Nutrition & Lifestyle Guidance Flashcards

A client's care plan notes they experience significant mood swings tied to irregular eating. Which meal-planning strategy aligns best with CPI's person-centered approach to crisis prevention?

Answer: Providing frequent, small balanced meals to stabilize blood glucose

Frequent small meals with balanced macronutrients prevent the blood glucose fluctuations that can trigger mood instability and escalation.

Which mineral deficiency has been linked to increased anxiety, muscle tension, and heightened stress response — all of which can lower a person's crisis threshold?

Answer: Magnesium

Magnesium plays a critical role in regulating the HPA axis and nervous system excitability; deficiency is associated with heightened anxiety and irritability.

In CPI training, the concept of the 'Stress Model' acknowledges that cumulative stressors lower a person's threshold for crisis. How does chronic poor nutrition contribute to this model?

Answer: It depletes neurotransmitter precursors and stress-buffering nutrients, reducing resilience

Chronic poor nutrition erodes the biochemical foundations of stress resilience, making individuals more vulnerable to escalation under otherwise manageable stressors.

A newly hired direct care worker reports feeling burnt out after three months. From a CPI lifestyle wellness perspective, which recommendation addresses the root physiological cause of compassion fatigue?

Answer: Prioritize sleep, balanced nutrition, and regular physical activity

Compassion fatigue has biological underpinnings including HPA axis dysregulation that are mitigated by adequate sleep, nutrition, and exercise.

When documenting a post-crisis debrief, a supervisor notes that a staff member appeared unusually reactive. Which lifestyle factor should be explored as a potential contributing variable?

Answer: Sleep deprivation or poor nutritional status during that shift

Sleep deprivation and poor nutrition are known to impair emotional regulation and increase reactivity, which can escalate rather than de-escalate a crisis.

Which aspect of physical activity is most emphasized in CPI's staff wellness framework as a tool for managing vicarious trauma?

Answer: Regular moderate exercise as a stress-processing and mood-stabilizing practice

Regular moderate exercise reduces cortisol, increases endorphins, and supports neuroplasticity, all of which buffer against vicarious trauma.

A residential program is redesigning its milieu schedule. Which nutritional environmental factor is most likely to reduce crisis incidents among residents with behavioral health diagnoses?

Answer: Ensuring structured, predictable mealtimes with nutrient-dense options

Predictable mealtimes with quality food reduce blood glucose volatility and provide environmental structure, both of which lower crisis risk.