At Blair Wellness Group, we offer urgent crisis intervention therapy as well as ongoing treatment for anxiety, trauma, and PTSD. If unexpected events have made life challenging and it difficult for you to cope, we encourage you to reach out to us. Dr. Cassidy Blair offers skillful expertise and professional support in a caring and compassionate environment designed to help clients cope with whatever they may be going through. Call today to schedule an appointment.       

What is a Crisis?

A crisis is a distressing event or situation that pushes an individual to feel anxious, fearful, helpless, and unable to cope. A stressful event in itself does not constitute a crisis, but rather a person’s feelings and response toward the event that determines whether or not the situation is deemed a true crisis. 

Individuals in crisis see their situation as threatening and outside of their control. Normal methods of problem-solving and coping mechanisms are ineffective, making them feel completely overwhelmed and at risk of physical and emotional deterioration. 

Types of Crises

When you think of a crisis, it’s a situational crisis that usually comes to mind. These are specific incidences such as car accidents and natural disasters. However, there are two other types of crises — developmental and existential. Developmental crises occur during various stages in life such as when an adolescent is going through puberty or when someone retires. Existential crises are those times when a person struggles to find meaning or purpose in their life.  

Signs that Someone May Be Struggling With a Crisis

You might know that a particular situation is causing a crisis in your life, but it’s not always that easy to know if someone you love is dealing with a mental health crisis if they don’t discuss it with you openly. There are some signs to watch out for that could indicate they need help. Just be aware that many of these symptoms are also associated with other mental health disorders so their presence isn’t definitive.

Common signs of crisis:

• Withdrawal from day-to-day activities
• Irritability or angry outbursts
• Changes in eating or sleeping habits
• Personal hygiene neglect
• Changes in work or school performance
• Social isolation
• Drug or alcohol abuse
• Apathy
• Denial
• Rapid mood swings
• Paranoid thinking
• Abusive behavior

Risk Factors

Trauma and crisis situations affect everyone differently and what may be especially difficult for one person may not be for another. There are a variety of mental, physical, and environmental factors that can increase a person’s risk for a mental health crisis, and those include:

• Family history of mental illness
• Lack of social support
• Drug or alcohol use
• History of bullying or abuse
• Presence of other stressful life events
• Low self-esteem
• Certain medical conditions

Understanding Crisis Intervention Therapy

Crisis intervention therapy is used to provide immediate support, minimize anxiety, and offer effective coping strategies for those faced with distressing situations that are affecting their mental health and quality of life. Mental health crises are often short-lived, so the goals of crisis intervention therapy are to ensure emotional stability and physical safety in order to return to a normal level of functioning.  

There are a number of different treatment models for crisis intervention, but most of them include the following elements:

Situation Assessment

The first step in helping someone cope with a particular situation is to first gain an understanding of what they are going through and how they are feeling. People can feel they are in a state of crisis for any number of reasons and learning whether that reason is situational or emotional, tied to a specific current event or ongoing, can help in determining the course of therapy.  

Education

When someone is in a state of crisis, it often seems like the world is coming to an end. Crisis intervention therapy can be especially helpful for helping people understand that what they are feeling is okay and that it won’t last forever. 

Support

Experiencing a mental crisis can make someone feel helpless, lost, or all alone. Crisis intervention therapy can offer the much-needed emotional support and reassurance they need to take a step back and realize that their situation may not be as dire as they first thought. 

Coping

Another vital function of crisis intervention therapy is to provide the person experiencing the crisis with positive coping skills. When you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed, it can be easy to fall into bad habits that can make matters worse. Healthy coping mechanisms such as journaling and meditation can offer helpful outlets to express what you are feeling in a positive and constructive way.

Crisis Intervention Therapy in Beverly Hills

Crisis intervention therapy is not the same as psychotherapy in that it is intended to offer short-term help during times of need. Psychotherapy, on the other hand, is beneficial for long-term mental and emotional health after the crisis has passed. 

People who have experienced distressing or traumatic events need immediate help to start putting their lives back in balance. However, even after immediate crisis needs are met and healing begins, a person may still have long-lasting symptoms that need to be addressed through ongoing psychotherapy and treatment. 

At Blair Wellness Group, we specialize in offering immediate crisis intervention therapy as well as treatment for lingering symptoms and other mental health conditions. Whether you struggle with anxiety, depression, or behavioral disorders linked to a personal mental crisis or trauma, we can help. To learn more, contact our office at 310.999.4996 to schedule an appointment.