THE FUSE

Psychological first aid (PFA) may be the first and most effective of psychological crisis interventions. Recommended by the World Health Organization, the United Nations, the American Red Cross, and the American Psychological Association, it is not only being applied in disaster settings but is also being used to expand psychological support in communities in non-disaster situations. While research has demonstrated that PFA can be effective, training in how to apply PFA would seem essential. A recent study by Watanabe and others (Watanabe et al., 2026) on the neuroscience of the resilient brain may improve the efficiency of PFA by identifying the brain regions PFA should target.