What is a “crisis”?

What is a “crisis”?

In his book Group Crisis Support: Why it works; When & How to Provide It (2007), Dr. Jeff Mitchell defines crisis as an “acute emotional reaction to a powerful stimulus.”

According to Dr. Mitchell, there are 3 characteristics of crisis:

1. “Usual balance is disrupted”

• • In a way, balance is what we think of as “normal”.  How ever you define normal- one characteristic of crisis is when your balance is disrupted and you no longer THINK, FEEL, or possibly BEHAVE like yourself.When working with someone in crisis, it’s important to know the various stress reactions and understand how people THINK, FEEL, BEHAVE, BELIEVE and how one’s BODY (physiologically) reacts when in crisis.  In basic training, we teach Crisis Responders how to quickly – and accurately assess – in order to provide immediate – and effective – crisis intervention to individuals and groups in need.

2. “Usual coping mechanisms fail”

• You’ve made it this far due, in part, to your ability to cope.  You’ve developed skills to deal effectively with the “curveballs” – or disruptions – life throws you.  But, sometimes those “curveballs” are so overwhelming that you have no skills to deal and you are unable to cope.  Another characteristic of crisis is when your coping skills fail you, leaving you feeling paralyzed, lost, overwhelmed, out-of-control, and so on.When working with people in crisis, it’s imperative that you are able to help them cope.  In basic training, we teach Crisis Responders how to identify immediate needs…set a plan for the coming minutes, hours, days…help individuals anticipate upcoming reactions…acknowledge and validate reactions…stabilize…and so on.

3. “Evidence of distress, impairment and disfunction”

• A crisis reaction can leave people thinking they are going “crazy”.  She can’t recall her son’s date of birth.  He gets lost on his way to work.  She puts her milk in the cabinet and her bowl in the refrigerator.  He is suddenly overwhelmed with emotion during a staff meeting.  These are all examples of “impairment” and people not functioning as they normally do.  When working with people in crisis, it’s necessary to help restore a sense of function.  People in crisis can feel out-of-control.  The Crisis Responder offers individuals a sense of control, normalizing reactions and moving people back to functioning.  In basic training, we teach Crisis Responders the factors that facilitate recovery from crisis.

Check out our video: What is a crisis?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GSrepPzPh8 

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To learn more about crisis and gain skills in responding to INDIVIDUALS and/or GROUPS in crisis, visit our training page or email us at info@crisissupportsolutions.com

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