Concepts in Crisis Intervention

When responding to an emotional crisis, whether it is caused by verbal abuse, stress at work, a breakup or the loss of a loved one, it is important to immediately assess the condition of the person and contact a police officer if someone is in danger. Crisis intervention concepts include listening, assessing and planning a course of action. It is important to make the person aware that you are there for her when she needs you.

Listening

• Be as objective as possible when listening to a person's crisis. Get him to talk as much as possible and ask questions to continue his train of thought. Listening is important so you can gain as much information as possible before making a decision about treatment. People who suffer from a crisis are either controlled or expressive. The controlled person will often say he is in control, but that doesn't necessarily mean he is. An expressive person will be panicky, emotional and very verbal.

Feelings

• Encourage her to trust you with her feelings and let her know she is safe. Identify where the stress is coming from and have her reflect on her feelings. Accept all her opinions, irrationalities and bad reactions before making a verbal assessment. Acknowledge that she is feeling something and encourage her to continue to speak about her feelings by asking something like, "Did that hurt you?" If she is having trouble opening up, ask open-ended questions such as "How did this happen?"

Assessment

• When speaking to him, focus as much as possible on the crisis. Right now, that is all that matters to him. Focus on managing his time so he can get through the next one to three days. This period is often the hardest time in a crisis, as many of the wounds can heal after the first few days. Ask him about ways he has coped in the past. Advise him to talk about his feelings to you, family members or friends.

Action

• Determine any solutions that might help her. Try to put yourself in her shoes and identify any obstacles that might come in her path to recovery. Develop a plan of action. You may need to make appointments with doctors or counselors. Advise her of ways she can either get her mind off the crisis, or find ways to fix the problem. Ensure you are aware of what she will do after she leaves you. She may seem more calm after talking to you, but her stress could rise once she is on her own.