ABSTRACT
The goal of psychosocial care is to protect and support aid workers, and to minimize the development of abnormal stress response syndromes that may cause lost time and a drop in effectiveness of work. Psychosocial care and support, a "circle of full support", is an integral part of the whole mission: preparation, the mission itself, coming home and aftercare. Because of the proven value of the Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) Holland psychosocial care and peer support systems the people have been approached by partner sections to assist them in establishing a peer support network as well as a back-up professional psychosocial care system. Psychosocial care and support of humanitarian aid workers is an essential part of human aid for the people who provide human aid to others. MSF Holland is one of the first international humanitarian aid organizations to pay attention to and care for their own humanitarian aid workers by setting up a specific psychosocial care and support unit.
