CHAPTER 11 CRISIS THEORY

INTRODUCTION ENDURING A CRISIS IS PROBABLY A PROBLEM OF LIVING CRISIS: AN EVENT THAT LEADS TO A TEMPORARY STATE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORGANIZATION OR INABILITY TO FUNCTION AS ONE ORDINARILY MIGHT CRISIS CAN BE PERSONAL A CRISIS CAN BE AN EVENT EXTERNAL TO SELF, SUCH AS NATURAL DISASTER REGARDLESS, THE EFFECTS ON THE PERSON ARE VERY SIMILAR CRISIS INTERVENTION IS SHORT-TERM, FOCUSED WORK

INTRODUCTION, CONTINUED GOAL IS TO RETURN TO THE ORIGINAL STATE OF FUNCTIONING A CRISIS CAN BE BOTH A CHALLENGE AND AN OPPORTUNITY CRISIS INCREASES THE AMOUNT OF STRESS WITH WHICH WE MUST COPE UNRESOLVED CRISIS CAN LEAD TO CHRONIC STRESS A PERSON UNDER STRESS (IN CRISIS) MAY NOT MAKE THE BEST OF DECISIONS

HISTORY OF CRISIS THEORY GENERALLY CREDITED TO ERICH LINDEMANN IN THE 1940S CAPLAN (1964) EMPHASIZED THE SUPPORTIVE ROLE OF THE COMMUNITY IN RESTORING BALANCE TO INDIVIDUALS STRICKLER AND BONNEFIL DEFINED PRECIPITATING EVENT AND ROLE OF THE SOCIAL WORKER GOLAN AND COLLEAGUES DEVELOPED A SORT OF TRIAGE THERE ARE VARIOUS MODELS OF CRISIS INTERVENTION RESOURCES CAN BE CONCRETE AND/OR PSYCHODYNAMIC CRISIS INTERVENTION CAN OCCUR AT THE MICRO, MEZZO, AND MACRO LEVELS PREVENTION IS A PREFERRED METHOD OF INTERVENTION, WHEN POSSIBLE

LEVELS OF CRISIS RANKED ACCORDING TO COMPLEXITY, MAGNITUDE INCLUDES SUCH THINGS AS LEVEL ONE: MARITAL DISCORD LEVEL SEVEN INCLUDES CATASTROPHES

STAGES OF EXPERIENCING AND RESOLVING A CRISIS SINCE INDIVIDUAL RESPONSES TO CRISIS ARE UNIQUE, IT IS HELPFUL TO HAVE A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK TO GUIDE ASSESSMENT AND INTERVENTION SOCIAL WORKERS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THE STAGES OF CRISIS MUCH AS WITH GRIEF, THERE IS AN INITIAL REACTION, WHICH MAY INCLUDE CRYING OR ANGER PEOPLE MAY PUT PROTECTIVE BUBBLE AROUND THEMSELVES; MAY HAVE NIGHTMARES HEALING IS EVIDENT WHEN PERSON CAN TALK ABOUT EVENT WITHOUT RELIVING IT THE FINAL PHASE IS WHEN THE CRISIS IS RESOLVED; THIS MAY TAKE YEARS

STAGES OF EXPERIENCING AND RESOLVING A CRISIS, CONTINUED ROBERTS’S MODEL OF ASSESSMENT, CRISIS INTERVENTION AND T AND TREATMENT (ACT) IS A TRIAGE MODEL THAT ALLOWS IMMEDIATE SUPPORTS AND FOR MORE ACUTE STRESS REACTIONS TO BE ADDRESSED

STAGES OF EXPERIENCING AND RESOLVING A CRISIS, CONTINUED ROBERTS’ SEVEN-STAGE CRISIS INTERVENTION MODEL HAS STAGES RANGING FROM ASSESSMENT TO FOLLOW-UP THERE ARE TASKS IN EACH STAGE FOR SOCIAL WORKER TO COMPLETE REQUIRES A RANGE OF SKILLS BASIC ACTIVE LISTENING SKILLS ARE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT

STAGES OF EXPERIENCING AND RESOLVING A CRISIS, CONTINUED CRITICAL INCIDENT STRESS DEBRIEFING AND MANAGEMENT PROTOCOL THIS 10-STAGE PROTOCOL WAS DEVELOPED BY LERNER AND SHELTON DEBRIEFING OCCURS FOR WORKERS WHO WITNESS UNSPEAKABLE TRAGEDIES USED PRIMARILY WITH FIRST RESPONDERS BUT IS USEFUL FOR ANYONE DEALING WITH TRAGEDY

STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS OF CRISIS THEORY ADAPTABLE TO A VARIETY OF SITUATIONS FLEXIBILITY OF STAGES ACCOMMODATES CULTURAL DIFFERENCES THERE IS A SIZEABLE AMOUNT OF RESEARCH VALIDATING CRISIS INTERVENTION MODELS ARE VERY STRAIGHTFORWARD AND EASY TO REMEMBER INTERVENTION IS TIME-LIMITED AT POINT OF INTERVENTION, A NUMBER OF METHODS MAY BE USED, MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO MEASURE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE MODEL VERSUS EFFECTIVENESS OF THE MODALITY

CONCLUSION CONCEPTUAL MODEL IS LOGICAL AND PRODUCTIVE FOCUSES ON STRENGTHS AND RESILIENCE OF THE CLIENT TO RETURN TO BALANCE CRISES OCCUR TO ANYONE CAN BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO BECOME STRONGER NEED AND RESPONSE ARE BOTH IMMEDIATE