Crisis Intervention Model

Therapeutic Interventions Because the patient verbalized her wishes for immediate removal of the respirator and brief interventions, the social worker will utilize the Crisis Intervention model. In the Crisis Intervention model, the social worker must respond quickly to the challenges the clients present and critical decisions must be made by the patient. The Crisis Intervention model also ties in with Solution-Focused Therapy. According to Roberts & Ottens (2005), in order to maximize the social worker’s ability to effectively intervene, they must focus on the here and now, rapidly assessing the patient’s problem and resources, suggest goals and options, develop a working alliance, and build the patient’s strengths (p. 331). It is important

The social worker will conduct a swift but thorough psychosocial issue to gather the patient’s needs and concerns, environmental stressors, medical needs and medications, use of drugs and/or alcohol, coping mechanisms. It can also be called the triage assessment, assessing the patient’s emotional, behavioral, and cognitive aspects of a crisis (Roberts & Ottens, 2005, p. 334). In assessing lethality, the social worker must discuss with the patient and discover if the patient has ever had any suicidal attempts or thoughts. It is also important to assess the patient’s family members for suicidal ideations as

The social worker must allow the patient to express her feelings, venting and explaining her story by utilizing active listening skills such as reflecting feelings, probing, and paraphrasing (Roberts & Ottens, 2005, p. 335). The fifth step is to explore new coping strategies. At this point, the social worker and the patient can discuss housing alternatives and programs for the patient post hospitalization and upon discharge planning. According to Roberts & Ottens (2005), the patient should select the alternatives on their own rather than have the social worker decide (p. 335).

The sixth step is to restore the patient’s functioning by implementing an action plan. In this step, strategies earlier discussed with the patient will become integrated into a treatment plan. Lastly, the seventh step is to plan a follow-up. The social worker should plan for a follow-up with the patient after the initial intervention to secure resolution of the patient’s crisis and evaluate the patient’s status post-crisis (Roberts & Ottens, 2005, p.