Crisis Intervention Strategies Flashcards

In Roberts' Seven-Stage Crisis Intervention Model, what is the FIRST stage?

Answer: Plan and conduct a crisis assessment, including lethality

Roberts' model begins with a biopsychosocial and lethality assessment before rapport-building and problem identification.

A caller says she has been saving up her medication and plans to take all of it tonight. Which factor MOST increases the assessed level of suicide risk?

Answer: She has a specific plan, a method, and access to the means

A specific plan combined with available lethal means and a timeline indicates high, imminent risk.

Which statement BEST reflects current best practice when asking about suicide?

Answer: Ask directly and clearly, such as 'Are you thinking about killing yourself?'

Research shows that asking directly about suicide does not increase risk and helps uncover it.

During a crisis call, the I&R specialist summarizes: 'So you lost your job today and you're scared you won't make rent.' This technique is called:

Answer: Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing restates the caller's message in the specialist's own words to show understanding and check accuracy.

A caller in acute crisis is too overwhelmed to write down referral information. What is the MOST appropriate action?

Answer: Give one or two prioritized referrals and, with consent, offer a warm transfer or follow-up

People in crisis have reduced cognitive capacity, so limited, prioritized referrals and active linkage work best.

Which phrase is MOST likely to escalate an agitated caller?

Answer: 'Calm down, you're overreacting.'

Telling someone to calm down or that they are overreacting invalidates their feelings and often increases agitation.

A crisis is BEST defined as:

Answer: A perception of an event or situation as an intolerable difficulty that exceeds a person's current coping resources

A crisis is defined by how a person perceives the event and their temporary inability to cope, not by the event alone.