Principles of Crisis Intervention

Trained counselors who deal with addictions and emotional issues use the principles of crisis intervention to encourage the individual to begin the recovery process. Depending on which crisis intervention strategy technique you use, you may implement between five and 10 steps to move the individual from crisis to independent and self-reliant recovery.

Establish a Relationship

• The counselor must establish rapport and trust with the addicted client and his support system to begin the process from crisis to recovery. The client will trust the counselor who offers him respect and hope for change, provided the client is willing to admit there is a problem and he desires the change. Even if the client desires change, he will resist help if a trusting relationship is not established first.

  The counselor may help the family to schedule an intervention, which may help open the door for the counselor to establish a working relationship with the client.

Assess and Define

• The client and the counselor work together to assess the situation and define the problem. The counselor may employ questionnaires, assessment processes and direct counseling with the client. The counselor may also discuss any previous methods the client has tried to make changes in her life and addictive behavior.

Process the Trauma Cycle

• Next, the client and counselor discuss any precipitating events that pushed the client to choose addictive coping mechanisms. The counselor will employ active and compassionate listening as the client expresses her emotional response to life events. This process must occur in a nonjudgmental environment where the client feels safe and free to share.

Problem Solving

• The client and the counselor may discuss a variety of options the client can use to move from the current situation toward recovery. The counselor will often know options the client and support system are unaware of. The client and the support system may explore each alternative and determine which alternative is most in line with the resources and needs of the client.

Mobilizing Resources

• Once a plan is formulated, the counselor works with the client and support system to begin implementation. The counselor may help the client move directly to treatment by helping to arrange for in-house care and transportation. If the choice is to use out-patient treatment, the counselor may continue to work with the client.

Termination of Agreement

• Once the client moves into a treatment program, the counselor can terminate the client-counselor relationship so the treatment program can work with the client. The counselor may continue to work the support system to help them recover and avoid enabling the client into further addictive behavior.