AIRS - Alliance of Information and Referral Systems Crisis Intervention Strategies Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An I&R specialist receives a call from an individual who is audibly distressed and mentions feeling hopeless after a recent job loss. According to the principles of Psychological First Aid (PFA), what is the MOST appropriate initial response?
- Immediately begin searching for job placement services and provide a list of referrals.
- Ask a series of direct questions to assess if they are a danger to themselves or others.
- Establish a human connection, listen non-intrusively, and provide emotional comfort. (Correct answer)
- Advise the caller to contact a licensed therapist, as the I&R service is not equipped for counseling.
Correct answer: Establish a human connection, listen non-intrusively, and provide emotional comfort.
Psychological First Aid (PFA) prioritizes establishing a compassionate human connection as the first step. The goal is to reduce initial distress and enhance safety by calming and comforting the individual before moving to problem-solving or assessment. Offering comfort and listening actively helps to build rapport and stabilize the person in crisis, making subsequent assistance more effective.
Question 2: During a call, an individual makes a vague statement about 'ending it all.' Which of the following is the best practice for an I&R specialist in assessing the level of suicide risk?
- Change the subject to a more positive topic to improve the caller's mood.
- Assume it is not a serious threat and proceed with the original request for information.
- Wait for the caller to bring up the topic again before addressing it directly.
- Ask direct questions about suicidal thoughts, plans, and access to means. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Ask direct questions about suicidal thoughts, plans, and access to means.
Best practices for suicide risk assessment, such as those outlined by the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, mandate asking direct questions to determine the level of risk. This includes inquiring about suicidal ideation (thoughts), intent, plans, and access to means. Avoiding the topic or waiting for the caller to elaborate can be dangerous and is a missed opportunity to intervene.
Question 3: A caller is extremely angry and yelling about being denied a service by another agency. Which de-escalation technique is most likely to be effective in this situation?
- Matching the caller's volume to show that you understand their frustration.
- Immediately placing the caller on hold to give them time to calm down.
- Using active listening skills to validate their feelings and allow them to vent. (Correct answer)
- Explaining the other agency's policies to justify why the service was denied.
Correct answer: Using active listening skills to validate their feelings and allow them to vent.
Active listening is a core de-escalation technique. Allowing the caller to express their frustration without interruption, and then validating their emotions (e.g., "I can hear how frustrating that must have been"), helps the person feel heard and understood. This reduces emotional intensity and creates an opportunity to move toward problem-solving. Matching their volume or justifying the other agency's actions would likely escalate the situation further.
Question 4: According to the AIRS Standards, if an I&R service does not provide formal crisis intervention, what is required?
- Staff must complete a 40-hour crisis counseling certification program.
- The service must have a pre-arranged agreement and documented protocol with a crisis center. (Correct answer)
- The service is prohibited from taking calls from individuals who are in distress.
- All calls identified as a crisis must be immediately transferred to 911.
Correct answer: The service must have a pre-arranged agreement and documented protocol with a crisis center.
Standard 3 of the AIRS Standards and Quality Indicators for Professional Information and Referral explicitly states that if an I&R service does not provide its own crisis intervention, it must have a formal agreement and a clear, documented procedure for transferring callers to an appropriate crisis center.
Question 5: An I&R specialist is on a call with someone who is at imminent risk of self-harm, has a plan, and the means to carry it out, but refuses to consent to help. The specialist believes intervention is necessary to save their life. This type of intervention is known as:
- Collaborative safety planning
- A warm handoff
- Psychological First Aid
- Active rescue or involuntary intervention (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Active rescue or involuntary intervention
When a caller is at imminent risk and is unwilling or unable to take steps to secure their own safety, actions taken by the specialist on their behalf, such as involving emergency services (911), are referred to as an active rescue or involuntary intervention. This is considered a last resort when less invasive methods have failed and there is a high likelihood of serious harm or death.
Question 6: Which of the following is a primary goal of the SAFER-R model of crisis intervention?
- To provide long-term psychotherapy for trauma survivors.
- To help the individual return to their mental baseline following a crisis. (Correct answer)
- To diagnose the underlying mental health condition causing the crisis.
- To gather demographic data for community needs assessments.
Correct answer: To help the individual return to their mental baseline following a crisis.
The SAFER-R model, which stands for Stabilization, Acknowledgment, Facilitate understanding, Encouragement, Recovery, and Referral, is a short-term crisis intervention technique. Its main purpose is to help an individual who has experienced a crisis return to their pre-crisis level of functioning, or their mental baseline.
AIRS - Alliance of Information and Referral Systems Crisis Intervention Strategies Questions and Answers
An I&R specialist receives a call from an individual who is audibly distressed and mentions feeling hopeless after a recent job loss.
According to the principles of Psychological First Aid (PFA), what is the MOST appropriate initial response?