Psychological First Aid

Brief Integrative Psychological Therapy (BIPT) Training for Community Volunteers

Across 4 Saturdays in September, the Yeo Boon Khim Mind Science Centre held its inaugural Psychological First Aid Training programme for Age Well Everyday programme volunteers. Based on the “where-there-is-no-psychiatrist” research by Associate Professor Shefaly Shorey, Emeritus Professor Kua Ee Heok, and a team of NUS researchers, the training aims to equip volunteers to support fellow seniors experiencing mild mental health issues such as grief, loneliness, and anxiety. It is Asia’s first programme of its kind, training seniors to be psychological first aiders for their peers.

Studies found that 5 – 7% of the Singapore population have mental illness. These are clinical cases that needs treatment by psychiatrist or psychologists. Another 10 – 15% have mild mental illness which are managed by GPs and family doctors (Speaking Up for Mental Illness: Kua EH, 2019).

More importantly, however, is that approximately another 20 – 25% of the population have mental health symptoms that fail to meet to diagnostic criteria of a mental illness. These cases are called “subsyndromal”. A study found that the local subsyndromal depression (SSD) prevalence rate increased from 9.6% in 2008 to 13.4% in 2016.

While it is not a mental illness by clinical terms, those with subsyndromal depression and anxiety still need help. They have negative effects including:

Poor daily functioning
Decreased quality of life
Declined cognitive function
Increased risk of heart & cardiovascular diseases
Increased risk of death
Increased suicide risk

Our Psychological First Aid training aims to help volunteers identify those who are at-risk and provide support through what we call “Solution-Finding Sessions”. The comprehensive curriculum includes:

Profile of a Befriender
Detecting Early Signs of Mental Distress
Understanding Active Listening and Empathy
Mindful Awareness Practice (MAP)
Solution-Focused Therapy (SFT) Principles
Ethical Issues
Self-Care and When to Refer

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The workshops involve lectures, experiential learning, and role play, ensuring our graduates are well-prepared to offer support and intervene early.

Beyond skills and techniques, we stress on the importance of creating a support system for our volunteers. This training is also special in that it includes training in mindful awareness practice (MAP).

Participant Ms Ong Li Hui (51) mentioned that “This trains us how to be aware of our body sensations and feelings. We also learn about the mind-body connection, and to view thoughts as mental events, and letting them come and go. This is crucial for the self-care of volunteers.” Ms Ong has been an active volunteer with the AWE programme and currently facilitates the music reminiscence session.

The first batch was made up of 19 dedicated seniors from Tampines/Punggol and Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery. The graduation was held on 31 August, with Mr Abdullah Tarmugi, Chairman of Yeo Boon Khim Mind Science Centre in attendance. Once again, we commend our graduates for their commitment and compassion in supporting their communities and making a difference in the mental well-being of others.

References

Shorey, S., Ee Heok Kua, Tam, W., Chan, V., Yong Shian Goh, Hong Meng Lim, Hsiu, L., Cheong Sing Tian, & Rathi Mahendran. (2021). “Where-There-Is-No-Psychiatrist Integrated Personal Therapy” among Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Randomized Pilot Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(18), 9514–9514. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18189514

Kua, E.H. (2019). Speaking Up for Mental Illness: 38 years of research on Mental Illness in Singapore. Write Editions.

Cetty, L., Abdin, E., Vaingankar, J. A., Jeyagurunathan, A., Chua, B. Y., Picco, L., Prince, M., Chong, S. A., & Subramaniam, M. (2017). Prevalence and correlates of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in older adults: results from the Well-being of the Singapore Elderly (WiSE) study. International Psychogeriatrics, 29(11), 1899–1907. https://doi.org/10.1017/s104161021700134x