As part of its ongoing monthly webinar series, the KnowEMS Project, co-funded by the European Commission, hosted, in the 29 of may, a powerful session on Psychosocial Intervention in Emergency Medical Services (EMS), spotlighting leading models from Portugal, Germany, Israel, and Spain. The session offered a cross-national perspective on how different systems address the mental health needs of bot
As part of its ongoing monthly webinar series, the KnowEMS Project, co-funded by the European Commission, hosted, in the 29 of may, a powerful session on Psychosocial Intervention in Emergency Medical Services (EMS), spotlighting leading models from Portugal, Germany, Israel, and Spain. The session offered a cross-national perspective on how different systems address the mental health needs of both patients and first responders during emergencies.
Portugal has taken significant steps to embed mental health support into its EMS through the National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM) and the Center for Psychological Support and Crisis Intervention (CAPIC). Established in 2004, CAPIC operates across four regional delegations (North, Centre, Lisbon, and Algarve), employing 31 psychologists to provide round-the-clock crisis intervention, trauma-informed care, and psychological first aid.
Operating alongside Portugal’s certified Emergency Medical Team (PT-EMT), CAPIC also supports international deployments, ensuring psychological care is available to both mission personnel and affected populations. The country follows the SRP Model—Secure, Restore, Prevent—which guides intervention from initial contact to follow-up care. CAPIC’s work highlights the importance of integrating mental health professionals directly into dispatch centers and mobile response units.
Germany's Psychosocial Emergency Care (PSNV) system distinguishes itself through a two-pronged approach:
Interventions range from one-on-one sessions to group debriefings and on-scene support. Common triggers for intervention include mass casualty incidents, the death of a colleague, or traumatic events involving children. Recent real-life activations of the system include support efforts during the Ahrtal floods and the 2016 Breitscheidplatz attack in Berlin.
Germany’s focus on peer support, education about trauma responses, and leadership counseling positions PSNV-E as a critical pillar in maintaining the psychological well-being of EMS personnel.
Dr. Fahri, presenting from Israel, introduced the country’s 6C’s Model of Psychological First Aid—Contact, Calm, Clarify, Connect, Care, and Cope—which has been adopted as a national standard. Grounded in trauma science and supported by ongoing research, the model equips responders with clear principles for managing emotional distress in emergency settings.
The 6C’s model serves as a foundational tool in building both individual resilience and community recovery, and has proven especially valuable during complex emergency scenarios, including conflict zones and natural disasters.
Spain’s SAMUR–Protección Civil, based in Madrid, presented its groundbreaking VISEM and VISNNA protocols, aimed at providing comprehensive psychological care to victims of sexual violence.
In both protocols, specially trained psychologists are dispatched alongside advanced life support units, ensuring victims are never left alone or re-traumatized. Emotional stabilization, suicide risk assessment, and forensic sample collection are integrated seamlessly into the process, with a strong emphasis on avoiding revictimization.
The webinar concluded with a comparative analysis of these national models, underscoring several key themes:
The session reinforced the KnowEMS Project’s central message: that mental health is a core component of emergency medical care, not an afterthought.