LMSW LMSW Crisis Intervention Strategies Questions and Answers 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A client calls the crisis hotline stating they have a loaded gun and plan to use it tonight. What is the social worker's FIRST priority?
- Assess the client's social support network
- Ensure immediate safety by contacting emergency services (Correct answer)
- Explore the underlying reasons for suicidal ideation
- Schedule an urgent in-person appointment
Correct answer: Ensure immediate safety by contacting emergency services
When a client has access to lethal means and expresses imminent intent, ensuring immediate physical safety through emergency services takes precedence over all other interventions.
Question 2: Which theoretical model frames crisis intervention as restoring a person to at least their pre-crisis level of functioning?
- Cognitive Behavioral Model
- Psychosocial Transition Model
- Equilibrium Model (Correct answer)
- Strengths-Based Model
Correct answer: Equilibrium Model
The Equilibrium Model, developed by Caplan, conceptualizes crisis as disequilibrium and intervention as restoring the person to their previous functional baseline.
Question 3: During a domestic violence crisis call, the victim suddenly hangs up. What is the most appropriate next step?
- Wait for the client to call back
- Document the call and close the case
- Attempt a callback and, if safety allows, dispatch a welfare check (Correct answer)
- Notify the alleged abuser to check on the victim
Correct answer: Attempt a callback and, if safety allows, dispatch a welfare check
An abrupt disconnection in a DV crisis indicates potential danger, warranting a callback attempt and welfare check while minimizing risk of alerting the abuser.
Question 4: A social worker is using the SLAP assessment during a crisis. What does the 'A' in SLAP stand for?
- Availability of means (Correct answer)
- Affect regulation
- Attitude toward death
- Awareness of consequences
Correct answer: Availability of means
SLAP assesses Specificity of plan, Lethality of method, Availability of means, and Proximity of rescue — 'A' refers to whether the client has access to the means described.
Question 5: A teenager presents to the ER after a first-time suicide attempt with low lethality. Which intervention best supports long-term safety?
- Discharge with a follow-up appointment in 30 days
- Create a safety plan collaboratively with the teen and family (Correct answer)
- Prescribe antidepressants before discharge
- Refer directly to residential treatment without family involvement
Correct answer: Create a safety plan collaboratively with the teen and family
A collaboratively developed safety plan that identifies warning signs, coping strategies, and support contacts is evidence-based for reducing repeat attempts after discharge.
Question 6: Which of the following best describes 'psychological first aid' in crisis intervention?
- A form of brief psychotherapy targeting trauma symptoms
- A supportive approach focused on safety, stabilization, and connection to resources (Correct answer)
- Administration of anxiolytic medications by trained social workers
- A structured 12-session cognitive reprocessing protocol
Correct answer: A supportive approach focused on safety, stabilization, and connection to resources
Psychological First Aid (PFA) is an evidence-informed approach emphasizing safety, calming, connectedness, self-efficacy, and hope — not therapy or medication.
Question 7: A social worker responds to a community disaster affecting hundreds of people. Which triage approach should guide resource allocation?
- Treat individuals with the most severe psychological trauma first
- Prioritize based on chronological order of arrival
- Use a stepped-care model, matching intervention intensity to need level (Correct answer)
- Provide identical services to all affected individuals
Correct answer: Use a stepped-care model, matching intervention intensity to need level
Stepped-care models ensure that limited resources in mass disasters are allocated by matching intervention intensity to assessed need, maximizing reach and efficiency.
LMSW LMSW Crisis Intervention Strategies Questions and Answers 3
A client calls the crisis hotline stating they have a loaded gun and plan to use it tonight.
What is the social worker's FIRST priority?