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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Psychological First Aid by Johns Hopkins University

4.8
stars
19,148 ratings

About the Course

Learn to provide psychological first aid to people in an emergency by employing the RAPID model: Reflective listening, Assessment of needs, Prioritization, Intervention, and Disposition. Utilizing the RAPID model (Reflective listening, Assessment of needs, Prioritization, Intervention, and Disposition), this specialized course provides perspectives on injuries and trauma that are beyond those physical in nature. The RAPID model is readily applicable to public health settings, the workplace, the military, faith-based organizations, mass disaster venues, and even the demands of more commonplace critical events, e.g., dealing with the psychological aftermath of accidents, robberies, suicide, homicide, or community violence. In addition, the RAPID model has been found effective in promoting personal and community resilience. Participants will increase their abilities to: - Discuss key concepts related to PFA - Listen reflectively - Differentiate benign, non-incapacitating psychological/ behavioral crisis reactions from more severe, potentially incapacitating, crisis reactions - Prioritize (triage) psychological/ behavioral crisis reactions - Mitigate acute distress and dysfunction, as appropriate - Recognize when to facilitate access to further mental health support - Practice self-care Developed in collaboration with Johns Hopkins Open Education Lab....

Top reviews

ED

May 22, 2020

I am very happy and satisfied with the course program. In fact, I am excited to apply what I have learned and also looking forward to enroll in another course. Thank you for this learning opportunity!

PG

Feb 9, 2017

A very helpful course and full of practical information for persons interfered with disaster relief and crisis intervention as this course has a well- planned syllabus and really informative vignettes

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126 - 150 of 4,521 Reviews for Psychological First Aid

By JF M

May 1, 2020

I enrolled in this course out of curiosity, and my expectations were not high, but in the end I really enjoyed it so much that I could not wait to full 5 weeks to complete it. I'd like to congratulate George for the lessons and Gina for the simulations. By watching Gina's facial expressions and gestures, I really felt like I understood how to behave or, to be precise, how NOT to behave whenever I might feel I'm talking with someone in need. I also liked the tips on Dr Everly's Club, I'll try to learn them by heart. Thank you very much, and I hope I'll join you in further courses.

By Nicholas T

Aug 29, 2017

This is a clear, concise and insightful course on Psychological First Aid as a parallel in taking care of mental health needs, along side physical health needs, in the wake of disaster or severe trauma. It provides useful basic, initial interventionist steps that any person should understand or be aware of at least.

Dr Everly delivers each presentation at a good pace, peppering the more technical details with personal injects that showcases his own experience in this field. All in all, I enjoyed his style in balancing the seriousness of the field with some levity and earnestness.

By aidar k

Jul 21, 2020

A very popular course, especially now, especially in our country , in the context of the second wave of coronavirus.Many sick people and those who have recovered are in need of psychological help and support.fear, panic attacks, uncertainty of the future, unemployment, this is what Kazakhstan has faced in the last two weeks after the release of quarantine.And they all need help, support, direction, information.your course is just great instruction! Protocol! What to do, how to do it and how not to do! To help As many people as possible And at the same time not to burn yourself!

By Kevin M

Apr 8, 2020

This course exceeded my expectations! I came here not knowing much, with an open mind and I leave with an amazing learning experience and with deep knowledge on what PFA stands for and of what it can do and help during a crisis. As Dr. Everly mentioned towards the end of the course, this is only the beginning of this learning path and I can definitely say that I will continue it to eventually make a difference in someone's life (even if they don't tell me directly) but just the fact of knowing that I put this knowledge to good use will be more than enough. Thanks once again!

By Huda A

Mar 29, 2020

This was my first ever online course and I am completely satisfied with my decision of investing time on a course of psychological first aid. Eventhough, I was skeptical in the beginning that whether I could follow the lectures, Prof. George S. Everly was a great instructor - organized and making things very simple and human. Thank you for your passion and for your willingness to share your experiences. I enjoyed every minute of your engaging lecture. The simulations helped a lot to understand the concept and relate to it in real life. Thank you very much for the course.

By Guilherme F R

Aug 1, 2020

The Course exceeded my expectations. I even looked for specific resources related to the theme in Brazil, but I had not yet come across the RAPID methodology from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The methodology used with the vignettes helped me a lot to have a better understanding of the theme. The best comparison I can make is when we are reading a good book that holds us. You start reading faster to absorb the story, but you get sad when you get to the end. Congratulations for the care and dedication shown in the construction of the course. Thank you!

