SSW Crisis Intervention 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: During a crisis, a school social worker uses the ABC model. What does the 'B' stand for?
- Behavior exhibited during crisis
- Basic needs assessment
- Belief systems and cognitions (Correct answer)
- Barriers to coping
Correct answer: Belief systems and cognitions
In the ABC model of crisis intervention, 'B' stands for Belief systems or cognitive appraisals—how the individual perceives the precipitating event.
Question 2: A student reports a peer made a specific plan to bring a weapon to school tomorrow. The school social worker's FIRST action should be:
- Document the report and monitor the situation
- Immediately notify administration and law enforcement (Correct answer)
- Counsel the at-risk student privately
- Consult with the school psychologist before acting
Correct answer: Immediately notify administration and law enforcement
A specific, imminent threat to school safety requires immediate notification of administration and law enforcement to prevent harm.
Question 3: The psychological first aid (PFA) approach to crisis intervention emphasizes:
- Encouraging survivors to recount traumatic details
- Providing immediate mental health diagnoses
- Promoting safety, calming, and connectedness (Correct answer)
- Administering standardized psychological assessments
Correct answer: Promoting safety, calming, and connectedness
PFA focuses on five core elements: safety, calming, self-efficacy, connectedness, and hope, without requiring trauma retelling.
Question 4: Which crisis intervention model uses a structured seven-stage process including problem definition, ensuring client safety, and following up?
- Roberts' Seven-Stage Crisis Intervention Model (Correct answer)
- Caplan's Equilibrium Model
- Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Model
- Erikson's Psychosocial Stage Model
Correct answer: Roberts' Seven-Stage Crisis Intervention Model
Roberts' Seven-Stage Crisis Intervention Model provides a step-by-step framework from initial assessment through follow-up planning.
Question 5: A student who witnessed a classmate's suicide attempt is showing signs of acute stress. The social worker should prioritize:
- Conducting a formal trauma assessment immediately
- Providing a safe, calm space and basic supportive presence (Correct answer)
- Referring the student to an outside therapist that day
- Notifying the student's parents and dismissing them early
Correct answer: Providing a safe, calm space and basic supportive presence
In acute stress reactions, stabilization through safety and supportive presence takes priority before formal assessment or referral.
Question 6: Postvention strategies in schools following a student suicide are primarily designed to:
- Identify which students may have contributed to the death
- Reduce suicide contagion and support bereaved students (Correct answer)
- Fulfill mandatory state reporting requirements
- Assign counseling only to close friends of the deceased
Correct answer: Reduce suicide contagion and support bereaved students
Postvention aims to reduce contagion risk (copycat suicides) while providing grief support to the school community.
Question 7: When conducting a lethality assessment for a student expressing suicidal ideation, which factor MOST increases imminent risk?
- History of depressive episodes
- Access to a specific lethal means (Correct answer)
- Family history of mental illness
- Poor academic performance
Correct answer: Access to a specific lethal means
Access to lethal means (e.g., a firearm at home) is one of the strongest predictors of imminent suicide risk.
SSW Crisis Intervention 2
During a crisis, a school social worker uses the ABC model.
What does the 'B' stand for?