MAC Crisis Intervention 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following BEST describes the goal of psychological first aid (PFA) in addiction crisis contexts?
- Providing immediate psychotherapy and trauma processing
- Stabilizing, reducing distress, and connecting to resources (Correct answer)
- Conducting a full biopsychosocial assessment
- Implementing a relapse prevention plan
Correct answer: Stabilizing, reducing distress, and connecting to resources
PFA aims to stabilize the person, reduce acute distress, and link them to appropriate ongoing supports, not deliver therapy.
Question 2: A client in opioid withdrawal is brought to the treatment center by family members. They are vomiting, severely dehydrated, and refusing further assessment. What should the counselor prioritize?
- Respect autonomy and allow the client to leave
- Contact emergency medical services for medical stabilization (Correct answer)
- Begin motivational interviewing to engage the client
- Obtain informed consent before proceeding
Correct answer: Contact emergency medical services for medical stabilization
Severe dehydration from opioid withdrawal can be life-threatening, making medical stabilization the immediate priority over engagement work.
Question 3: In the ACT model of crisis intervention, what does the 'A' stand for?
- Assess (Correct answer)
- Acknowledge
- Action
- Activate
Correct answer: Assess
In the ACT model, 'A' stands for Assess (safety, lethality, and needs), followed by Connect and then Teach.
Question 4: When a client with stimulant use disorder presents in a paranoid, agitated state to a crisis center, which environmental intervention is MOST helpful?
- Placing them in a busy waiting room to provide stimulation
- Moving them to a quiet, low-stimulation area (Correct answer)
- Confronting their irrational paranoid beliefs directly
- Administering a structured interview immediately
Correct answer: Moving them to a quiet, low-stimulation area
Reducing environmental stimulation decreases agitation and paranoia in stimulant-intoxicated clients, lowering the risk of escalation.
Question 5: A client discloses during crisis intervention that they plan to harm their drug dealer who they believe 'ruined their life.' What is the counselor's obligation?
- Maintain confidentiality since it involves illegal activity
- Document the threat and continue treatment as usual
- Take reasonable steps to warn and protect the identified third party (Correct answer)
- Report the client to police for drug-related crimes
Correct answer: Take reasonable steps to warn and protect the identified third party
Under the Tarasoff duty to protect, counselors must take reasonable steps to warn an identifiable potential victim of a serious, credible threat.
Question 6: Which statement BEST reflects collaborative safety planning during crisis intervention with an addicted client?
- The counselor writes the plan and reviews it with the client
- The client and counselor jointly create a plan the client owns and believes will work (Correct answer)
- The plan focuses exclusively on substance use triggers
- Safety plans are only appropriate for suicidal ideation, not relapse crises
Correct answer: The client and counselor jointly create a plan the client owns and believes will work
Effective safety plans are collaborative, meaning the client has genuine ownership and believes the strategies are personally meaningful and feasible.
Question 7: A counselor receives a call from someone identifying themselves as law enforcement requesting information about a client currently in crisis. What is the BEST response?
- Provide full details to assist with safety
- Confirm or deny whether the person is a client and provide limited safety information (Correct answer)
- Refuse to engage until an attorney is present
- Obtain a signed release from the client before speaking
Correct answer: Confirm or deny whether the person is a client and provide limited safety information
In genuine safety emergencies, counselors may disclose the minimum necessary information to protect life, while limiting details to what is needed.
MAC Crisis Intervention 3
Which of the following BEST describes the goal of psychological first aid (PFA) in addiction crisis contexts?