CBHT Crisis Intervention 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When using the ACT model of crisis intervention, what does the 'A' stand for?
- Assessment (Correct answer)
- Action
- Awareness
- Acknowledgment
Correct answer: Assessment
ACT stands for Assessment, Crisis intervention, and Trauma-informed care, with Assessment being the first critical step.
Question 2: A client experiencing a psychiatric crisis begins speaking very rapidly and jumping between unrelated topics. This presentation is most consistent with:
- Depressive episode
- Flight of ideas associated with mania (Correct answer)
- Dissociative state
- Anxiety attack
Correct answer: Flight of ideas associated with mania
Rapid, pressured speech with loosely connected or unrelated topics (flight of ideas) is a hallmark symptom of a manic episode.
Question 3: Which de-escalation technique involves validating a client's feelings without agreeing with their distorted perceptions?
- Confrontation
- Empathic acknowledgment (Correct answer)
- Limit setting
- Redirection
Correct answer: Empathic acknowledgment
Empathic acknowledgment communicates understanding of the client's emotional experience while remaining neutral about the accuracy of their perceptions.
Question 4: A BHT is working with a client who suddenly becomes physically aggressive. The FIRST action should be:
- Attempt to physically restrain the client
- Ensure staff and client safety and call for backup (Correct answer)
- Administer PRN medication immediately
- Document the incident in the chart
Correct answer: Ensure staff and client safety and call for backup
Safety is always the top priority; the BHT should ensure the immediate area is safe and alert other staff before any other intervention.
Question 5: Which factor is considered a SHORT-TERM risk factor for suicide rather than a long-term one?
- Family history of suicide
- Previous suicide attempt
- Recent significant loss or stressor (Correct answer)
- Chronic mental illness diagnosis
Correct answer: Recent significant loss or stressor
Recent stressors such as job loss, relationship breakup, or bereavement are acute precipitating factors that elevate immediate suicide risk.
Question 6: The 'Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality' (CAMS) framework primarily emphasizes:
- Involuntary hospitalization as the default response
- A therapeutic alliance where clinician and client work together on the suicide plan (Correct answer)
- Medication management as the sole intervention
- Strict behavioral contracts signed by the client
Correct answer: A therapeutic alliance where clinician and client work together on the suicide plan
CAMS is built on a collaborative approach where the clinician and client jointly assess suicide risk and co-author a plan to address it.
Question 7: When approaching a client in crisis who is pacing and refusing to sit down, the BHT should:
- Insist the client sit before continuing the conversation
- Match the client's energy by also standing and moving
- Give the client space and use a calm, low voice from a non-threatening distance (Correct answer)
- Immediately call for a team intervention
Correct answer: Give the client space and use a calm, low voice from a non-threatening distance
Allowing the client physical space while maintaining a calm, non-confrontational presence helps reduce arousal without escalating the situation.
CBHT Crisis Intervention 2
When using the ACT model of crisis intervention, what does the 'A' stand for?