Background for psychosocial support - from trauma to resilience

The Psychological Support Program of the International Federation emerged in the early 1990s, at a time when an increasing number of National Societies realised that disasters may lead to both physical and mental problems and that the simple provision of shelter, food and medical care in many cases was not sufficient.

In 1991 the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) launched the Psychological Support Programme (PSP) as a crosscutting programme under the Health & Care Division.

In 1993 the General Assembly recommended the International Federation to “give high priority to psychological support issues and strongly advocate the implementation of psychological support programs in National Societies” and to “secure adequate material and human resources to implement those programs” (General Assembly, IXth Session, Birmingham, 1993, Decision 26). The same year this recommendation resulted in the establishment of the International Federation Reference Centre for Psychological Support.

The mid 1990s saw a growing dissatisfaction with the traditional trauma-focused mental health interventions that were being implemented in the aftermath of disasters and conflicts. There was a growing realisation that conceptualising the suffering caused by natural catastrophes and conflicts primarily in terms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or associated mental disorders was a hindrance to providing adequate support.

Along with the critiques of the trauma approach, the mid 1990s saw the articulation of many alternative approaches to psychosocial intervention, which acknowledged people’s capacity for resilience and aimed primarily to enhance and support this.

Experience shows that accidents and disasters do not necessarily produce huge numbers of people with acute psychiatric disturbances. While some individuals do require treatment of psychological disorders, the majority of affected people have a need for information and have practical, social, emotional and psychological needs.  This more generalised support will enable them to better access the material and social resources they seek.

In November 2004 the centre changed its name to the Reference Centre for Psychosocial Support, thereby underlining the community-based character of the interventions.