CRISIS INTERVENTION TECHNIQUES

CRISIS INTERVENTION TECHNIQUES

When you are dealing with a person who is apparently in a crisis state (very upset or angry, depressed, irrational, unusually confused, very withdrawn or frightened, possibly mentally ill, or under the influence of alcohol or other drugs, etc.), using the techniques described in this chapter will help you manage the situation effectively.

These tactics fall into two main skill clusters:

1. Pre-Intervention Preparation

2. Crisis Intervention Format

PRE-INTERVENTION PREPARATION

Before you actually use crisis management techniques in a situation, it is a good idea to take time to prepare yourself and to formulate a basic plan for the intervention. This is because such situations are often difficult and/or volatile. You may be dealing with subjects who are unpredictable and/or potentially violent, and your usual communication skills may not work well.

As you learned in Professional Communication, the recommended steps to follow in pre-intervention preparation are as follows:

• Calm yourself

• Center yourself and get focused

• Develop a strategy for the intervention

Here is more on each of these steps.

Calm Yourself

For you to help calm someone else down, you yourself need to appear calm. The subject will pick up on your calmness. A good way to calm yourself is with autogenic breathing, in which you take slow, deep, full breaths. Here is the technique:

1. Breathe in for a four-count through your nose,

2. Pause for a four-count.

3. Exhale for a four-count through your mouth,

4. Pause for a four-count.

Repeat this several times. Doing this exercise will help supply oxygen to your system, which will help you calm down.

Center Yourself and Get Focused

Do what you can to focus on the task at hand and prepare yourself to deal with a potentially difficult situation. There are certainly different ways to focus, and different officers use techniques that work for them. Some people visualize the coming event and how to respond to it effectively. This is a form of crisis rehearsal. Others use positive self-talk, which basically involves affirming to yourself (silently or aloud) your abilities and determination to handle the situation effectively. Whatever technique you use, your goal should be to prepare yourself to use your skills effectively in responding to a person or persons in crisis, and to ensure your safety and that of others.

Develop a Strategy for the Intervention

As best you can, plan how you will respond to the situation. Specifically, decide in advance what you will say and do and how you will position yourself, whether backup is required, and so on. Try to decide what level and type of intervention is called for, taking into consideration your safety and the safety of others. Consider all the options. For example, it may be that medical intervention is needed. A person who appears to be in crisis may be behaving oddly because of a physical problem, such as an insulin reaction, a stroke, or Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia disorder.

BY MKULA DENNIS