CPSS Crisis Support 4

Question 1

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

Accepted 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

Answer

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

Question 2

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

Accepted Answer

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

Answer

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

Question 3

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

Accepted Answer

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

Answer

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.

Question 4

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

Accepted Answer

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

Answer

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.

Question 5

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

Accepted Answer

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

Answer

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.

(CPSS) Certified North Carolina Peer Support Specialist Practice Test

(CPSS) Certified North Carolina Peer Support Specialist Practice Test

CPSS Crisis Support 4