AIRS Crisis Intervention Strategies 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A third party calls worried that her adult brother posted a goodbye message online. What should the I&R specialist do FIRST?
- Tell her nothing can be done without the brother's consent
- Assess the immediate risk based on her information and help her decide whether emergency services are needed (Correct answer)
- Give her the brother's therapist's number
- Advise her to wait 24 hours
Correct answer: Assess the immediate risk based on her information and help her decide whether emergency services are needed
Third-party calls still require risk assessment and may warrant emergency intervention if danger appears imminent.
Question 2: Which national three-digit number connects callers in the U.S. to the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline?
- 211
- 311
- 988 (Correct answer)
- 511
Correct answer: 988
988 became the national Suicide and Crisis Lifeline number in July 2022.
Question 3: A safety plan developed with a suicidal caller should typically include:
- Only the phone number for 911
- A promise not to harm oneself, signed by the caller
- A list of medications to avoid
- Warning signs, internal coping strategies, people and places for distraction, contacts for help, and ways to make the environment safer (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Warning signs, internal coping strategies, people and places for distraction, contacts for help, and ways to make the environment safer
Evidence-based safety planning (Stanley-Brown) uses layered steps from warning signs through restricting access to means.
Question 4: Why are 'no-harm contracts' discouraged in current crisis intervention practice?
- They lack evidence of effectiveness and may create false reassurance (Correct answer)
- They are illegal in most states
- They take too long to complete
- They require a physician's signature
Correct answer: They lack evidence of effectiveness and may create false reassurance
No-suicide contracts have no proven protective effect and can give the helper a false sense of safety.
Question 5: A caller reports that someone is breaking into her home right now. What is the correct response?
- Complete a full needs assessment first
- Refer her to a victim services agency
- Connect her with 911 or emergency services immediately (Correct answer)
- Ask her to call back once the intruder leaves
Correct answer: Connect her with 911 or emergency services immediately
An in-progress emergency with immediate danger requires instant connection to emergency services.
Question 6: Which is an example of an open-ended question useful in crisis assessment?
- 'Are you safe right now?'
- 'Do you have a gun?'
- 'Did you take anything?'
- 'What has been happening that led you to call today?' (Correct answer)
Correct answer: 'What has been happening that led you to call today?'
Open-ended questions invite the caller to explain in their own words and cannot be answered with yes or no.
Question 7: When a caller in crisis becomes silent for a long period, the specialist should generally:
- Hang up, since the caller is no longer engaged
- Allow some silence, then gently check in, for example 'I'm still here when you're ready' (Correct answer)
- Fill the silence by reading referrals
- Transfer the call to a supervisor right away
Correct answer: Allow some silence, then gently check in, for example 'I'm still here when you're ready'
Silence can give the caller time to think, and a gentle check-in keeps the connection without pressure.
AIRS Crisis Intervention Strategies 3
A third party calls worried that her adult brother posted a goodbye message online.
What should the I&R specialist do FIRST?