Train more people in physical and psychological first aid to build resilience among S’poreans

We refer to the letter, "Psychological first aid helps save lives. Every household and building should have someone trained in it", by Mr Benjamin Ng Chee Keang (Aug 9).

Like Mr Ng, we believe that psychological first aid is an important supportive and practical first response.

In any crisis, besides handling physical wounds, a major challenge is managing emotional distress and psychological wounds.

That is what psychological first aid aims to address — the psychosocial skills that are learnt empower people to care for and support one another.

This helps people forge stronger bonds and peer support, in both critical emergency situations and day-to-day situations at home or in schools, workplaces and the community.

Learning psychological first aid helps establish a human connection in a non-intrusive and compassionate manner. Like first aid, it can help save lives.

In September 2016, the Singapore Red Cross Academy launched the nation’s first public training in psychological first aid. We were the first in Southeast Asia to do so.

More recently, we introduced an advanced psychological first aid certification course. To date, we have trained more than 3,000 people, both from corporate organisations and individuals.

We have also started offering psychological first aid as a core training to the Singapore Red Cross’ youth leaders and officers.

In recent months, in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Singapore Red Cross Academy also adapted its psychological first aid training to the online environment. Through this, we hope to make learning more accessible and convenient for the public.

This is in line with our goal of nurturing a community of trained responders, so that timely physical and psychological first aid can be rendered to the family, neighbours, colleagues or those in one’s neighbourhood, before professional help arrives.

With more people in the community equipped with physical and psychological first aid skills, we can be a more resilient community to overcome adversities that may come our way.

Together, first aid and psychological first aid are key components of supporting the national SGSecure movement. They will help build truly united, alert and, most importantly, empowered people, ready to protect ourselves and our community.

In September, the Singapore Red Cross will commemorate World First Aid Day.

And in October, the Singapore Red Cross will mark World Mental Health Day by rolling out targeted psychosocial support activities and training for the workplace and community.

We hope that more people come forward to learn first aid and psychological first aid, and influence their families and peers to do the same in our pursuit of being a more prepared and resilient nation.

Have views on this issue or a news topic you care about? Send your letter to voices [at] mediacorp.com.sg with your full name, address and phone number.