PFA Mobile

Application OverviewMay 9, 2011

Funding Provided By Partner Organizations

Development Team

• Julia Hoffman, Psy.D.1,2

• Melissa J. Brymer, Ph.D., Psy.D.3,4

• Patricia J. Watson, Ph.D.1, 3, 4

• Hyun Carrie Kim3, 4

• Josef I. Ruzek, Ph.D.1

• Laura H. Wald, Ph.D. 1

• Eric Kuhn, Ph.D.1,5

• Carolyn Greene, Ph.D.1,6

• Kenneth Weingardt, Ph.D.6

1 VA National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder2 DoD National Center for Telehealth & Technology (T2)3 National Child Traumatic Stress Network4 University of California, Los Angeles5 VA Sierra Pacific (VISN 21) Mental Illness Research, Education, & Clinical Center6 VA Office of Mental Health Services

PFA Mobile Overview

PFA Mobile, is a fully 508 compliant smartphone application for mobile Apple products. The app is designed to assist responders who provide Psychological First Aid (PFA) to adults, families, and children as part of an organized response effort.

PFA Mobile includes:• Summaries of PFA fundamentals• PFA interventions matched to specific

concerns and needs of survivors• Mentor tips for applying PFA in the field• A self-assessment tool for readiness to

conduct PFA• A survivors' needs form for simplified data

collection and easy referral

Home Screen

• From the Home screen, users can choose from the six main sections of the application.

• The About button provides users with information about the application and the team that built it.

• Users may use the Help button for a brief description of the main sections of the app.

Learn about PFA

The Learn about PFA section includes: • An overview of PFA• Guidelines for providing PFA • Tips from PFA mentors about

putting PFA into practice

The Overview of PFA section includes:• A definition of PFA• The current evidence-base for PFA• The underlying principles informing PFA• Who can use it and where• The basic objectives of PFA• Professional behaviors to keep in mind

Learn about PFA: Overview of PFA

The PFA Guidelines section gives guidance about:• Preparing to deliver PFA• General guidelines for delivering PFA• Engaging survivors• Behaviors to avoid• Entering the setting• Using PFA for groups• Being sensitive to culture & diversity• Being aware of at-risk populations• Working with children & adolescents• Working with older adults• Working with survivors with

disabilities

Learn about PFA: PFA Guidelines

Learn about PFA: PFA in Practice

The PFA in Practice section includes brief audio clips of mentors discussing:• Provider self-care• Confidentiality• Supporting ethnocultural populations• Working with prior trauma • Contact and engagement• Safety and comfort issues• Assisting with missing loved ones• Working with grieving children &

adults• Helping survivors calm • Information gathering• Practical assistance• Coping for individuals and families• Coping with reminders

PFA Core Actions

The PFA Core Actions section highlights the goals and key actions for the 8 core actions of PFA.

Survivor Stress Reactions

In the Survivor Stress Reactions section, providers can click on a relevant stress reaction to get examples of ways to respond to survivors appropriately. The following age groups are represented:

• Adults• Infants and toddlers• Preschool-age children• School-age children• Adolescents

The Survivor Needs Form allows the provider to log basic information about survivors current concerns, needs, and referrals.

Guidance is given to protect survivors’ privacy and comply with HIPAA rules.

Survivor Needs Form

The Create a New Form section of the Survivor Needs Form allows the provider to log basic information about survivors, including: • Date• Descriptor initials • Location of service• Type of participant • Current experiences and needs• Referral information• Additional notes

Survivor Needs Form: Creating a New Form

The View Logs section of the Survivor Needs Form allows the provider to:• View logs arranged by date &

participant initials• Email information to other PFA

providers• Delete logs when no longer needed

The information entered on the survivor’s experience section will take the provider to the PFA core actions that could best help with that particular reaction or need.

Survivor Needs Form: Viewing Logs

Provider Self-Care The Provider Self-Care section:• Provides information about provider-

care in disaster settings• Includes a self-assessment for providers

to take to access their current readiness to deliver PFA

The Learn About Provider Self-Care section provides information on considerations for PFA providers before, during, and after relief work.

Provider Self-Care: Learn About Provider Self-Care

Provider Self-Care: Provider Self-Assessment

The Provider Self-Assessment provides the opportunity for providers to take a brief 20-item survey to determine whether they are ready and able to currently deliver PFA.

Once a PFA provider takes the Self-Assessment, the indicated items that might create problems for them are displayed in the Potential Challenges section.

Providers are given feedback to either avoid disaster work if they are presented with many challenges, or to make special arrangements so that their disaster response work does not place unnecessary demands upon their personal or professional life.

Provider Self-Care: Potential Challenges

ResourcesThe Resources section includes phone and online resources, including: • SAMHSA’s Disaster Distress Helpline & National

Suicide Prevention Lifeline• Red Cross Safe and Well website• National Center for PTSD• National Child Traumatic Stress Network• FEMA resources:

• App to apply for services• Text message services• Disaster assistance• Ready.gov website

• CDC emergency preparedness and response• Reliefweb

About PFA Mobile

The About PFA Mobile section includes: • The purpose and goals of the PFA

Mobile app, which is not meant to be a replacement for PFA training, but a tool in putting PFA into practice

• The PFA Mobile project team participants

• The PFA Mobile project partners

Settings

The Settings section allows the user to:• Choose to improve the app by

automatically sending daily diagnostics and usage data. Diagnostic data may include location information.

• Reset all user data

Legal Constraints

• The app does not collect Personally Identifiable Information

• The End User License Agreement clearly indicates that this is not intended to replace treatment

• The app does not transmit any data off of the device

www.ncptsd.va.gov

www.NCTSN.org

learn.NCTSN.org

Further Resources