10 December 2024 – The Philippine Embassy in London held a training session on Psychological First Aid (PFA) on 10 December 2024, in support of the “18-day Campaign to End Violence against Women”. The campaign, led by the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW), was established through Proclamation 1172, Series of 2006 and Republic Act (RA) 10398, which declares November 25 as “National Consciousness Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Children”.

The preliminary training provided Embassy personnel a working framework through which clients in distress can be addressed and assisted. Held through a hybrid format, the session facilitated by licensed clinical psychologist, Dr. Anne Marie Topacio-Klink, PhD, focused on the objectives and scope of psychological first aid and provided tips on empathic listening and communication. The session concluded with a group exercise and simulation based on common scenarios encountered by Embassy personnel.