This is an English-language course that incorporates video content in Spanish with English subtitles. It is taught in Spanish by the Autonomous University of Barcelona and the Barcelona Crisis Centre, is designed to offer training in the application of Psychological First Aid (PFA) for individuals affected by highly stressful situations. The content covers both everyday emergencies (statistically frequent critical incidents that might affect people in a very intense way: traffic accidents, hospitalizations, assaults, traumatic or sudden death of a person, etc.) as well as community or mass emergencies (infrequent events which affect many people or an entire community and go far beyond what typically occurs in that setting: a natural disaster, a train accident, a plane crash or terrorist attacks).

Psychological First Aid 2.0 with English subtitles

Psychological First Aid 2.0 with English subtitles



Instructors: Alicia Álvarez
Instructors




Access provided by Maxis
Details to know

Add to your LinkedIn profile
5 assignments
February 2026
See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills

There are 7 modules in this course
Welcome to the MOOC on Psychological First Aid (PFA), brought to you by the Autonomous University of Barcelona and the Barcelona Crisis Centre. This course has been available since 2015 on the Coursera platform. <br> From day one, you’ll have access to all course materials organized into modules. While you are free to start with any module, we recommend that you begin with the welcome and general instructions pages, and then proceed through the modules in the suggested order. This structure is designed to help you understand the content most effectively. <br>You will find four types of materials in the course: <br> 1) Each module begins with a video presentation and a work guide that outlines a recommended path through the content. We strongly encourage you to use this guide as your roadmap through the course. <br> 2) In training videos, instructors and guest experts will explain various topics related to PFA. You’ll also find practical exercises, including role-playing scenarios, to demonstrate how to properly apply the techniques you learn, as well as common mistakes to avoid. <br> 3) Downloadable readings that summarize and expand on the content covered in the videos, providing additional insight and examples. <br> 4) At the end of each module, you’ll find a quiz with multiple-choice questions to test your understanding. <br> As you progress through the course, the platform will indicate which sections you've completed and which ones are still pending. <br> While watching the videos is optional, we recommend doing so before taking the quizzes. <br> Welcome, everyone!
What's included
2 videos7 readings1 discussion prompt
2 videos• Total 6 minutes
- Course presentation• 3 minutes
- Welcome to the Psychological First Aid Course• 3 minutes
7 readings• Total 70 minutes
- CHANGES IN COURSERA• 10 minutes
- About the course• 10 minutes
- Course evaluation and certification• 10 minutes
- Solving doubts and technical issues• 10 minutes
- FAQs - General topics• 10 minutes
- PFA course syllabus• 10 minutes
- Supplementary material• 10 minutes
1 discussion prompt• Total 10 minutes
- We are starting our course!• 10 minutes
In this first teaching module, we will explore what Psychological First Aid (PFA) is and what this intervention technique is used for: what needs to be done to apply PFA, the phases involved in this technique, and where and how it should be implemented. At the end of this module, you will learn — in a practical way — the correct and incorrect ways to apply Psychological First Aid. <br> MODULE CONTENTS: a detailed work guide (please read it carefully), 7 educational videos, supporting PDF documents (found under “Additional Materials and Evaluation”), supplementary readings (including links or other documents, if available), and finally the module Quiz (Test 1), which you’ll need to complete in order to receive the course certificate.
What's included
8 videos2 readings1 assignment
8 videos• Total 82 minutes
- Module Introduction• 1 minute
- V1_1 What is Psychological First Aid (PFA)?• 11 minutes
- V1_2 Acute stress disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder• 14 minutes
