Crisis Intervention
TherapyRoute
Clinical Editorial
Cape Town, South Africa
❝Crisis intervention provides rapid, focused support when mental health distress becomes overwhelming. Centred on safety, stabilisation, and connection to care, it offers a critical bridge between emergency response and ongoing recovery.❞
Crisis intervention is the immediate, short-term assistance provided to people experiencing mental health emergencies or acute psychological distress. The goal is to stabilise the situation, ensure safety, and help the person return to their previous level of functioning or connect them with ongoing support and treatment.
Table of Contents
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Find Your Therapist- What Is Crisis Intervention?
- Types of Mental Health Crises
- Crisis Intervention Models
- Crisis Assessment
- Crisis Intervention Techniques
- Crisis Hotlines and Services
- Professional Crisis Responders
- Crisis Intervention Settings
- Safety Planning
- Family and Support System Involvement
- Cultural Considerations
- Special Populations
- Technology in Crisis Intervention
- Training and Certification
- Quality and Effectiveness
- Prevention and Early Intervention
- Legal and Ethical Considerations
- Related Terms
- References
What Is Crisis Intervention?
Crisis intervention is a specialised approach to helping people who are experiencing acute mental health crises or psychological emergencies. It involves immediate assessment, stabilisation, and short-term support to help individuals cope with overwhelming situations and prevent further deterioration of their mental health or safety.
Key principles of crisis intervention:
Immediate Response: Providing help as quickly as possible when someone is in crisis.
Safety First: Ensuring the physical and emotional safety of the person and others.
Stabilisation: Helping to calm the immediate crisis and reduce acute distress.
Assessment: Evaluating the person's mental state, risk factors, and immediate needs.
Support: Providing emotional support and practical assistance during the crisis.
Connection: Linking the person with ongoing resources and support services.
Types of Mental Health Crises
Suicidal Crisis: When someone is having thoughts of ending their life or has made a suicide attempt.Psychotic Episode: Experiencing hallucinations, delusions, or severe disorganisation in thinking.
Severe Depression: Overwhelming sadness, hopelessness, or inability to function in daily life.
Panic Attack: Intense fear and physical symptoms that feel overwhelming and uncontrollable.
Manic Episode: Extremely elevated mood, energy, and behaviour that may lead to poor judgment.
Trauma Response: Acute reactions to traumatic events that significantly impact functioning.
Crisis Intervention Models
ABC Model: A - Achieving rapport and contact B - Boiling down the problem to basics C - Coping with the problem through active listening and supportSAFER-R Model: Stabilise, Acknowledge, Facilitate, Encourage, Refer, and Revisit
Psychological First Aid: Immediate support that focuses on safety, calming, self-efficacy, connectedness, and hope
Critical Incident Stress Management: Structured approach for helping people after traumatic events
Mobile Crisis Response: Teams that respond to mental health emergencies in community settings
Telephone Crisis Counselling: Immediate support provided through crisis hotlines and phone services
Crisis Assessment
Risk Assessment: Evaluating the immediate danger to the person or others, including suicide and violence risk.Mental Status Evaluation: Assessing the person's current mental state, including mood, thinking, and behaviour.
Precipitating Factors: Identifying what triggered the current crisis and contributing circumstances.
Coping Resources: Evaluating the person's usual coping strategies and available support systems.
Functioning Level: Assessing how the crisis has impacted the person's ability to function in daily life.
Protective Factors: Identifying strengths and resources that can help prevent further deterioration.
Crisis Intervention Techniques
Active Listening: Providing full attention and demonstrating understanding of the person's experience.Validation: Acknowledging the person's feelings and experiences without judgment.
De-escalation: Using calm communication and techniques to reduce emotional intensity.
Problem-Solving: Helping the person identify immediate solutions and coping strategies.
Safety Planning: Developing specific plans to keep the person safe during and after the crisis.
Resource Connection: Linking the person with appropriate ongoing support and treatment services.
Crisis Hotlines and Services
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 24/7 crisis support available by calling 988 in the United States.Crisis Text Line: Text-based crisis support available by texting HOME to 741741.
Local Crisis Lines: Community-based phone services that provide immediate crisis support.
Mobile Crisis Teams: Mental health professionals who respond to crisis situations in the community.
Crisis Stabilisation Units: Short-term residential facilities for people experiencing mental health crises.
Emergency Departments: Hospital emergency rooms that provide crisis intervention and psychiatric evaluation.
Professional Crisis Responders
Crisis Counsellors: Trained professionals who provide immediate crisis intervention and support.Mobile Crisis Workers: Mental health professionals who respond to crisis situations in community settings.
Emergency Mental Health Clinicians: Specialists who provide crisis assessment and intervention in emergency settings.
Peer Crisis Specialists: People with lived experience who provide crisis support and understanding.
Law Enforcement Crisis Teams: Police officers with specialised training in mental health crisis response.
Emergency Medical Personnel: Paramedics and EMTs trained to respond to mental health emergencies.
Crisis Intervention Settings
Community Settings: Crisis intervention provided in homes, schools, workplaces, and public spaces.Healthcare Facilities: Crisis services provided in hospitals, clinics, and mental health centres.
Emergency Departments: Specialised crisis intervention in hospital emergency rooms.
Crisis Centres: Dedicated facilities that provide comprehensive crisis intervention services.
