CADC Alcohol and Drug Counselor Crisis Intervention Strategies 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: During a crisis intervention, a client discloses suicidal ideation with a specific plan but no means. What is the counselor's FIRST priority?
- Notify the client's family immediately
- Assess lethality and access to means (Correct answer)
- Schedule a follow-up appointment for next week
- Document the disclosure in the client's chart
Correct answer: Assess lethality and access to means
Assessing lethality, including plan specificity and access to means, is the immediate first step to determine level of risk and appropriate intervention.
Question 2: Which crisis intervention model emphasizes restoring a client to at least their pre-crisis level of functioning through a structured, time-limited approach?
- Motivational Interviewing
- Roberts' Seven-Stage Crisis Intervention Model (Correct answer)
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy
Correct answer: Roberts' Seven-Stage Crisis Intervention Model
Roberts' Seven-Stage Model is specifically designed as a structured, time-limited crisis intervention framework aimed at restoring equilibrium.
Question 3: A client in acute alcohol withdrawal begins experiencing visual hallucinations and tremors. The counselor should:
- Administer a benzodiazepine immediately
- Encourage the client to breathe slowly and stay calm
- Arrange for immediate medical evaluation and transport (Correct answer)
- Begin motivational interviewing to address denial
Correct answer: Arrange for immediate medical evaluation and transport
Visual hallucinations with tremors may indicate delirium tremens, a potentially life-threatening condition requiring immediate medical attention.
Question 4: In the ABC Model of Crisis Intervention, what does the 'B' component primarily address?
- Building rapport with the client
- Behavioral symptoms of the crisis
- Beliefs and distorted cognitions contributing to the crisis (Correct answer)
- Boundary-setting with the client
Correct answer: Beliefs and distorted cognitions contributing to the crisis
In the ABC Model, 'B' stands for Beliefs, focusing on identifying and challenging the cognitive distortions that intensify the crisis state.
Question 5: When a client calls a crisis hotline stating they have already taken a lethal dose of medication, the counselor's immediate action is to:
- Keep the client talking to assess their level of intoxication
- Obtain the client's location and contact emergency services simultaneously (Correct answer)
- Encourage the client to call Poison Control on their own
- Assess the client's history of overdose attempts
Correct answer: Obtain the client's location and contact emergency services simultaneously
An active overdose is a medical emergency; securing the client's location and dispatching emergency services takes immediate priority.
Question 6: Which concept describes the state of psychological disequilibrium that makes a person vulnerable and open to help during a crisis?
- Cognitive dissonance
- Therapeutic alliance rupture
- Crisis-induced receptivity (Correct answer)
- Ambivalence
Correct answer: Crisis-induced receptivity
Crisis-induced receptivity refers to the heightened openness to change and intervention that occurs when a person's usual coping mechanisms have failed.
Question 7: A counselor is conducting a safety planning session with a client who abuses opioids and reports passive suicidal ideation. Which element is MOST critical to include in the safety plan?
- A list of the client's triggers for opioid use
- Means restriction strategies specific to the client's situation (Correct answer)
- A detailed relapse prevention plan
- Contact information for the client's employer
Correct answer: Means restriction strategies specific to the client's situation
Means restriction — identifying and reducing access to lethal means — is a critical evidence-based component of suicide safety planning.
CADC Alcohol and Drug Counselor Crisis Intervention Strategies 2
During a crisis intervention, a client discloses suicidal ideation with a specific plan but no means.
What is the counselor's FIRST priority?