Italian train derailment and the civil protection emergency psychologist intervention: A case report

Abstract

In the last years the mind-body unity, and so giving both physical and psychological attention, is entering increasingly in the first-responder system. This paper reports the intervention done by the Psychosocial Emergency Team, the Civil Protection Emergency Psychologists, during the multi-forces’ intervention on the Limito di Pioltello train crash, a major accident occurred in Italy in 2018. The attempt is to give a photography of the psychological part of the rescue system in this scenario, showing phases, methods, and some rationales subtended in our actions. The aim is to share procedures and open a constructive dialogue that could bring to more standardized interventions among non-governmental emergency psychologist teams with the aim to always provide better care both to victims and their families.

Keywords

• Emergency psychology
• maxi-emergency
• rescue system
• psychological technical procedures
• psychological support