Telephone and Online: Remote crisis intervention provided through phone, text, and chat services.
Mobile Response: Crisis teams that travel to wherever the person is experiencing the crisis.
Safety Planning
Identifying Warning Signs: Recognising early signs that a crisis may be developing.Coping Strategies: Developing specific techniques the person can use when feeling distressed.
Support Contacts: Creating a list of people to contact for support during difficult times.
Professional Resources: Identifying mental health professionals and crisis services to contact.
Environmental Safety: Removing or securing items that could be used for self-harm.
Follow-up Plans: Scheduling ongoing support and check-ins after the immediate crisis.
Family and Support System Involvement
Family Education: Teaching family members about mental health crises and how to respond.Communication Strategies: Helping families learn effective ways to communicate during crises.
Support Coordination: Organising family and friends to provide ongoing support and monitoring.
Boundary Setting: Helping families understand appropriate limits and self-care during crises.
Resource Information: Providing families with information about available crisis and ongoing services.
Follow-up Support: Including family members in ongoing treatment and recovery planning.
Cultural Considerations
Cultural Competence: Understanding how culture affects crisis experiences and help-seeking behaviours.Language Services: Providing crisis intervention in the person's preferred language.
Religious and Spiritual Factors: Incorporating spiritual beliefs and practices into crisis intervention when appropriate.
Family and Community Roles: Understanding cultural differences in family involvement and community support.
Stigma and Barriers: Addressing cultural barriers that may prevent people from seeking crisis help.
Traditional Healing: Respecting and incorporating traditional healing practices when appropriate.
Special Populations
Children and Adolescents: Age-appropriate crisis intervention techniques for young people.Older Adults: Understanding unique factors that affect crisis intervention with elderly individuals.
People with Disabilities: Adapting crisis intervention approaches for people with various disabilities.
LGBTQ+ Individuals: Providing affirming crisis intervention for sexual and gender minorities.
Veterans: Understanding military-related factors in crisis intervention for veterans.
Homeless Individuals: Addressing the unique challenges of providing crisis intervention to homeless populations.
Technology in Crisis Intervention
Crisis Apps: Mobile applications that provide immediate access to crisis resources and support.Text and Chat Services: Real-time crisis intervention provided through text messaging and online chat.
Video Crisis Counselling: Remote crisis intervention provided through video conferencing platforms.
AI and Chatbots: Emerging technology that provides initial crisis screening and resource connection.
Geolocation Services: Technology that helps crisis responders locate people in emergency situations.
Social Media Monitoring: Systems that identify crisis situations through social media posts and communications.
Training and Certification
Crisis Intervention Training: Specialised education for professionals who provide crisis intervention services.Certification Programs: Formal credentials for crisis intervention specialists and counsellors.
Continuing Education: Ongoing training to maintain and update crisis intervention skills.
Simulation Training: Practice scenarios that help crisis workers develop and refine their skills.
Supervision and Support: Ongoing guidance and support for professionals providing crisis intervention.
Self-Care Training: Education about preventing burnout and maintaining well-being in crisis work.
Quality and Effectiveness
Outcome Measurement: Evaluating the effectiveness of crisis intervention services and programs.Follow-up Studies: Research on what happens to people after receiving crisis intervention.
Best Practices: Evidence-based approaches that have been shown to be most effective.
Quality Improvement: Ongoing efforts to improve the quality and effectiveness of crisis services.
Consumer Feedback: Including the perspectives of people who have received crisis intervention services.
Program Evaluation: Systematic assessment of crisis intervention programs and their impact.
Prevention and Early Intervention
Crisis Prevention: Strategies to prevent mental health crises from occurring or escalating.Early Warning Systems: Identifying and responding to early signs of developing crises.
Community Education: Teaching communities about mental health crises and available resources.
Risk Factor Reduction: Addressing factors that increase the likelihood of mental health crises.
Protective Factor Enhancement: Strengthening factors that help prevent crises and promote resilience.
System Coordination: Improving coordination between different services to prevent crises.
Legal and Ethical Considerations
Involuntary Treatment: Understanding when and how people can be required to receive mental health treatment.Confidentiality: Balancing privacy rights with safety concerns during crisis intervention.
Informed Consent: Ensuring people understand their rights and treatment options during crises.
Duty to Warn: Legal obligations to protect others when someone poses a danger.
Documentation: Proper record-keeping for crisis intervention services and decisions.
Rights Protection: Ensuring that people's rights are respected even during mental health crises.
Related Terms
- Mental Health Crisis - The situations that require crisis intervention
- Suicide Prevention - Specific focus on preventing suicide during crises
- Mental Health First Aid - Training that includes crisis response skills
References
Wang, D., & Gupta, V. (2025). Crisis intervention. In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK559081/
Cronin, M., & Jones, D. N. (2015). Crisis intervention. In International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioural Sciences (2nd ed.). Elsevier. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/crisis-intervention
Elsevier. (n.d.). Crisis intervention. In ScienceDirect Topics. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/crisis-intervention
This information is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional crisis intervention training or mental health treatment. If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, contact emergency services or a crisis hotline immediately.
Important: TherapyRoute does not provide medical advice. All content is for informational purposes and cannot replace consulting a healthcare professional. If you face an emergency, please contact a local emergency service. For immediate emotional support, consider contacting a local helpline.
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About The Author
TherapyRoute
Cape Town, South Africa
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