 Rose Marie Lichtenfels, MSW, MA, LCSW

 Life Experiences – A whole person with a rich and varied background of life experiences.  Poise – No matter how out of control the clients is the worker must remain calm, poised in control.  Creativity and Flexibility – A worker has to be flexible in how they use the tools they have learned and creative enough to use them in different situations.  Multicultural Competency – multicultural perspectives in crisis intervention is a crucial component of the crisis workers attitudes and skill in helping people in crisis.

 Energy and Resiliency – Functioning in an unknown area requires energy, organization, direction and systematic action. A worker also needs to be resilient as they are not always successful in this work.  Quick Mental Reflexes – This type of work requires more activity and defectiveness than ordinary therapeutic work. A worker has to have quick mental reflexes to deal with the constantly changing crisis situation.  Growth Potential – A worker has to have the potential and desire to grow and change in this field.

 Crisis is a perception or experience - of an event or situation that exceeds the person’s current resources and coping mechanisms.  Crisis is a danger - because it can overwhelm the individual to the extent that serious pathology may result.  Crisis is universal - because given the right set of circumstances no one is immune to breakdown. One person may overcome a situation while another may not even if the situation is the same  Crisis is an opportunity - because the pain it causes impels the person to seek help

1. Many individuals can cope effectively with crisis by themselves. They may even develop strength from the experience. 2. Others appear to survive the crisis but effectively block the hurtful affect from awareness. This can cause problems later as the event may haunt them in different ways the rest of their lives. 3. Others break down psychologically at the onset of the crisis. They then clearly demonstrate that they are incapable of going further with their lives unless they are given immediate and intensive assistance.

1. Situational Crisis – An uncommon and extraordinary event that an individual has no way of forecasting or controlling. 2. Environmental crisis – A natural or human caused disaster overtakes a person or a group of people who through no fault of their own find themselves adversely affected by an event.

 Affective State: abnormal or impaired affect is often the first sign that the individual is in a state of disequilibrium.  Behavioral Functioning: the best way to get the individual to become mobile is to facilitate positive actions that the individual can take at one.

 Listening 1. Defining the Problem 2. Ensuring client Safety 3. Providing Support  Acting 4. Examining Alternatives 5. Making Plans 6. Obtaining commitment

 In order to really listen to your client you need to use these tools.  Use open-ended questions– Usually start with what or how or ask for more clarification or details.  Closed-ended questions– When you use a closed ended question it is usually to obtain specific, concrete information.  Restatement and summary clarification– This is a critical ingredient in crisis intervention.  Owning feelings– Owning or “I” statements are probably more important in crisis intervention than any other kind of help.

 Has four keys aspects: 1.Really listen to the client. Focus entirely on the client. Attend to both verbal and non-verbal messages. Assess the client’s readiness to enter into psychological/physical contact with others. Demonstrate attention by both verbal and non-verbal behavior. 2.Convey understanding of the crisis situation, both the facts and the emotions, to the client. 3.Help the client to expand their view of the crisis. 4.Assist the client in comprehending the full impact of the crisis.

1. Define the problem clearly – make sure that each problem is clearly and accurately defined from a practical, problem-solving viewpoint. While doing this make sure you recognize individual differences – make sure you view and respond to each person and each crisis situation as unique. You also need to be doing mandatory ongoing self-analysis so you stay on target with the victim. 2. Show regard for client’s safety – The workers style, choices, and strategies must reflex a continuous consideration of the client's physical and psychological safety as well as the safety of others involved in the situation. 3. Provide client support – the crisis worker should be available as a support person during the crisis period.

1. Consider alternatives – there is always more than one way to resolve the crisis situation. Make sure you explore all the options available to you. 2. Plan action steps – make a short term plan to help the individual get through the immediate crisis. 3. Get a commitment - this is a vital part of the crisis intervention process. Getting a commitment from the individual to follow through with the action or actions that have been planned for them is very important. Without the commitment you may have just wasted the time and effort you put into the intervention.

 Some other steps you can take include the following:  Attend to the individuals immediate needs – It is important for individuals in crisis to feel that their immediate needs are understood and attended to by the crisis worker.  Use referral resources - make sure you know where you can refer this individual to.  Use the individuals coping strengths – make sure you look at what the individual has used in the past to assist themselves in times of crisis. Then Incorporate those strengths into this plan.

 Recognize individual differences Each crisis situation and client is unique.  Assess yourself Consistently examine own values, emotional status, limitations, and readiness.  Show regard for client safety The workers style, choices, and strategies must reflex a continuous consideration of the client's physical and psychological safety as well as the safety of others involved in the situation.  Provide client support Demonstrate unconditional positive regard for the client.  Define the problem clearly Focus on one specific problem from the client’s point of view.  Consider alternatives Be creative and when possible use alternatives generated by the client.

 Plan action steps Short-term plans will allow the client to increase their mobility.  Use the client’s coping strengths Do not ignore the client’s strengths and coping skills.  Use referral resources Have an up-to-date and easily accessible list of names, telephone numbers, addresses, and contact people for referral.  Develop and use networks Each individual in a network is a referral source; it is the personal relationship that makes it a network.  Get a commitment Have the client verbally summarize the action plan and their commitment to it. Commitment may need to be written and signed if lethality is a factor.