Skills for Psychological Recovery

Trained mental health and health workers will deliver skills for psychological recovery (SPR) when survivors are assured of basic needs, safety and security, and the community is recovering from the impacts brought by disasters. It is a brief evidence-informed skills-based approach designed to help children, adolescents, adults and families cope with a range of problems, accelerate recovery and increase self-efficacy through facilitating the development of several skills.

Main goals of SPR

  • Protect the mental health of disaster survivors
  • Enhance survivors' ability to address their needs
  • Equip survivors with skills to promote their recovery
  • Prevent maladaptive behaviors and support adaptive ones

Facilitate the skills of survivors in:

  • Problem-solving: define a problem, brainstorm and evaluate solution
  • Positive activities: improve mood and functioning
  • Manage reaction: cope with distressing physical and emotional responses
  • Helpful thinking: identify and counter upsetting thoughts
  • Rebuild healthy social connections: rebuild positive relationships and social support

Reference:

  • [1] Skills for Psychological Recovery: Evaluation of a post-disaster mental health training program (Wade et al., 2014).
  • [2] Skills for Psychological Recovery: Field Operations Guide (National Center for PTSD and the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, 2010).