CPI Safety Strategies & Physical Intervention 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: CPI's Nonviolent Crisis Intervention training places physical intervention at which level of the crisis development model?
- Anxiety
- Defensive
- Acting-Out Person / Crisis (Correct answer)
- Tension Reduction
Correct answer: Acting-Out Person / Crisis
Physical intervention is only considered at the 'Acting-Out Person' (crisis) stage when there is imminent risk of harm to self or others.
Question 2: When applying a CPI-approved team control position, staff should ensure their own stance is:
- Directly in front of the individual for maximum control
- Side-facing with knees slightly bent and weight balanced (Correct answer)
- Upright and rigid to project confidence and authority
- As close as possible to the individual to limit movement
Correct answer: Side-facing with knees slightly bent and weight balanced
A side-facing, balanced stance gives staff stability, reduces their profile as a target, and allows controlled movement during intervention.
Question 3: Which statement about 'release criteria' in physical intervention is MOST accurate according to CPI?
- Release should happen only after the individual verbally agrees to cooperate
- Staff should predetermine specific behavioral indicators that signal when to release (Correct answer)
- Release is determined solely by the elapsed duration of the hold
- The hold should continue until a supervisor officially authorizes release
Correct answer: Staff should predetermine specific behavioral indicators that signal when to release
CPI teaches teams to identify specific behavioral indicators — such as muscle relaxation — as the criteria for safely releasing a hold.
Question 4: What is the CPI rationale for avoiding neck and throat holds under any circumstances?
- They are considered degrading to the individual's self-esteem
- They can obstruct the airway, causing serious injury or death (Correct answer)
- They require more than two staff members to execute safely
- They are ineffective at controlling an individual in crisis
Correct answer: They can obstruct the airway, causing serious injury or death
Neck and throat holds are absolutely prohibited in CPI because they directly compress the airway and can rapidly cause asphyxiation or death.
Question 5: During a physical intervention, hyperventilation in the restrained individual is a warning sign that staff should:
- Increase pressure to maintain control while the individual calms down
- Immediately reassess the hold and provide verbal reassurance (Correct answer)
- Have one staff member cover the individual's mouth briefly
- Document the behavior and continue the hold as trained
Correct answer: Immediately reassess the hold and provide verbal reassurance
Hyperventilation signals physiological distress; staff must reassess the hold position immediately and use verbal reassurance to reduce panic.
Question 6: CPI's COPING Model (used post-intervention) begins with which step?
- Offering choices to prevent future crises
- Returning to baseline and assessing physical needs (Correct answer)
- Planning new behavior strategies with the individual
- Identifying the triggers that led to the crisis
Correct answer: Returning to baseline and assessing physical needs
The first step in the COPING model is ensuring the individual has returned to baseline and that immediate physical and emotional needs are addressed.
Question 7: Which of the following is considered a NON-PHYSICAL safety strategy in CPI training?
- A team transport hold
- Environmental modifications to reduce stimulation (Correct answer)
- A two-person escort technique
- A standing restraint position
Correct answer: Environmental modifications to reduce stimulation
Environmental modifications — such as reducing noise, lighting, or crowding — are non-physical strategies that can prevent escalation without contact.
CPI Safety Strategies & Physical Intervention 3
CPI's Nonviolent Crisis Intervention training places physical intervention at which level of the crisis development model?