Psychological First Aid (PFA) vs. Mental Health First Aid (MHFA): A Simple Guide

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Psychological First Aid (PFA) and Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) are two key methods to help people facing mental health struggles.

While both offer initial support, they differ in focus, use, and training.

Let’s break down their features, training, and effectiveness.

What is Psychological First Aid (PFA)?

PFA is a practical approach to reduce stress and promote coping after traumatic events like disasters or violence. Created in 2006 by the National Center for PTSD, it’s widely used by groups like the Red Cross.

It is often given by people who are not mental health experts and focuses on practical help. The goal is to help people feel stable and safe.

Key Features of PFA:

• Immediate crisis focus: Used right after traumatic events (days to months).
• Simple and respectful: Avoids pressuring people to share details.
• Flexible steps: Tailored to individual needs.
• For everyone: Can be taught to volunteers, not just mental health experts.

Core Steps of PFA:

1. Ensure safety.
2. Listen calmly.
3. Offer comfort.
4. Address urgent needs.
5. Share coping tips.
6. Connect to social support.
7. Refer to professionals if needed.

PFA Training:

• Short courses (often 1 day or online).
• Teaches active listening, recognising distress, and basic support.
• No certification needed in most cases.

What is Mental Health First Aid (MHFA)?

MHFA trains people to identify and respond to mental health or substance use issues. It equips individuals on ways to notice mental health signs, give basic support, and assist in getting professional support as required.

This is more common especially in workplaces, schools, and communities.

Unlike PFA, MHFA can be used anytime and focuses on long-term mental health understanding and support. Both PFA and MHFA aim to help people in a caring and non-judgmental way, without giving therapy or making a diagnosis.

📌Book Today: Mental Health First Aid Training.

Key Features of MHFA:

• Broad focus: Covers anxiety, depression, and more.
• Early help: Aims to catch issues before they worsen.
• In-depth skills: Teaches long-term support strategies.

Core Steps of MHFA:

1. Spot warning signs (e.g., withdrawal, mood swings).
2. Start a caring conversation.
3. Offer hope and resources.
4. Guide to professional help.
5. Support recovery.

MHFA Training:

• Longer (usually 2 days).
• Includes role-playing and certification.
• Builds confidence in handling mental health talks.

PFA vs. MHFA: Key Differences

Aspect	PFA	MHFA
When Used	Right after crises (e.g., disasters).	Everyday mental health issues.
Training Time	1 day or less.	2 days.
Certification	Rarely required.	Usually given.
Who It’s For	First responders, volunteers.	Teachers, coworkers, families.

Do These PFA or MHFA Work in Real Situations?

• PFA: Shown to ease early stress, but more research is needed on long-term benefits.
• MHFA: Proven to boost mental health knowledge, reduce stigma, and encourage help-seeking.

Both Psychological First Aid (PFA) and Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) have shown positive results in real-life situations, but more research is needed to fully prove how effective they are:

PFA effectiveness:

• Studies show that PFA helps reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, stress, and trauma.
• PFA training has improved people’s ability to help others in crisis situations.

MHFA effectiveness:

• Research shows that MHFA training helps people understand mental health better and recognize mental health problems.
• MHFA training has made people more confident in helping others with mental health issues and more likely to offer help.
• A study found that 78% of people who took MHFA training used their skills to help someone with mental health problems 19-21 months later.

Real-world application:

• MHFA training led to more people taking real actions to help with mental health issues, especially among medical students.
• Participants said MHFA training helped them make a difference in real-life situations.

While these results are encouraging, more detailed studies are needed to fully understand the long-term impact of both PFA and MHFA in real-world settings.

Using PFA and MHFA Together

• Crisis + Everyday Support: Use PFA during emergencies and MHFA for ongoing issues.
• Workplaces: Train staff in both to create a safer environment.
• Communities: Combine them to build resilience.

Using both Psychological First Aid (PFA) and Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) together creates a strong way to support mental health:

• Complementary approaches: PFA helps people straight after a traumatic event, while MHFA helps with a wider range of mental health problems in everyday life.
• Continuum of care: PFA gives immediate support after a crisis, and MHFA continues the help by guiding people to professional care if needed.
• Skill enhancement: Training in both PFA and MHFA helps people learn how to deal with different mental health situations.
• Versatility: Knowing both PFA and MHFA means people can adjust the support they give based on what the person needs.
• Organisational implementation: Workplaces can use both PFA and MHFA training to create a stronger mental health support system for employees.

By combining PFA and MHFA, organisations and communities can give a complete way to help with mental health, from urgent problems to ongoing care.

In Short

PFA is your go-to for crisis moments, while MHFA equips you to handle everyday mental health challenges. Together, they create a strong support system.

Whether you’re a co-worker, teacher, or volunteer, learning both can help build a kinder, healthier world.