By Stephanie T

Jan 4, 2020

I befriend several people in the community with mental health challenges who come to me frequently for support - them not always wishing to engage with professional services. My listening skills are important and I have qualified as a pastoral carer. What I have learnt on this course has helped my development in a challenging aspect of care and given me added confidence in my abilities to provide necessary support and/or appropriate referral. I am aiming to work as a pastoral carer in a women's prison where self harm and suicidal ideation are significant behaviours.

By Brenda C

Nov 3, 2020

Dr. Everly is an exceptional educator with 40 years of experience to share. I appreciate his knowledge of the fundamentals of Psychology First Aid. He explained the role and responsibilities of someone that may be in the midst of a disaster, what they should be aware of, look for and just as important, what NOT to do. This course included the psychological first aid model, RAPID. Dr. Everly explains the importance of each step in a way that is comfortable to learn. I work with at-risk teens and I feel more secure in having this course in my toolbox. Thank you!

By Miriam S

Aug 23, 2020

This course was very engaging, informative, interesting and I have definitely gained more insight into this topic and feel much more confident in helping others efficiently and empathically. I thought I was a good listener, but this course helped me to see where I need to improve my skills. I am very grateful to be able to go through this course, it helped me to realize that in order to help effectively others, I also need to implement regular self-care and avoid other potential pitfalls to stay resilient. One of the best courses ever!!!! Thank you so much♥️

By Subha S R

Aug 17, 2016

I thoroughly enjoyed the course.

The course was systematic and ended with clarity.

As i had witnessed a natural disaster (Floods) in my hometown I could relate the lesson very much to the disaster. Though I thought I helped victims physically now I know the psychological gaps which I couldn't address then. This course helped me to analyse what I could have done during that crisis.

Discussion forum was good in reading fellow coursers view on the case study.

Thanks to Professeor Everly and John Hopkins University.

Congratulations to all the fellow coursers.

By Nan X

Oct 18, 2016

Dr. Everly presented this course in a concise way to explain RAPID model, and as a beginning counselor, I found this course is particularly helpful to refresh some of the basic helping skills. I love the simulation part since it provides me with the direct experience of what kind of statement can be harmful. This course also offers slides as well. While I am writing notes for the course, PPT actually saves my time to jot down the concepts and definitions. After all, I do like Dr. George Everly's slow approach and kind attitude. Thank you very much!

By Charmell A L

Feb 26, 2021

More are not aware about the existence of Psychological First Aid. How it is important and what differs this from other Psychological treatment. This course enables me to be aware of the simplest action that may serve to aid those distress. The course is very simple and yet a very helpful tool for every one. I highly recommend this for those who what to personal growth. This will not only contribute additional knowledge to you but also a very useful tool to let you help others. Allow this course to be part of your life because this is fulfilling.

By AISHWARYA A

Oct 26, 2018

Very interesting and educative course that will help people in all walks of their life. I am a student and I am not sure when i will require the skills I have learnt in this course, but I am positive this course has a progressive impact on my life and if I ever face a situation of trauma or crisis, I will handle myself and those around me better and be the best help I can. My understanding of the importance of listening actively is a huge booster to my social skills. Thank you Prof. George, for making the lectures very interesting and enjoyable.

By Ершова Я С

Jan 8, 2020

It's my first accomplished course at the Coursera and I am happy about it. It'd been very comfortable to learning during these weeks because of short and informative lectures with presentations (what a great conspectus!) - I was able to revise information any time I want. Great representative vignettes and short quizzes helped to apply and not to forget new knowledge.

I came with a vague image of PFA and minimum skills and now I'm finishing the course with a complete understanding of the subject and with quite inspiration. Thanks for that!

