Crisis Support Flashcards

A peer becomes aggressive during a group support session. What is the peer support specialist's BEST immediate response?

Answer: Calmly ask the group to pause, address the escalating peer with a low voice and non-confrontational body language, and call for clinical backup if needed

De-escalation techniques using calm tone and non-confrontational posture are the appropriate first response before escalating to emergency services.

Which of the following is a key principle of Psychological First Aid (PFA) that peer support specialists can apply in crisis settings?

Answer: Promoting a sense of safety, calm, self-efficacy, social connection, and hope

Psychological First Aid's five core principles — safety, calm, connectedness, self-efficacy, and hope — guide non-clinical crisis support aligned with peer support practice.

A peer support specialist is working with someone experiencing a substance use crisis. Which approach is MOST consistent with recovery-oriented crisis support?

Answer: Meeting the peer where they are, reducing immediate harm, and discussing what the peer wants from their recovery

Recovery-oriented and harm reduction approaches meet people where they are, honor their autonomy, and support self-determined goals regardless of current substance use status.

What is the purpose of a 'warm handoff' in crisis peer support practice?

Answer: Directly introducing the person in crisis to the next provider in a connected and personal way to reduce barriers to continued care

A warm handoff involves a personal, face-to-face or live introduction between the peer and the next provider, reducing the risk of the person disengaging from care.

When a peer expresses hopelessness about recovery during a crisis, the peer support specialist can MOST effectively use their lived experience by:

Answer: Offering their own experience of crisis and recovery as evidence that hope and change are possible

The peer support specialist's lived experience of navigating crisis and recovery is a powerful, credible source of hope for someone who cannot yet see it for themselves.

Which of the following scenarios would require a peer support specialist to break confidentiality in North Carolina?

Answer: A peer describes a specific plan to harm a coworker tomorrow using a weapon at work

A specific, credible, and imminent threat to an identifiable person requires the peer support specialist to breach confidentiality to prevent serious harm.

What does 'crisis stabilization' mean in the context of peer support services?

Answer: Helping a person move from acute crisis to a state of safety and baseline functioning so they can engage with ongoing supports

Crisis stabilization is about restoring safety and basic functioning, not full recovery — creating a bridge to ongoing care rather than resolving all underlying issues.