Psychological First Aid Essentials

A two hour course

Rapid awareness and core skills for yacht crew or expedition teams.

• Introduction to Trauma at Sea (using Mel Harries Model for fire crew and search and rescue).

  • What trauma is and why near misses count

  • Impact of austere, remote, extreme environments on mental health

• Recognising Red Flags

  • Signs of acute stress vs PTSD

  • When to escalate: PC-PTSD-5 screening questions

• PFA at Sea: The 5 Principles (using Kate Baechers Model for expeditions, austere, remote and harsh environments)

  • Identify risks for individual and group and promote safety, calm, connectedness, self-efficacy, and hope

  • Adapting these for onboard and remote medical situations

• Practical Exercise (using Amanda’s Medical training models)

  • Short role-play using a maritime case study

• Immediate Self-Care for Rescuers

  • Controlled breathing, grounding, buddy check-ins