🧠 Psychological First Aid

Build the Skills to Support Yourself and Others Through Stress, Loss, Trauma & Grief

The Canadian Red Cross Psychological First Aid course helps participants better understand how stress, loss, trauma, and grief can affect people — and how to respond with practical, supportive strategies.

This blended course combines self-paced online learning with an instructor-led classroom experience, giving participants the opportunity to learn the foundations independently and then apply those skills through discussion, reflection, and realistic case-based learning.

Using the Canadian Red Cross Look, Listen, Link, Live model, participants learn how to recognize distress, communicate supportively, connect people with appropriate resources, and strengthen protective factors that support recovery and resilience.

❤️ What Makes Psychological First Aid Different?

Mental Health First Aid programs are designed to help someone experiencing a mental health emergency.

Psychological First Aid has a different focus.

It is a resiliency-based program that helps individuals and communities better cope with the effects of stress, trauma, loss, and difficult life events.

The skills are practical, preventative, and applicable to everyday life — not only emergencies.

This course is about learning how to better support others and yourself.

👀 Look. 👂 Listen. 🔗 Link. 🌱 Live.

At the centre of the course is the Canadian Red Cross Look, Listen, Link, Live model.

Participants learn how to:

• Look for signs of stress, distress, and changing needs
• Listen using supportive and compassionate communication
• Link people with appropriate supports and resources
• Live by supporting resilience, recovery, and ongoing self-care

The model provides a practical framework you can carry into your workplace, community, family, and everyday life.

💻 + 👥 How the Blended Course Works

1. Psychological First Aid – Self-Care Online

45–90 minutes | Self-paced

Before attending the classroom session, participants complete the Canadian Red Cross Psychological First Aid – Self-Care online course.

This introduces foundational concepts around:

• Stress and distress
• Personal coping strategies
• Resilience
• Self-care
• Preparing for challenging situations

✅ The online component must be completed before attending the in-person course.

2. Instructor-Led Psychological First Aid

Approximately 7 hours | In person

The classroom portion builds on the online learning through:

• Case-based learning
• Facilitated group discussion
• Personal reflection
• Practical scenarios
• Supportive communication exercises

At Rural Rescue, we aim to make the discussion relevant to the participants in the room, whether you are training a workplace, emergency service, school, community organization, or general public group.

📘 What You’ll Learn

Course content includes:

• Introduction to the Canadian Red Cross
• Psychological First Aid principles
• Stress and distress
• Loss and grief
• Trauma
• Recognizing indicators of distress
• Vulnerable populations
• Supportive communication
• Look, Listen, Link, Live
• Resilience and protective factors
• Protection and personal safety
• Relevant policies and legislation
• Self-care
• Prevention and coping strategies

💬 Practical, Case-Based Learning

Psychological First Aid is not designed to simply give you information.

Participants work through realistic situations and explore how the principles can be applied to the people, workplaces, and communities they actually interact with.

The goal is to leave with practical tools you can use when someone around you — or you yourself — is navigating a difficult situation.

👥 Who Is This Course For?

Psychological First Aid can benefit almost anyone, including:

• First responders and emergency services
• Healthcare teams
• Educators and school staff
• Workplace leaders and employees
• Community organizations
• Coaches and youth leaders
• Caregivers
• Volunteers
• Parents and families
• Anyone wanting stronger tools to support people through difficult experiences

Recommended minimum age: 16 years
Adult support is recommended for younger participants.

⏱️ Course Duration

45–90 minutes online + approximately 7 hours in person

✅ Completion Requirements

Participants must:

• Successfully complete the Psychological First Aid – Self-Care online course
• Participate in 100% of the instructor-led classroom component

🎓 Certification

Successful participants receive a:

Canadian Red Cross Psychological First Aid Certification

Valid for 3 years

📚 Participant Materials

Course materials include:

• Psychological First Aid Workbook
• Look, Listen, Link, Live reference cards
• Psychological First Aid – Self-Care online course
• Access to the optional Psychological First Aid – Caring for Others online course, where applicable

🚑 Why Rural Rescue?

At Rural Rescue, we spend a lot of time preparing people for emergencies we can see — injuries, bleeding, cardiac arrest, and medical events.

But some of the hardest situations people experience leave no visible injury.

Psychological First Aid gives people practical tools to recognize distress, communicate with care, support resilience, and understand when someone may need additional help.

You do not have to be a counsellor or mental health professional to be a supportive human being.

Sometimes knowing how to Look, Listen, Link, and Live can make a meaningful difference.

👉 Register today and build the confidence to support yourself, your team, and your community through difficult moments.