Crisis and Trauma Interventions Flashcards

A client calls in a panic stating they just witnessed a fatal car accident and cannot stop shaking. Which immediate intervention best addresses acute stress response?

Answer: Use grounding techniques such as the 5-4-3-2-1 sensory method to anchor the client to the present

Grounding techniques help regulate the nervous system by redirecting attention to sensory input in the present moment during acute stress.

When conducting a lethality assessment following a client's disclosure of suicidal ideation, which factor most significantly elevates risk?

Answer: The client has a specific plan, access to means, and has set a date

Specific plan, access to means, and intent (including a set date) constitute the highest-risk combination in suicide lethality assessment.

A survivor of intimate partner violence presents for their first session. Which therapeutic approach is MOST appropriate initially?

Answer: Establish safety, validate the client's experience, and psychoeducate about trauma responses

Safety and stabilization must precede trauma processing; validation and psychoeducation build the therapeutic alliance and reduce shame.

In the Roberts Seven-Stage Crisis Intervention Model, what is the THIRD stage?

Answer: Identify major problems or crisis precipitants

Stage 3 of Roberts' model focuses on identifying the major problems or crisis precipitants that brought the client to crisis.

A counselor is providing psychological first aid (PFA) after a community disaster. Which of the following is a core action of PFA?

Answer: Connecting survivors to social supports and available community services

Connecting survivors to social supports and services is a core PFA action; PFA does not involve formal diagnosis or immediate trauma processing.

A teenager brought to a school counselor after disclosing sexual abuse shows flat affect and denies any distress. The counselor should recognize this presentation as MOST likely reflecting:

Answer: Emotional numbing and dissociation, common trauma responses

Emotional numbing and dissociation are protective trauma responses frequently seen in abuse survivors, especially adolescents.

Which ethical obligation applies when a client in crisis refuses hospitalization but the counselor believes they pose an imminent danger to themselves?

Answer: Initiate an involuntary psychiatric hold in accordance with state law when imminent danger is present

When imminent danger is assessed, counselors are legally and ethically authorized to initiate an involuntary hold even without client consent.