How to Manage Crisis Situations in Substance Abuse Treatment

Substance abuse treatment facilities experience multiple crisis situations every month. Most crisis situations in substance abuse treatment facilities are acts of violence committed by a patient or threats of violence made by a patient. Sometimes the violence is directed towards other people and sometimes it is self inflicted or directed. This is largely due to the instability of the patients. Patients in substance abuse treatment programs are often mentally unstable due to mental illness, addiction, and withdrawal.

Instructions

• 1

  Recognize that there is a potential for a crisis situation before it happens. Complete a thorough intake evaluation for each patient and access risk of violence. Perform interviews weekly with the patients to reassess potential for violence in each patient.

• 2

  Deescalate a heated situation before it develops into a crisis. The most effective means of deescalating a situation will vary widely by the type of situation and people involved. Isolating any people that are involved in the crisis is generally a good measure.

• 3

  Alert other staff members of the crisis situation as soon as possible and ask for assistance. Having multiple staff members present will naturally deescalate a crisis situation and will allow for prompt action to be taken if the situation does not deescalate quickly enough to maintain everyone's mental and physical safety.

• 4

  Speak slowly and calmly. A distraught individual will usually follow the lead of an authority figure. Therefore, if a staff member speaks slowly and calmly the patient is likely to slow down thinking and reconsider potentially violent actions.

• 5

  Call security immediately if the situation is getting out of control or violence is strongly suspected to ensue. If security is not available or present, do not hesitate to call the police.