1. Chapter 1 – Approaching Crisis Intervention

2. CRISIS DEFINITION Crisis A perception or experiencing of
an event or situations
as an intolerable difficulty
that exceeds the person’s
current resources and coping mechanisms.

3. WITHOUT RELIEF CAN CAUSE….
severe affective,
behavioral, and
cognitive malfunctioning

4. CHARACTERISTICS OF CRISIS
1. Danger and/or Opportunity
Danger – causing one to be overwhelmed
Serious pathology
Opportunity – induces one to seek help
Intervention

5. THREE WAYS TO REACT Cope and develop strength
Survive, block, and remain haunted
Break down

6. CHARACTERISTICS OF CRISIS
2. Complex and difficult to understand
Compounding problems
Environmental problems
Individual, Family
Institutions
Neighborhood, community
Geographical, national

7. CHARACTERISTICS OF CRISIS
3. Seeds of Growth and Change
Threshold for change

8. CHARACTERISTICS OF CRISIS
4. No Quick Fixes
Brief therapy can help, but may be temporary
Quick fixes can “mask” the pain

9. CHARACTERISTICS OF CRISIS
5. Forces choice and decision
To do something (positive)
Or not (negative)

10. CHARACTERISTICS OF CRISIS
6. Universality and Idiosyncrasy
No one is immune…
But everyone deals with crisis in their own way

11. TRANSCRISIS STATES Crisis is usually time limited,
but may become a series of recurring moments.
May last a life time.
Triggers can occur
Roller coaster
Unfinished business
Defensive repression (requiring intervention)

12. May not have anything to do with PTSD
TRANSCRISIS
POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER
May not have anything to do with PTSD
Many personality or anxiety disorders can represent transcrisis states
Trauma, personality, substance abuse, psychosis or stress
Because of chronic kinds of thinking, feeling, and acting
“Normal” people, but always “at risk”
Identifiable anxiety disorder
Specific criteria for diagnosis
Extremely traumatic event
Can cause transcrisis states

13. TRANSCRISIS POINTS Client with new developmental stage progression
Disequlibrium
Occur frequently in transcrisis states
Within the therapeutic intervention
Not predictable
Not regular
Not linear
May cause additional crisis intervention
Can be benchmarks for growth

14. BASIC CRISIS INTERVENTION THEORY
1940’s to 1960’s
Lindemann and Caplan
Traumatic events
Situational or developmental
disequilibrium brief therapy working through equilibrium
Eliminating the distortions

15. BASIC CRISIS THEORY BRIEF THERAPY
Depends on intensity of clients view of problem as intolerable
Level of emotional disequilibrium
Can be used as a crisis intervention but….
Does not have to be crisis- event related

16. EXPANDED CRISIS THEORY
Psychoanalytic Theory (unconscious/early fixations)
Systems Theory (inter-relational/interdependence)
Ecosystems Theory (environmental interrelatedness)
Adaptational Theory (maladaptive coping behaviors)
Interpersonal Theory (enhancing self-confidence)
Chaos Theory (disorganization yields organization)
Developmental Theory (unresolved life stages)

17. APPLIED CRISIS THEORY (4 DOMAINS)
Developmental Crises (normal flow of life)
Situational Crises (un-forcasted, random, sudden, shocking)
Existential Crises (inner conflicts, life anxieties)
Ecosystem Crises (natural or human-caused disaster)

18. CRISIS INTERVENTION MODELS
Basis for many intervention strategies and methodologies.
Equilibrium (control to loss of control)
Cognitive (faulty thinking and belief)
Psychosocial transition (heredity and environmental learning)
Developmental-ecological (stages within the system)
Contextual-ecological (proximity, meaning, relationships, time)

19. ECLECTIC CRISIS INTERVENTION THEORY
Selecting and integrating valid approaches
Not being bound to any one approach
Part skill and part intuition

20. CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE CRISIS WORKERS
Life experiences (maturity vs. baggage)
Poise (remaining calm and stable)
Creativity and Flexibility (taking risks with divergent thinking)
Energy and Resiliency (organized action and able to bounce back)
Quick Mental Reflexes (time is critical)

21. CAN BE REWARDING Gratifying Reinforcing
Looking beyond dilemmas to coping techniques