With the technical cooperation of PAHO/WHO and UNICEF, a training of trainers workshop in "psychological first aid for vulnerable groups" was held in Vitacura, Santiago de Chile, November 20 and 21.The workshop was organized due to a need detected by the "Mental Health Technical Committee in Emergencies and Disasters," which consists of the public services' intersector and is coordinated by the Ministry of Health and the National Emergency Office (ONEMI).
The training has a cascade effect, as the trained are enabled to train other trainers and reach civil society, who, in response to an emergency, catastrophe or disaster, can also provide humanitarian support to another human being who was recently exposed to a very stressful situation.
The members of the aforementioned technical board and their collaborators actively participated in the 16 hours workshop. They will be responsible for replicating the training in different regions and for generating territorial capacities in mental health in face of an emergency or disaster.
