2. What is a crisis?
A state that exists when a person is thrown
completely off balance emotionally by an
unexpected and potentially harmful event
or a difficult developmental transition or
that mention beforehand
Unpredictable and unexpected
Common feeling responses to crisis:
apathy, depression, guilt and loss of self-
esteem
People in crisis find that the ways they
solved problems and coped with
difficulties in the past no longer work, and
they become more and more upset and
frightened
Referring to people’s emotional reactions
to a situation
3. Responds and
reactions toward
crisis: depend on
one’s past learning
and experiences,
lifestyle and
philosophy
No reaction is
“better” or ”more
normal” than the
other
4. Examples Of Crises
An accident (automobile
or in home)
Death/loss of a loved one
Natural disaster
Physical illness (self or
significant other)
Divorce/separation
Unemployment
Unexpected pregnancy
Financial difficulties
5. Crisis Theory
Parad and Caplan (1960): crises have a peak or
sudden turning point
Caplan (1961): a relatively minor force, acting for
relatively short time, can switch the balance to
one side or another, to the side of mental health,
or the side of mental ill health
Naomi Golan (1978): crisis situations can occur
episodically during “the normal life span of
individual, families, groups, communities and
nation”. They are often initiated by a hazardous
event. This may be catastrophic event or a series
of successive stressful blows which rapidly build up
a cumulative effect.
6. Crisis theory
The impact of the hazardous event disturbs the
individual’s homeostatic balance and puts him in
a vulnerable state
If the problem continues and can not be resolved,
avoided or redefined, tension rises to a peak and
a precipitating factor can bring about a turning
point, during which self-righting devices no longer
operate and the individual enters a state of
equilibrium…..(an) active crisis
8. 1. Plan and conduct a
thorough psychosocial and
lethality assessment
Lethality assessment should examine the following factors:
- Determine whether the crisis caller needs medical attention
- Is the crisis caller thinking about suicide?
- Determine whether the caller is a victim of domestic
violence, sexual assault and/or violent crime
- Determine whether any children are in danger
- Does the victim need emergency transportation to a
hospital or a shelter
- Is the caller under the influence of alcohol or drugs?
- Is the caller is about to injure himself?
- Inquire whether there are any violent individual living in the
residence
9. 2. Make psychological
contact and rapidly establish
the relationship
Involve initial contact between the crisis
intervenor and the potential client.
Establish rapport by conveying a genuine respect
for and acceptance of the client.
Provide assurance to the client that he or she can
be helped and that this is the appropriate place
to receive such help
10. 3. Examine the dimensions of
the problem in order to
define it
Identify the following:
1. The precipitating event that led the client to seek
help
2. Previous coping methods
3. Dangerousness or lethality
The focus must be on now and how rather than then
and why
11. 4. Encourage an exploration
of feelings and emotions
Examining and defining the dimensions of the
problem, particularly the precipitating event
Primary techniques used is active listening
12. 5. Explore and assess past
coping attempts
Previously coping mechanism used in life
Integrating solution-based therapy, emphasizing
working with client’s strengths.
Important to help the client to generate and
explore alternatives and previously untried coping
methods or partial solutions.
13. 6. Restore cognitive
functioning through
implementation of action
plan
Using cognitive approach helps the client focus
on why a specific event leads to a crisis state and
simultaneously, what the client can do to
effectively master the experience and able to
cope with similar events should they occur in the
future.
14. 7. Follow up
Client should be told that if at any time he or she
needs to come back for another session, the door
will be open
Aware that victims of violent crimes often go into
crisis at the anniversary of the crime
