Skills for Psychological Recovery (SPR)

Skills for Psychological Recovery (SPR) is an evidence-informed, modular intervention developed to help children, adolescents, adults, and families cope with distress in the weeks and months after a disaster or traumatic event. Created by the National Child Traumatic Stress Network and the National Center for PTSD, SPR supports survivors, witnesses, and responders in building practical skills to manage ongoing stress.

SPR is not formal therapy but a secondary prevention approach focused on skill-building. It acknowledges the wide range of emotional, physical, behavioral, and spiritual reactions people may have after trauma and aims to help them adapt and function more effectively over time. Research indicates that skill-building tends to be more effective than general supportive counseling for most individuals post-disaster, though some may still need referral to mental health services.

SPR is designed for flexible use in various settings such as schools, clinics, hospitals, places of worship, community centers, and homes. Each of its six core skills can be introduced in a single session and supported with handouts and practice tools.

SPR can be delivered in a variety of settings (e.g., schools, clinics, hospitals, assisted living facilities, houses of worship, community centers, libraries, and homes). Each SPR skill can be covered in one contact or meeting with a survivor and then reinforced through the use of handouts and practice. The six SPR skills include:

• Gathering Information and Prioritizing Assistance helps survivors to identify their primary concerns and to pick the SPR strategy to focus on.
• Building Problem-Solving Skills teaches survivors the tools to break problems down into more manageable chunks, identify a range of ways to respond, and create an action plan to move forward.
• Promoting Positive Activities guides survivors to increase meaningful and positive activities in their schedule, with the goal of building resilience and bringing more fulfillment and enjoyment into their life.
• Managing Reactions helps survivors to better manage distressing physical and emotional reactions by using such tools as breathing retraining, writing exercises, and identifying and planning for triggers and reminders.
• Promoting Helpful Thinking assists survivors learn how their thoughts influence their emotions, become more aware of what they are saying to themselves, and replace unhelpful with more helpful thoughts.
• Rebuilding Healthy Social Connections encourages survivors to access and enhance social and community supports while keeping in mind the current post-disaster recovery circumstances.
• Further Resources