Chapter 1 – Approaching Crisis Intervention
CRISIS DEFINITION Crisis A perception or experiencing of an event or situations as an intolerable difficulty that exceeds the person’s current resources and coping mechanisms.
WITHOUT RELIEF CAN CAUSE…. severe affective, behavioral, and cognitive malfunctioning
CHARACTERISTICS OF CRISIS 1. Danger and/or Opportunity Danger – causing one to be overwhelmed Serious pathology Opportunity – induces one to seek help Intervention
THREE WAYS TO REACT Cope and develop strength Survive, block, and remain haunted Break down
CHARACTERISTICS OF CRISIS 2. Complex and difficult to understand Compounding problems Environmental problems Individual, Family Institutions Neighborhood, community Geographical, national
CHARACTERISTICS OF CRISIS 3. Seeds of Growth and Change Threshold for change
CHARACTERISTICS OF CRISIS 4. No Quick Fixes Brief therapy can help, but may be temporary Quick fixes can “mask” the pain
CHARACTERISTICS OF CRISIS 5. Forces choice and decision To do something (positive) Or not (negative)
CHARACTERISTICS OF CRISIS 6. Universality and Idiosyncrasy No one is immune… But everyone deals with crisis in their own way
TRANSCRISIS STATES Crisis is usually time limited, but may become a series of recurring moments. May last a life time. Triggers can occur Roller coaster Unfinished business Defensive repression (requiring intervention)
May not have anything to do with PTSD TRANSCRISIS POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER May not have anything to do with PTSD Many personality or anxiety disorders can represent transcrisis states Trauma, personality, substance abuse, psychosis or stress Because of chronic kinds of thinking, feeling, and acting “Normal” people, but always “at risk” Identifiable anxiety disorder Specific criteria for diagnosis Extremely traumatic event Can cause transcrisis states
TRANSCRISIS POINTS Client with new developmental stage progression Disequlibrium Occur frequently in transcrisis states Within the therapeutic intervention Not predictable Not regular Not linear May cause additional crisis intervention Can be benchmarks for growth
BASIC CRISIS INTERVENTION THEORY 1940’s to 1960’s Lindemann and Caplan Traumatic events Situational or developmental disequilibrium brief therapy working through equilibrium Eliminating the distortions
BASIC CRISIS THEORY BRIEF THERAPY Depends on intensity of clients view of problem as intolerable Level of emotional disequilibrium Can be used as a crisis intervention but…. Does not have to be crisis- event related
EXPANDED CRISIS THEORY Psychoanalytic Theory (unconscious/early fixations) Systems Theory (inter-relational/interdependence) Ecosystems Theory (environmental interrelatedness) Adaptational Theory (maladaptive coping behaviors) Interpersonal Theory (enhancing self-confidence) Chaos Theory (disorganization yields organization) Developmental Theory (unresolved life stages)
APPLIED CRISIS THEORY (4 DOMAINS) Developmental Crises (normal flow of life) Situational Crises (un-forcasted, random, sudden, shocking) Existential Crises (inner conflicts, life anxieties) Ecosystem Crises (natural or human-caused disaster)
CRISIS INTERVENTION MODELS Basis for many intervention strategies and methodologies. Equilibrium (control to loss of control) Cognitive (faulty thinking and belief) Psychosocial transition (heredity and environmental learning) Developmental-ecological (stages within the system) Contextual-ecological (proximity, meaning, relationships, time)
ECLECTIC CRISIS INTERVENTION THEORY Selecting and integrating valid approaches Not being bound to any one approach Part skill and part intuition
CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE CRISIS WORKERS Life experiences (maturity vs. baggage) Poise (remaining calm and stable) Creativity and Flexibility (taking risks with divergent thinking) Energy and Resiliency (organized action and able to bounce back) Quick Mental Reflexes (time is critical)
CAN BE REWARDING Gratifying Reinforcing Looking beyond dilemmas to coping techniques