- V1_3 Objectives of Psychological First Aid application• 6 minutes
- V1_4 When and where Psychological First Aid is applied• 14 minutes
- V1_5 How and where Psychological First Aid is applied• 14 minutes
- V1_6 Role-Playing: good and bad practices in Psychological First Aid• 11 minutes
- V1_7 Summarizing: reflections on PFAs• 11 minutes
2 readings• Total 20 minutes
- Work Guide• 10 minutes
- Additional materials• 10 minutes
1 assignment• Total 30 minutes
- Quiz 1• 30 minutes
This module focuses on how to apply Psychological First Aid to specific age groups. At the end of the module, role-playing videos will help demonstrate proper and improper practices when applying PFAs with children. MODULE CONTENTS: a work guide (please read it carefully), 8 learning videos, supporting PDF documents (under "Additional materials and evaluation"), supplementary readings (including links or other documents, if available), and finally the module Quiz (Test 2), which you’ll need to complete in order to receive the course certificate.
What's included
9 videos3 readings1 assignment
9 videos• Total 115 minutes
- Effects of war on children under 1 Year and how to address them• 8 minutes
- V2_1 Developmental PFAs (0 to 3 years)• 12 minutes
- V2_2 Developmental PFAs (3 to 6 years)• 9 minutes
- V2_3 Developmental PFAs (6 to 9 years)• 15 minutes
- V2_4 Developmental PFAs (9 to 12 years)• 16 minutes
- V2_5 Protective and risk factors in mass emergencies in children and adolescents• 21 minutes
- V2_6 Protective and risk factors in everyday emergencies in children and adolescents• 17 minutes
- V2_7 Family involvement in mass emergencies• 11 minutes
- V2_8 Role-playing: good and bad practices in family intervention with children aged 0-12• 7 minutes
3 readings• Total 30 minutes
- First Aid Can Also Be Psychological• 10 minutes
- Work Guide• 10 minutes
- Additional materials• 10 minutes
1 assignment• Total 30 minutes
- Quiz 2• 30 minutes
This module focuses on the specific aspects of applying Psychological First Aid (PFA) to adolescents (in the first part) and adults (in the second part).<br>MODULE CONTENTS: A Work Guide (please read it carefully), 9 learning videos, supporting PDF documents (found in “Additional Materials and Evaluation”), supplementary readings (including links or other documents, if available), and finally the module Quiz (Test 3), which you’ll need to complete in order to receive the course certificate.
What's included
11 videos2 readings1 assignment
11 videos• Total 130 minutes
- Module Introduction• 1 minute
- V3_1 Everyday stress in adolescents• 15 minutes
- V3_2 How to involve teenagers in critical incident management• 14 minutes
- V3_3 The role of the peer group after a critical incident• 5 minutes
- V3_4 The role of family in supporting adolescents after a critical incident• 10 minutes
- V3_5 Basic adult reaction patterns after critical incidents• 9 minutes
- V3_6 Protective and risk factors for adults in everyday emergencies• 16 minutes
- V3_7 Protective factors and risk factors for adults in mass emergencies• 16 minutes
- V3_8 Preventive follow-up as an intervention model to prevent PTSD• 20 minutes
- Preventive monitoring model• 16 minutes
- V3_9 Role-playing: monitoring arousal levels after critical incidents in adults• 7 minutes
2 readings• Total 20 minutes
- Work Guide• 10 minutes
- Additional materials• 10 minutes
1 assignment• Total 30 minutes
- Quiz 3• 30 minutes
In this module, we explore how to adapt the Psychological First Aid (PFA) techniques learned so far for user groups with special needs. This includes working with individuals who are hearing-impaired and communicate only in sign language, as well as people with severe mental illness. We also address how PFA should be tailored depending on the nature of the critical event. This module features expert professionals who share their practical experiences through video lectures. These videos are in English and include Spanish subtitles. <br>MODULE CONTENTS: Work Guide (please read it carefully), 8 learning videos, supporting PDF documents (under "Additional materials and evaluation"), supplementary readings (including links or other documents, if available), and finally the module Quiz (Test 4), which you’ll need to complete in order to receive the course certificate.
