Crisis Intervention Flashcards
7 cards from real MFT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Crisis Intervention flashcards as text
A client who has been calm suddenly becomes very serene and says 'everything is taken care of.' In the context of suicidality, this change MOST likely indicates:
Answer: A decision to attempt suicide, with relief from ending ambivalence
A sudden calm after a crisis period can signal that the client has resolved ambivalence by deciding to act, which paradoxically reduces agitation.
Which element is ESSENTIAL in a collaboratively developed safety plan?
Answer: Warning signs, coping strategies, support contacts, and means restriction
Evidence-based safety planning (Stanley-Brown model) includes warning signs, internal coping, social distractions, people to contact, professionals to contact, and means restriction.
A therapist working with a client from a collectivist cultural background during a family crisis should be MOST aware of:
Answer: How cultural values around family loyalty may shape the client's crisis response
Collectivist cultures may define crisis and solutions through family and community honor, requiring the therapist to incorporate these values into the intervention.
Which of the following BEST describes the difference between a 'crisis' and an 'emergency' in clinical terms?
Answer: A crisis is a psychological disequilibrium while an emergency involves imminent physical danger requiring immediate medical or safety response
Clinically, a crisis is a state of psychological disequilibrium, whereas an emergency involves immediate physical danger or medical urgency requiring rapid intervention.
A community mental health therapist responds to a mass casualty event. Phase-based disaster mental health response suggests that the FIRST phase should focus on:
Answer: Immediate triage, safety, and basic needs (Heroic/Impact phase)
The Impact/Heroic phase calls for triage, physical safety, and basic needs; psychological processing occurs in later phases.
A client with borderline personality disorder presents in crisis after a perceived abandonment. A dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)-informed crisis response would FIRST emphasize:
Answer: Validation of the client's emotional experience combined with skills coaching
DBT crisis response begins with radical acceptance and validation before moving to skill coaching (distress tolerance, emotion regulation).
After a client is discharged from psychiatric hospitalization, which action MOST reduces the risk of a repeat crisis in the first 72 hours?
Answer: Scheduling a therapist contact or appointment within 72 hours post-discharge
The post-discharge period is the highest-risk window for suicide; same-week or 72-hour follow-up contact is a key evidence-based safety strategy.