By Rukhasar P

Jun 28, 2018

Excellent resource for first responders/ community workers and even faith based counselors. This is something that can even be useful to protect your family or friends in their distress and psychological adversity. I had a friend who was in depression and was thinking to commit suicide but speaking with her and comforting her, showing compassion and being there for her, helped her and slowly slowly she started improving. This course has helped me a lot to speak with my clients at work who calls after natural disasters or auto accidents. :)

By Prabir S

Apr 28, 2020

I have completed the course (Psychological First Aid) .I must admit that I did not expect much from this course before I started.However,now my ideas are completely changed.I feel that it is a very important and unique course ,a must for young students and volunteers who want to be useful to the society.The very simple and easy method followed to impart the knowledge is unique. I express my deep appreciation to Mr George and his team. I wish many such short and sweet courses to come in future.My age is only 78 years. Regards to all.

By Monica R C

Oct 24, 2020

This was an excellent course! One of the most useful courses that I've taken in a while. The content is very relevant and it will be especially useful in dealing with the challenges of the pandemic crisis, as well as many other disaster situations that we may face. The Psychological First Aid course offers a solid knowledge base for administrative professionals, like me, working in the graduate medical education field. The concepts are presented in a careful and thoughtful way. Thank you for offering this important course.

By Mary L D B

Jul 28, 2020

This course teaches the students the step by step ways on dealing with people who went through traumatic situation. It has simulations, and together with that, it shows how to and how to not approach a survivor. It also tackles the history of Psychological FIrst aid and the different action that should be done to different situations that are taking place to every session with the survivors. I learned a lot from the course, like the importance of Psychological First Aid and the procedures from the start to the end of the procedure.

By Katherine A K

Jun 19, 2020

The lectures were informative; they have no doubt helped personally and will surely help as first responders. Similarly, the simulation highlighted certain points where probably one might go wrong, do or say something that might hurt the survivor. Further, self-care, another important aspect; it is a good thing that it was included because many times people who help others eventually forget about helping themselves. Overall, it was an informative lesson. Thank you to Dr Everly and Johns Hopkins University for designing this course.

By Dimitri R

Sep 24, 2017

Great course! I wish I could know all this back in 2006 when my city (Haifa, Israel) was shelled. I highly recommend it not only for disaster relief but also for family help. Any person could be in distress because of sickness, job problems, etc. This course gives usable tools for these cases.

As a follow-up, I'd suggest an addendum: PFA for children. Children suffer much more than adults in disasters and their suffering additionally complicates their parents' state. Similar course could greatly helps.

Thank you very much, George!

By Mariah C O

Jun 26, 2020

I thoroughly enjoyed the course. It provided relevant information and was taught in a very engaging matter. The vignettes were very helpful in understanding the application of the concepts taught. The instructor was very clear and gifted in explaining the lessons. The assessments were the right amount of challenging. Thank you for making this MOOC accessible to the public, may more people be aware of how to provide PFA for those who need it in times of crisis and apply it even to daily troubles faced by those around them.

By Marie C L

May 23, 2020

This course taught me a lot about responding to the needs of others and remembering the importance of self-care. More than the proper way of responding and helping in a crisis, Dr. Everly's way of discussing and explaining things in a well-thought and understandable flow helped me appreciate the course despite the seriousness of the topic. Most of all, it warmed my heart when he said, "I thank you for taking time out of your busy life to learn a little bit more about making a positive difference in someone else's life."

By Rachel D

May 14, 2020

Very helpful - if you wish to embark on a career path where stress is ever present (anything that requires you being deployed to places where high individual stress is expected, like a war zone or disaster site, or even 911 operator), or you want to enlarge your personal knowledge of psychiatry, then this course is extremely helpful. I personally took it because everyone is having a crisis right now with Covid-19, and it demonstrated good basic responses and teachings as to how to approach people coming to you for help.

By Sanju A

Jul 20, 2020

The best course I have come across related to to psychological first aid. Carefully and strategically designed. Although it is designed for public health and emergency professionals but it will benefit in the area of counselling. Professor George wonderfully designed it and delivered it. The best part of the course is simulation. Not only they teach but also demonstrate making you to understand the concept in a practical manner to the core. So thank you so much professor George for coming up with this wonderful course.

By Jose F d G F

May 24, 2020

The use of the simulation videos was something I found incredibly helpful. It was also important that the simulation videos presented how well-meaning individuals can botch things up and it was good to see how these mistakes can occur and the resultant impact on the individual in a crisis. I also felt that the use of actual cases from the fire was very helpful, both in gaining a sense of perspective of how this is in real life, but also in being able to see how first responders and survivors were impacted by the event.