What's included
9 videos2 readings1 assignment
9 videos• Total 92 minutes
- Module Introduction• 2 minutes
- V4_1 Applying PFA to Children in Mass Emergencies• 6 minutes
- V4_2 EUNAD. European network for psychosocial crisis management. Assisting disabled in case of disaster• 23 minutes
- V4_3 PFA for the Hearing-Impaired• 9 minutes
- V4_4 PFA for Individuals with Severe Mental Illness• 10 minutes
- V4_5 PFA in Gender-Based Violence and Sexual Assault• 18 minutes
- V4_6 PFA After a Committed Suicide• 7 minutes
- V4_7 PFA for Multi-Problem Families• 9 minutes
- V4_8 The Role of Stressful Life Events (SLEs) in PFA• 8 minutes
2 readings• Total 20 minutes
- Work Guide• 10 minutes
- Additional materials• 10 minutes
1 assignment• Total 30 minutes
- Quiz 4• 30 minutes
In this module, the focus shifts to you—the Psychological First Aid (PFA) responder. You will explore the concept of resilience and learn essential self-care strategies to maintain your well-being and professional effectiveness. This module also introduces protocols and techniques to support other responders, whether they are professionals or volunteers, who have been involved in managing critical incidents. The module concludes with a role-playing session to help you recognize and apply these self-care techniques in real-life scenarios. .<br>MODULE CONTENTS: a Work Guide (please read it carefully), 8 learning videos, supporting PDF documents (under "Additional materials and evaluation"), supplementary readings (including links or other documents, if available), and finally the module Quiz (Test 5), which you’ll need to complete in order to receive the course certificate.
What's included
9 videos2 readings1 assignment
9 videos• Total 110 minutes
- Module Introduction• 2 minutes
- V5_1 The importance of self-care guidelines for responders• 25 minutes
- V5_2 Resilience and evolutionary patterns• 11 minutes
- V5_3 Deactivation protocols for responders (Critical Incident Stress Management)• 9 minutes
- V5_4 The defusing technique: explanation• 11 minutes
- V5_5 The defusing technique: role-playing• 16 minutes
- V5_6 The debriefing technique: explanation• 15 minutes
- V5_7 The debriefing technique: role-playing• 12 minutes
- V5_8 Warning signs in responders• 8 minutes
2 readings• Total 20 minutes
- Work Guide• 10 minutes
- Additional materials• 10 minutes
1 assignment• Total 30 minutes
- Quiz 5• 30 minutes
In this module, we will explore how to adapt PFA techniques to user groups with special needs. We will study how interventions should be adapted when the affected people have lived through extreme situations such as bombings, forced displacements, or mass casualties. It includes a specific focus on working with children and adolescents in these contexts.<br>MODULE CONTENT: 4 learning videos.
What's included
4 videos
4 videos• Total 21 minutes
- Presentation of the special module on war conflicts• 2 minutes
- Psychological Impact Model in War Contexts• 7 minutes
- Specific Mental Health Risks Associated with Warfare• 4 minutes
- Addressing the Impact of War on Children and Adolescents• 8 minutes
Instructors



Instructors




Offered by

Offered by

The Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) is a public university located in the metropolitan area of Barcelona. International in its outlook, it is fully consolidated within its local surroundings, and offers quality education in close association with research activity, the transfer of scientific, technological, cultural and educational knowledge, the promotion of its human potential and the responsible management of available resources. The UAB currently offers 81 degrees, 130 official Master Programmes and 183 UAB-specific Masters Degrees. In addition, it offers 174 lifelong learning programmes and 65 PhD Programmes, 27 of which have been distinguished through Quality Awards. The UAB has a total of over 3,500 teaching and research staff, over 2,000 administrative staff and over 40,000 students.
Why people choose Coursera for their career

Felipe M.

Jennifer J.

Larry W.

Chaitanya A.
Explore more from Health
JJohns Hopkins University
Course
DDuke University
Course
CCoursera
Course
TThe State University of New York
Course