Calming Therapeutic Crisis Intervention Rooms

A calming, therapeutic crisis-intervention room is for children, adolescents and adults dealing with any kind of psychological stress as a result of a traumatic event. This room is a place where the individual can return to a normal level of functioning after having experienced the depression, anxiety, irritability or other immediate physical and emotional responses to crisis.

Room Colors

• Calming rooms should be painted in cool shades of blue, purple or green to promote relaxation and to decrease irritability and anxiety and to avoid aggressive behaviors. Red, orange and yellow are warm colors that should not be used in an intervention room because they stimulate emotions and could intensify the physical and emotional effects of the crisis.

Room Objects

• The physical environment of the calming room should be comfortable, and the objects in the room should be designed for the people who are using it (children versus adults). At least one comfortable seat should be available and the other objects in the room should stimulate the seeing, touching, hearing and smelling senses.

Benefits

• The therapeutic crisis-intervention room's main benefit is that aggressive behaviors will be avoided and the need for physical restraint or seclusion will be eliminated. Extreme emotions will decrease and individuals will return to a mental state that allows for more productive thinking and contemplation of crisis events.