ACC Crisis Intervention & Grief Support 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: During a mass casualty incident, a chaplain's PRIMARY role in the immediate aftermath is to:
- Coordinate medical triage
- Provide emotional and spiritual presence to survivors and responders (Correct answer)
- Document names of the deceased
- Arrange transportation for families
Correct answer: Provide emotional and spiritual presence to survivors and responders
In mass casualty events, chaplains serve as a stabilizing spiritual and emotional presence rather than taking on logistical or medical duties.
Question 2: Which of the following best describes 'complicated grief' as distinct from normal bereavement?
- Grief that lasts more than one week
- Intense, prolonged grief that significantly impairs daily functioning beyond expected timelines (Correct answer)
- Grief expressed through anger rather than sadness
- Grief that occurs after an anticipated death
Correct answer: Intense, prolonged grief that significantly impairs daily functioning beyond expected timelines
Complicated grief (prolonged grief disorder) is characterized by persistent, debilitating grief symptoms that do not diminish normally over time.
Question 3: A survivor of a traumatic accident says, 'I should have been the one who died, not my friend.' The chaplain should recognize this as:
- A suicidal statement requiring immediate psychiatric referral
- Survivor guilt, a common response requiring compassionate listening (Correct answer)
- Denial, the first stage of grief
- A spiritual crisis requiring doctrinal correction
Correct answer: Survivor guilt, a common response requiring compassionate listening
Survivor guilt is a well-documented grief response in which survivors feel unwarranted responsibility for the death of others.
Question 4: The 'ABC Model' of psychological first aid stands for:
- Assess, Brief, Connect (Correct answer)
- Achieve stabilization, Build rapport, and Coordinate care
- Arousal reduction, Behavioral activation, Cognitive restructuring
- Attend, Bridge, and Consolidate
Correct answer: Assess, Brief, Connect
In crisis intervention, the ABC Model refers to Assess (safety and needs), Brief (intervention), and Connect (to support resources).
Question 5: When providing grief support to a child under age 7, the chaplain should understand that children at this stage typically:
- Grieve exactly as adults do
- Understand death as permanent but not universal
- View death as temporary or reversible (Correct answer)
- Experience anticipatory grief more intensely than adults
Correct answer: View death as temporary or reversible
Young children under 7 often lack the developmental concept of death's permanence, sometimes expecting the deceased to return.
Question 6: A first responder tells the chaplain, 'I'm fine — I just need to keep working.' This response is BEST understood as:
- Evidence that the responder has no trauma reaction
- A healthy coping strategy that should be encouraged
- A possible avoidance response that warrants gentle follow-up (Correct answer)
- A request for the chaplain to leave them alone
Correct answer: A possible avoidance response that warrants gentle follow-up
Overworking after trauma is a common avoidance behavior; a chaplain should gently stay available without forcing conversation.
Question 7: Which ethical principle is MOST relevant when a grieving person shares information about family conflicts during a chaplain visit?
- Beneficence — using the information to help resolve the conflict
- Confidentiality — holding the information shared in trust (Correct answer)
- Justice — reporting the conflict to hospital administration
- Nonmaleficence — advising the person to stop sharing
Correct answer: Confidentiality — holding the information shared in trust
Confidentiality is foundational to the chaplain's ministerial role; information shared in pastoral care is held in trust unless there is imminent danger.
ACC Crisis Intervention & Grief Support 2
During a mass casualty incident, a chaplain's PRIMARY role in the immediate aftermath is to: