SEI Crisis Intervention Techniques 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An EI-competent crisis responder working with a suicidal individual would prioritize which sequence?
- Assess risk → build rapport → develop safety plan.
- Build rapport → assess risk → develop safety plan. (Correct answer)
- Develop safety plan → assess risk → build rapport.
- Call emergency services → assess risk → build rapport.
Correct answer: Build rapport → assess risk → develop safety plan.
Establishing emotional rapport before formal risk assessment increases honesty and reduces defensiveness in the person in crisis.
Question 2: The Six Seconds competency 'Applying Consequential Thinking' in crisis intervention involves:
- Reviewing past decisions that led to the crisis.
- Evaluating likely emotional and practical outcomes before choosing a response strategy. (Correct answer)
- Calculating the legal liability of different intervention choices.
- Thinking about consequences after the crisis has resolved.
Correct answer: Evaluating likely emotional and practical outcomes before choosing a response strategy.
Consequential thinking means weighing the emotional and practical results of actions before implementing them during a crisis.
Question 3: A person in crisis says they feel 'numb' and unable to feel anything. From an EI perspective, this likely indicates:
- Successful emotional regulation requiring no intervention.
- Emotional flooding leading to dissociation as a protective response. (Correct answer)
- A sign that they are fabricating the severity of their distress.
- High intrinsic motivation masking deeper issues.
Correct answer: Emotional flooding leading to dissociation as a protective response.
Emotional numbness in crisis often reflects a dissociative response to overwhelming affect, recognized in EI frameworks as emotional flooding.
Question 4: Which behavior by a crisis intervener best demonstrates the Six Seconds competency 'Engaging Intrinsic Motivation'?
- Offering rewards for following the safety plan.
- Reminding the person of their own values and what matters most to them. (Correct answer)
- Setting external behavioral goals with measurable outcomes.
- Using fear of consequences to motivate compliance with the plan.
Correct answer: Reminding the person of their own values and what matters most to them.
Intrinsic motivation in Six Seconds is fueled by internal values and meaning, not external rewards or fear.
Question 5: During crisis intervention, an individual becomes verbally aggressive. The most EI-aligned response is to:
- Match their energy to show you are taking them seriously.
- Issue a verbal warning about appropriate communication.
- Remain calm, lower your voice, and name the emotion you observe. (Correct answer)
- Terminate the session for safety reasons.
Correct answer: Remain calm, lower your voice, and name the emotion you observe.
Staying regulated and naming observed emotions can de-escalate aggression by helping the person feel heard and understood.
Question 6: The 'Navigate Emotions' competency in Six Seconds is most relevant to crisis work when:
- Teaching coping skills during a calm follow-up session.
- Helping a person in crisis choose constructive responses despite overwhelming feelings. (Correct answer)
- Documenting the emotional sequence of events post-crisis.
- Deciding which team member should lead the intervention.
Correct answer: Helping a person in crisis choose constructive responses despite overwhelming feelings.
Navigate Emotions means being able to choose how to respond to emotions rather than being controlled by them — critical during active crisis.
Question 7: Which of the following best illustrates 'emotional contagion' risk in crisis settings?
- A responder transfers their coping skills to the person in crisis.
- A responder becomes visibly distressed after absorbing the emotional intensity of the person in crisis. (Correct answer)
- A person in crisis calms down after the responder demonstrates breathing techniques.
- A responder feels satisfied after successfully de-escalating a situation.
Correct answer: A responder becomes visibly distressed after absorbing the emotional intensity of the person in crisis.
Emotional contagion occurs when a responder unconsciously absorbs and mirrors the distress of the person in crisis, impairing their effectiveness.
SEI Crisis Intervention Techniques 3
An EI-competent crisis responder working with a suicidal individual would prioritize which sequence?