SSW Crisis Intervention 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A school social worker is responding to a natural disaster that destroyed many students' homes. This is best classified as what type of crisis?
- Developmental crisis
- Situational crisis (Correct answer)
- Existential crisis
- Psychiatric crisis
Correct answer: Situational crisis
A situational crisis arises from unexpected external events, such as natural disasters, accidents, or sudden losses.
Question 2: Which approach is CONTRAINDICATED when working with a student experiencing an acute dissociative episode during crisis intervention?
- Grounding techniques using the five senses
- Pressing the student for detailed recall of the traumatic event (Correct answer)
- Speaking in a calm, slow, and clear manner
- Ensuring a physically safe and quiet environment
Correct answer: Pressing the student for detailed recall of the traumatic event
Pressing for traumatic recall during dissociation can worsen the episode; grounding and stabilization are the appropriate interventions.
Question 3: Under FERPA, a school social worker may disclose a student's records without consent in a crisis situation when:
- A parent requests all records immediately
- There is an articulable and significant threat to health or safety (Correct answer)
- Another school district requests the records
- A community mental health provider asks for background information
Correct answer: There is an articulable and significant threat to health or safety
FERPA's health or safety emergency exception permits disclosure without consent when there is an articulable and significant threat.
Question 4: A school social worker is debriefing staff after a school shooting incident. The goal of Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) is to:
- Identify staff members who failed to respond appropriately
- Prevent PTSD by processing the traumatic event in a structured group (Correct answer)
- Gather evidence for district liability review
- Determine which students pose future safety risks
Correct answer: Prevent PTSD by processing the traumatic event in a structured group
CISD is a structured group intervention designed to help responders process a traumatic incident and reduce risk of PTSD.
Question 5: A student in crisis refuses to speak with the school social worker and sits silently with arms crossed. The BEST initial response is to:
- Insist the student verbally engage or leave the office
- Sit nearby, maintain calm presence, and avoid forcing conversation (Correct answer)
- Immediately call the student's parents to intervene
- Document non-compliance and reschedule for another day
Correct answer: Sit nearby, maintain calm presence, and avoid forcing conversation
Maintaining a calm, non-demanding presence conveys safety and builds trust, which is essential before verbal engagement in crisis work.
Question 6: Which of the following best describes the concept of 'containment' in school-based crisis intervention?
- Physically restraining a student who is out of control
- Limiting information flow to prevent panic from spreading
- Helping a student manage overwhelming emotions without suppressing them (Correct answer)
- Isolating the crisis student from peers permanently
Correct answer: Helping a student manage overwhelming emotions without suppressing them
Containment in crisis work means helping the student hold and regulate intense emotions in a safe way, not suppression or restraint.
Question 7: When implementing a school crisis response team, which professional typically takes the role of incident commander?
- The school social worker
- The building principal or designee (Correct answer)
- The school psychologist
- The district superintendent
Correct answer: The building principal or designee
The building principal or their designee typically serves as incident commander, coordinating all crisis response activities.
SSW Crisis Intervention 3
A school social worker is responding to a natural disaster that destroyed many students' homes.
This is best classified as what type of crisis?