Crisis Intervention

Crisis Intervention
Sajid Iqbal Alyana, PhD

Assistant Professor
What is a Crisis?
 “Crisis is a perception or experiencing of an

event or situation as an intolerable difficulty
that exceeds the person’s current resources
and coping mechanisms”
What is a Crisis?
 A state of disorganization and confusion in
which the client faces frustration and profound
disruption in his or her life
 An immediate situation or short-term period
when many emotions are felt—extreme
uncertainty, fear, loss, grief
 An emotional state in response to disruption in
the client’s life not the disruption itself
What is NOT a Crisis?
 A problem that can be solved by an
individual or a family is not a crisis,
even if it is a big problem and very
worrying
What Is a Crisis?
 Crisis - Danger
 Crisis - Opportunity
 Crisis is a danger—it threatens to
overwhelm the person
 Crisis is an opportunity when a person may
be more open to opportunities; it can plant
seeds for positive change and personal
growth
Possible Causes of a Crisis
 Lack of access to essential services and
supports
 Mental and substance use disorders can
cause or contribute to crisis
 Co-occurring medical or mental disorders
 Disease Pandemic
 Poverty, Unstable Housing
 Stigma and Discrimination, Victimization
 Family Issues and Bereavement
What Causes a Crisis?
External Factors
Bereavement
Sudden/severe illness in the family
Job loss/ unemployment
Natural disaster
Surgery (unplanned)
Imprisonment
 Terrorism
 Trauma
 Displacement from home due to conflict, civil unrest,
or war
 Pandemic
 Other type of sudden and severe loss
Internal Distress
Hopelessness
Despair
Depression
Suicidalimpulses
Psychotic or manic episode
Post-traumatic stress
Unpleasant substance use reaction
Internal Distress and External Causes
 Internal distress can lead to external causes of
crisis and vice versa
Transitional States
Relocation
Marriage
New family member or baby
Job change
Retirement
Separation
Divorce
Cumulative Effects
 The cumulative effect of multiple events or
internal states can lead to crisis
What Is Crisis Management?
 Offers those in crisis immediate help to
solve the problems they are facing
 Reestablishes balance or stability in a
client’s life
 Is immediate, short term, and time
limited.
1. Assess Available Support
 Identify and assess available help from
family, friends, or other supports
 Involve family if necessary and possible
 Provide or make referrals for family therapy
or other community service
2. Assess Risk
 Assess whether the client or others are at
risk
 Have program procedures in place for clients
who indicate they plan to harm themselves or
others
 Refer to appropriate mental health resources
or a hospital
3. Meet Face-to-Face
 Arrange a face-to-face interview with the
client immediately
 Take precautions for the safety of both
client and counselor
4. Plan
 Help the client make a clear plan for
getting through the crisis
 Set time related goals, such as a plan for
the next minute, hour, or even the next
day.
 Involve significant others for support
5. Set Short-Term Goals
 Help the client set clear and achievable
short-term goals
 Enlist significant others to provide support
6. Normalize Feelings
 Normalize (reduce the intensity of the feeling) the
client’s reactions to the situation without minimizing
clients’ problems and their perception.
 Actively listen without passing judgment.
 Example statements could be
 “It must have been a very rough day for you to do
that”
 “It must have been a very tough decision to harm
yourself “
 “ It’s ok to feel………”
 “It’s understandable that you’re…….”
7. Understand Context
 Understand what the situation means to
the client
 Elicit information about personal, cultural,
and social factors that may affect how the
client views the situation
8. Explore Coping Strategies
 Help the client explore effective coping
strategies that were used in the past
 Help the client identify past ineffective
coping strategies and why these did not
work
 Goal: Move the client from feeling like a
victim to feeling empowered
9. Focus on the Here and Now
 Do not attempt to solve long-term
problems
 Focus only on the present
10. Address Physical Symptoms
 Address any physical anxiety and panic
symptoms
 Speak slowly and calmly
 Encourage the client to breathe slowly and
deeply
11. Protect Yourself
 Protect yourself and do not take risks:
 Do not get between suicidal clients and a
window or a ledge
 Call in backup if you are dealing with an
agitated or angry client
12. Follow Program Guidelines
 Do not break rules:
 Do not physically restrain a client unless
you have been specifically trained to do so
and there is program policy allowing it;
 Do not drive a client anywhere unless,
there is program policy allowing it.
13. Use a Team Approach
 Never act alone when helping a client in
crisis
 Call on your supervisor or a colleague
14. Stay Calm
 Remain calm, collected, and in charge
when interacting with the client
 Be straightforward and direct
 Do not give false assurances
15. Do Not Confront
 Do not assign blame
 Reinforce that you are on the client’s side
in a crisis and that you care about the
client’s wellbeing
17. Be Prepared
 Be sure you know about and are prepared
to mobilize appropriate resources:
 Law enforcement
 Mobile crisis services
 Medical assistance
 Crisis treatment of mental disorders
18. Follow-Up
 Develop a follow-up plan for the client
once the crisis is resolved
 Follow-up on the client’s progress
19. Take Care of Yourself
 Manage your own level of stress
 Use self-care strategies
 Maintain professional boundaries
20. Let Others Take the Lead
 If you do not feel comfortable handling a
crisis, let others take the lead
 Crisis management is not for everyone
 Forcing yourself to take the lead when you
are not comfortable could have disastrous
results
THANK YOU

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Crisis Intervention

Sajid Iqbal Alyana, PhD

 “Crisis is a perception or experiencing of an

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