On the 23rd of July, OlamAid implemented an in-house training on Psychological First Aid (PFA) & Selfcare for the staff working in a shelter for refugees in Berlin. The training was conducted by OlamAid’s psychologist together with the project coordinator. The PFA & Selfcare training is a continuous offer for service providers working with refugees in order to strengthen their capacity, support them in handling difficult situations, and prevent burnouts. The training was conducted as part of the project Navigation, which OlamAid implements in partnership with the Central Welfare Board of Jews in Germany (ZWST) and is funded by the BMFSFJ.
Nine staff members from various positions within the shelter participated actively in the training. They engaged in learning new methods for supporting highly distressed individuals (psychological first aid) and eagerly practiced these approaches in scenarios they had encountered in their work. During role plays, participants experimented with the WHO’s 3 L model (Look, Listen, Link) and challenged themselves with active listening exercises. The staff greatly appreciated the interactive format and provided feedback that the training was highly relevant to their day-to-day work.
The training also addressed the important topic of self-care, encouraging each participant to reflect on their own early warning signs of stress. Together, the group explored different self-care approaches and methods that could be applied individually or collaboratively with colleagues.
Highlighting the relevance of the training, one participant remarked: “The training was presented in an excellent way, with a very good balance between theory and practice - especially as we were able to internalize what we had learned in theory.” OlamAid looks forward to supporting more shelters and service providers in the future by offering additional hands-on, interactive training sessions to further strengthen those working in refugee support.
