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WHAT IS CRISIS INTERVENTION AND WHAT CAN IT ACCOMPLISH?
Gradually or suddenly, life stress can sometimes build up to critical levels, causing serious emotional distress. This can lead to you feeling unsafe, unable to function, and unable to cope. In these situations, you may not be able to wait days or weeks for a regular appointment to talk with a counselor or psychologist.
Crisis Intervention (also referred to as "emergency services") is an intensive, short-term way to help people cope with and overcome serious personal crises.
Because crises can occur anytime, crisis intervention services are immediately available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They provide an opportunity for you and other important people in your life to find solutions to problems by talking about them with a trained mental health professional. Crisis intervention services can help you understand your difficulties, develop skills to help you cope, and help you access other types of mental health services you may need.
HOW MUCH TIME DOES EMERGENCY MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES TAKE? .
Crisis intervention services are brief and time-limited. Sometimes the situation can be stabilized within a single phone call or face-to-face session, but sometimes several contacts may be necessary.
If the issues leading to your crisis are more complex, your emergency services therapist may suggest a referral for other more traditional mental health treatment. If this is the case, your emergency services therapist will help set those services up for you and will work closely with your other new service providers to make sure they are helpful.
Gradually or suddenly, life stress can sometimes build up to critical levels, causing serious emotional distress. This can lead to you feeling unsafe, unable to function, and unable to cope. In these situations, you may not be able to wait days or weeks for a regular appointment to talk with a counselor or psychologist.
Crisis Intervention (also referred to as "emergency services") is an intensive, short-term way to help people cope with and overcome serious personal crises.
Because crises can occur anytime, crisis intervention services are immediately available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They provide an opportunity for you and other important people in your life to find solutions to problems by talking about them with a trained mental health professional. Crisis intervention services can help you understand your difficulties, develop skills to help you cope, and help you access other types of mental health services you may need.
HOW MUCH TIME DOES EMERGENCY MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES TAKE? .
Crisis intervention services are brief and time-limited. Sometimes the situation can be stabilized within a single phone call or face-to-face session, but sometimes several contacts may be necessary.
If the issues leading to your crisis are more complex, your emergency services therapist may suggest a referral for other more traditional mental health treatment. If this is the case, your emergency services therapist will help set those services up for you and will work closely with your other new service providers to make sure they are helpful.
HOW CAN I MAKE EMERGENCY MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES SUCCESSFUL FOR ME?
• To assure that services are as helpful as possible, you will need to be completely honest and open with your emergency services therapist about your experiences, thoughts, and feelings. This is especially true when it comes to questions about thoughts you may be having about harming yourself or others or about your use of alcohol, drugs, or medications.
• When you're in a crisis situation, do your best not to abuse alcohol or drugs and be sure to take any medications only as prescribed.
• Don't make important life decisions while you're in the middle of a crisis situation. After your crisis situation has stabilized, the crisis therapist can help you weigh your options and make decisions that are best for you.
• Be open to new ways of looking at your problems and new ways of coping with your situation, even if you've never tried them before.
• Don't give up hope. Many times, a crisis situation is just the first stage of making important changes that can have a lasting positive effect on your life.
• Don't rely just on crisis services if the issues that led to your crisis situation are longstanding or complex. Crisis services cannot resolve all complex personal problems and cannot be used as a substitute for regular, ongoing mental health treatment services.
• Above all, remember that the only person who can make changes happen for you is you. Your emergency services therapist can be a valuable assistant. When it comes down to it, you have the right and responsibility for making your own life decisions.
• When you're in a crisis situation, do your best not to abuse alcohol or drugs and be sure to take any medications only as prescribed.
• Don't make important life decisions while you're in the middle of a crisis situation. After your crisis situation has stabilized, the crisis therapist can help you weigh your options and make decisions that are best for you.
• Be open to new ways of looking at your problems and new ways of coping with your situation, even if you've never tried them before.
• Don't give up hope. Many times, a crisis situation is just the first stage of making important changes that can have a lasting positive effect on your life.
• Don't rely just on crisis services if the issues that led to your crisis situation are longstanding or complex. Crisis services cannot resolve all complex personal problems and cannot be used as a substitute for regular, ongoing mental health treatment services.
• Above all, remember that the only person who can make changes happen for you is you. Your emergency services therapist can be a valuable assistant. When it comes down to it, you have the right and responsibility for making your own life decisions.
Photograph by Dave Snyder.
