Crisis Intervention Models

Crisis Intervention Models

For this week 2 discussion question, I will select two crisis intervention models, telephone crisis counseling and Critical Incident Stress Management, (CISM), and briefly explain what they do and the strategies used for both. Next, I will explain why they resonate with me, and how I might conduct work in the area of crisis intervention. Finally, I will explain two strengths and two limitations of each of these models.

Telephone Crisis Counseling

Telephone counseling can be referred to as emergency telephone help, initial order intervention, and psychological first aid. It has become one the first for initial contact in most crisis cases, due to the popularity of the cell phone, or smart phone that nearly everyone has available today. There are twelve reasons for the popularity of telephone crisis counseling for handling psychological problem. 1) Convince; with today's technology with the use of cell phones and smart phones an individual can feel comfortable calling and reaching out for help. 2) Client Anonymity; shame, awkwardness, disgrace, self-blame, and many other devastating feelings can make an individual uncomfortable in a face-to-face conversation, such as rape where individual calls for help and doesn't feel humiliated and can just discuss her emotions. 3) Control; there is much fear, and anxiety an individual can experience when facing a crisis situation. When reaching out for telephone counseling makes that individual feel in control and that they can hang up at any time if they feel the need to do so. 4) Immediate Access; telephone and computer access is widely used in crisis interventions and private practitioners are available to be pages or called if an individual needs assistance. 5) Cost Effectiveness; telephone lines are a cheap expense for the individual and for the community. Many individuals do not have money for reaching out to a therapist, nor can they afford, or lack transportation. 6) Therapeutic Effectiveness; crisis telephone calls have been the main reach for those who want to suicide intervention. Many that reach out find that the volunteers give and care more for them as individuals compared to a therapist. 7) Access to Support Systems; many individuals just need some social support, such as loneliness, anxious, and isolation due to a mental illness. This also includes divorce, abuse, substance abuse, and panic attacks. 8) Avoidance of Dependency Issues; a individual who calls a volunteer of a crisis line cannot become dependent on a particular service worker and forming relationships. 9) Worker Anonymity; volunteers remain anonymous so the individual or worker can idealize any view they can imagine while trying to make a positive change. 10) Availability of Others for Consultation; when the volunteer is becoming agitated with an individual who calls in, or they are becoming difficult another person is always available to help with the call and offer support. 11) Availability of an Array of Services; Volunteer staff has many resources available to help guide the individual during their crisis call, such as specialized agencies, and parenting lines. 12) Service to Large and Isolated Geographic Areas and Populations; rural areas have limited access to mental health centers or any staff available. Crisis lines help remedy to large area and have contact with police, paramedics, and hospitals. These also serve the elderly, disabled, or agoraphobic who does not have any other means to a lifeline (James & Gilliland, 2013).

The strategies used for telephone counseling is, 1) Making psychological contact; a volunteer establishing a calm caring voice, acceptance and empathetic connection with the caller. Providing support first time is first priority. 2) Defining the problem; gathers information from the individuals crisis by using open ended questions, such as what, when, where, how, and why. 3) Ensuring safety and providing support; the volunteer must be able to distinguish if the individual calling is a danger to themselves or others. They must ask the do you have...