2024-05-06 10:27:01
Tornado, refugees, school shooting, but also divorce or sudden death in the family. These are situations where crisis interventions intervene. Jana Hadravová, head of the National Psychosocial Support Team of the Czech Red Cross, describes in the Aktuálně.cz podcast what else volunteers can do, which the public usually associates mainly with medical first aid, and how each of us can help a person in crisis.
Photo: EU
“Psychosocial support is kind of a manifestation of humanity,” explains Hadravová. It’s about being able to actively listen to the other person, support them and possibly refer them to specialized help.
Simple communication techniques, in which not only the Czech Red Cross, but also other organizations or components of the integrated rescue system train their members, make it possible to quickly calm down and stabilize a person on the spot in strong emotions and difficult life moments so that he can manage his situation and solve it rationally.
The Czech Red Cross provides this form of support in the context of extraordinary events. In the past, its volunteers trained in psychosocial support have helped, for example, during floods, a tornado in Moravia, at crisis centers for refugees from Ukraine or, more recently, after the December shooting at the Faculty of Arts of the Charles University in Prague.
“In those first hours, our volunteers were part of the crisis line that was set up by the municipality of the capital city of Prague,” describes Hadravová. Directly in front of Rudolfinum, the organization also provided rear support for rescuers and firefighters. In the following weeks, Red Cross volunteers, together with other organizations and components, also worked in the faculty building, where they were at hand for students and employees.
In connection with the provision of psychosocial support to refugees from Ukraine, the Czech Red Cross received subsidies within the framework of the EU’s European project for health. It complements cohesion funds, which invest, among other things, in improving the resilience of health systems. Thanks to subsidies, the organization has trained a network of volunteers in psychosocial support and crisis intervention, who can then help in other extraordinary events.
Intervenors also help in personal crises
Techniques used in psychosocial support are not only useful in mass disasters, but also in personal crises. Whether it’s being fired from a job or the death of a loved one.
“Those practices are really cool. For example, if you see someone crying, you can call it: ‘I see you’re not well.’ or ‘I hear that what you are telling me must be very difficult for you right now,'” Hadravová lists simple examples.
He adds that it is also possible to actively listen, ask questions and actively respond to a person. “There are various things that can be used nicely in everyday life and help us establish a little more trust.”
Listen to the entire podcast in your favorite podcast apps. Among other things, Hadravová describes how the aid to Ukrainian refugees took place or what was the main challenge after the devastating tornado in Moravia.