Substance abuse counselors assist their clients at crucial junctures during their recovery process. While counseling, it’s important for all involved to be watchful. Those who are improving after substance abuse and/or addiction are sometimes the most vulnerable to crisis. Successful crisis intervention is like stopping a domino effect, and it can even save a life.
The eighth core function of drug and alcohol counseling is crisis intervention, and it is perhaps the most vital of functions for all counselors to understand in full because failure to assist can be devastating. While treatment providers are only human, their trained professional eye can be the first, last, and best line of defense.
Defining Crisis Intervention
A patient in crisis is experiencing a decisive and crucial event during treatment that threatens to compromise or extinguish the recovery effort. A crisis usually occurs during a period of great stress. A classic scenario is an addict who has hit rock bottom and is experiencing several major stressors simultaneously, such as the loss of a job and loss of emotional and/or financial support. During this episode, the addict feels as if they have nowhere to turn.
Recognizing a Crisis
One of the most pivotal actions of the substance abuse counselor is the recognition of and action to support a crisis through intervention. As a treatment professional, you will be tasked with:
- Recognizing the elements of your client’s crisis
- Implementing an immediate and appropriate course of action to address the crisis
- Leveraging the crisis event, using it as a teachable moment, to enhance overall treatment
The psychology behind crisis for recovering addicts helps pinpoint possible triggers. While every patient will be unique, some of the most common triggers that push recoveries to an emergency moment include:
- Loss of income
- Death of a close friend or family member
- Major family upheavals, such as a separation or divorce
- An arrest or an ensuing court date to address outstanding legal issues
- Outside pressure to quit treatment
- A psychotic episode
- The development of depression or anxiety due to recovery
- The diagnosis of a disease directly caused or related to previous substance use
- Relapse or overdose
- Suicidal gestures
Understanding the People You Counsel
Crisis intervention is the eighth core function, and there’s a reason it’s No. 8. The previous seven functions – screening, intake, orientation, assessment, treatment planning, counseling, and case management – all work in harmony to create an in-depth history of your client. By the time you’ve reached the step of counseling, you should be able to tell when your client is struggling with something.
Remember, if no specific crisis is found within the Written Case, you’ll need to use and describe a past experience. Be sure to emulate the complete picture – covering before, during, and after the crisis. It will fall on you to identify your client’s crises as they emerge, mitigate or resolve the immediate problem, and then use the event in a positive fashion to enhance treatment. While crisis intervention will not always be textbook, it’s a critical skill requiring immediate action that all counselors must become adept at using.