjamin, here at home, Singapore Red Cross is offering psychological first aid.

Talk to us a bit more about that.