
Crisis Response
Crisis InterventionCrisis intervention is psychological first-aid or emotional first-aid. It is temporary in nature. It serves as an active and supportive entry into the life of individuals or groups during a period of extreme distress.
Adapted from Mitchell, J.T., Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) – Group Crisis Intervention, Chevron Publishing, Ellicott City, Maryland, 2006
Goals of Crisis Intervention:
The primary goals of crisis intervention are to:- Mitigate the impact of the event
- Facilitate normal recovery processes in normal people who are having normal reactions to abnormal events
- Restore individuals, groups, and organizations to their normal adaptive levels of functioning
Principles of Crisis Intervention:
- Simplicity – people respond to simple, not complex, in a crisis
- Brevity of interventions – from just minutes up to an hour or so in most cases – varying with the number of people impacted
- Innovative and flexible based upon the unique circumstances for the incident and the people impacted
- Pragmatic suggestions that are practical
- Proximity – the most effective contacts are those that are closest to the workplace
- Immediacy – typically a state of crisis demands rapid intervention in order to maximize effectiveness
- Expectancy – the crisis intervener attempts to create expectations of a reasonable positive outcome
- Psychological readiness to receive crisis intervention services
Adapted from Mitchell, J.T., Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) – Group Crisis Intervention, Chevron Publishing, Ellicott City, Maryland, 2006