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Crises happens to everyone, and intervention can take many forms, from family helping and support strategies to professional counselling strategies aimed at helping the individual cope with crisis in ways that reduce the negative psychological, physiological and behavioural effects of trauma on that person and his or her environment.

 

The purpose of crisis counselling is to deal with the person’s current status by dealing with a crisis. Chronic exposure to stress or trauma can lead to mental illness. Therefore, it is important that counsellors have the skills and knowledge to help clients cope with their current stressors and trauma. Crisis counselling is not intended to provide psychotherapy or similar, but offers a short-term intervention to helps clients receive assistance, resources, stabilisation and support.

Crisis intervention differs from other counselling interventions in that it focuses on short-term strategies to prevent damage during and immediately after the experience of trauma. Crisis counselling is often followed by counselling for long term improvement of the client’s mental health and personal wellbeing. These will be discussed in more detail later in this lesson.

Crisis intervention has several purposes. It aims to reduce the intensity of the person’s physical, mental, emotional and behavioural reactions to a crisis. It also helps the individual return to the level of functioning they were at before the incident.

There is also an educational component to crisis intervention. The individual will be advised of the normal reactions to an abnormal situation. The individual will be told that their responses are temporary and that there is not a specific time that the person can expect to recover from the crisis.

COURSE STRUCTURE

 

 

This course comprises of the following nine lessons:

1. Understanding methods of crisis intervention  What constitutes a crisis and methods of crisis intervention?
2. Ethical, professional and legal issues   Current ethical, professional and legal implications of crisis intervention.
3. Dangers of crises and effective intervention   Dangers posed by crisis to the individual, the counsellor, and those around them. Determining effective modes of intervention.
4. Developmental Crises   Recognising and comprehending crises from a developmental perspective.
5. Post-traumatic stress disorder Symptoms, treatment options and possible outcomes of post-traumatic stress disorder.
6. Violence and sexual assault   Effects of violence and sexual assault on the individual, and possible modes of intervention.
7. Crisis and drug addiction   Determining the relationship between crises and drug dependence.
8. Family crises    Major issues raises in family crises and appropriate methods of intervention.
9. Crises and cultural issues  Cultural influences on crisis situations.

 

Aims

• Identify what constitutes a crisis and to discuss methods of crisis intervention
• Discuss current ethical, professional and legal implications of crisis intervention.
• Explain the dangers posed by crises to the individual, the counsellor and those around them during crisis intervention, and to determine effective modes of intervention.
• Identify and explain crises evolving from a developmental perspective.
• Explain the symptoms, treatment options and possible outcomes of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
• Describe the effect of violence and sexual assault on the individual and possible modes of intervention.
• Explain the relationship between crises and drug dependence.
• Discuss the major issues that arise in family crises and appropriate methods of intervention.
• Discuss cultural influences on crisis situations.

ACTIVITIES

Some of the activities that you will undertake as part of this course are: 

• Role play a critical incident debriefing session
• Familiarise yourselfwith a Counselling Association Code of Conduct
• Interview a counsellor from a community mental health service in your area
• View films, read or listen to stories (where possible) about personal or family crises
• Discuss post-traumatic stress disorder with a community mental health worker
• Explore physical, emotional, cognitive and social responses to sexual assault or violence
• Examine the relationship between trauma and drugs
• Interview or observe people from other cultures to identify cultural and sub-cultural responses to crises
• Explore how sub-cultural groups may require different counselling approaches
• Consider various methods of crisis intervention.

$525.00