Psychosocial (PS) activities include all activities that help vulnerable people and groups who experience emotional suffering, so that they are sooner able to rely on their own and their community resources. Psychosocial intervention helps the affected population to cope more successfully with hardships they face on the road to recovery or in an ongoing situation. PS is a cross-cutting domain that can be found in all interventions from Disaster Prevention & Response to Health & social issues.

The IFRC Policy on PS is to facilitate the resilience of the affected population while at the same time maintaining the health, well-being and efficiency of staff and volunteers

PS often occurs in the way an activity is undertaken. It often includes a core of:

• active, non-judgemental listening
• practical information such as whereabouts of family members, access to social help, access to available & appropriate health & care etc
• community based intervention to re-establish a safe and calm environment and improve community functioning.

Since 2004, the European Network for Psychosocial Support (ENPS), open to all 53 Red Cross/Red Crescent National Societies in the IFRC European zone, has come together in a yearly forum.