CCIS CCIS Community Resources & Referral Systems 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline replaced which previous national number?
- 911
- 211
- 1-800-273-TALK (8255) (Correct answer)
- 311
Correct answer: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
988 replaced the previous National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number (1-800-273-8255) in July 2022, providing a simpler, more memorable three-digit access point for crisis support.
Question 2: The 211 helpline in the United States is used to connect individuals with:
- Emergency police dispatch
- Local social services, food, housing, and utility assistance (Correct answer)
- Mental health emergency services only
- National medication assistance programs
Correct answer: Local social services, food, housing, and utility assistance
211 is a free information and referral helpline that connects callers with local health and human services such as food banks, shelters, utility assistance, and other community resources.
Question 3: A Psychiatric Advance Directive (PAD) allows a person to:
- Refuse all psychiatric treatment permanently
- Specify mental health treatment preferences in advance for times when they may lack decision-making capacity (Correct answer)
- Authorize a family member to commit them involuntarily
- Obtain prescription medications without a physician
Correct answer: Specify mental health treatment preferences in advance for times when they may lack decision-making capacity
A PAD is a legal document in which individuals specify their mental health treatment preferences and decision-making proxies in advance, to be used when they are in crisis and unable to speak for themselves.
Question 4: When referring a crisis client to community resources, the crisis specialist should:
- Give only a phone number and end the session
- Make a 'warm handoff' by connecting the client directly with the receiving service (Correct answer)
- Refer only to services the specialist personally uses
- Avoid referrals to prevent overwhelming the client
Correct answer: Make a 'warm handoff' by connecting the client directly with the receiving service
A warm handoff — directly connecting the client with the receiving provider or resource rather than just giving information — significantly improves the likelihood that the client will access needed services.
Question 5: Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) teams are designed to serve individuals who:
- Have mild anxiety and request brief counseling
- Have severe mental illness and have historically not been well-served by traditional outpatient services (Correct answer)
- Are in acute medical crisis only
- Are transitioning out of college counseling programs
Correct answer: Have severe mental illness and have historically not been well-served by traditional outpatient services
ACT teams provide intensive, community-based, multidisciplinary services to individuals with severe mental illness who have high service needs and have not succeeded in standard outpatient settings.
Question 6: A warm handoff in crisis services means:
- Providing a brochure about available services
- Personally connecting the client with the next provider in real time, either by phone or in person (Correct answer)
- Sending an email referral to another agency
- Documenting the referral in the case notes
Correct answer: Personally connecting the client with the next provider in real time, either by phone or in person
A warm handoff involves the crisis specialist directly facilitating the connection between the client and the next level of care in real time, which research shows dramatically improves follow-through on referrals.
CCIS CCIS Community Resources & Referral Systems 1
The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline replaced which previous national number?