Crisis Intervention Flashcards

Roberts' Seven-Stage Crisis Intervention Model begins with which stage?

Answer: Assessing lethality and safety

Stage 1 of Roberts' model is assessing lethality and safety needs, because physical safety must be established before any therapeutic work can proceed.

A counselor is conducting a SLAP assessment. What does SLAP stand for?

Answer: Specificity, Lethality, Availability, Proximity

SLAP assesses Specificity of plan, Lethality of method, Availability of means, and Proximity of support—key dimensions of suicide risk.

A client in early recovery presents to an outpatient session in acute alcohol withdrawal with a blood pressure of 170/100 and tremors. The counselor's IMMEDIATE action should be to:

Answer: Refer immediately to medical evaluation or emergency services

Severe alcohol withdrawal (elevated BP, tremors) can progress to seizures and delirium tremens—immediate medical evaluation is a life-safety priority.

Which element is ESSENTIAL in a safety plan developed with a suicidal client in substance use treatment?

Answer: Identifying triggers and listing means restriction steps

A safety plan must include identifying warning signs, triggers, and means restriction because removing access to lethal means significantly reduces suicide risk.

Psychological first aid (PFA) in the context of a substance use crisis emphasizes which core principle?

Answer: Promoting a sense of safety, calm, and connectedness

PFA focuses on restoring a sense of safety, calm, self-efficacy, and social connectedness rather than trauma processing during acute crisis.

Under HIPAA and most state laws, a counselor may breach confidentiality during a crisis ONLY when:

Answer: There is a serious, credible, and imminent threat to an identified person

Confidentiality may be breached when there is a specific, serious, and imminent threat to an identifiable third party, per Tarasoff principles and most state duty-to-warn statutes.

A client who relapsed after six months of sobriety expresses shame and says 'I'm hopeless.' Which crisis counseling response is MOST therapeutic?

Answer: Normalize struggle, affirm strengths, and explore what can be learned from the lapse

Normalizing the experience, affirming prior successes, and adopting a learning orientation reduces shame and supports re-engagement with recovery.