Crisis Intervention
Description
Crisis Intervention is an emergency response service, lasting less than 24 hours, enabling the client to cope with a crisis while maintaining his/her status as a functioning community member to the greatest extent possible. A crisis is an unplanned event that results in the client’s need for immediate clinical intervention. Crisis Intervention services are limited to stabilization of the presenting emergency.
Purpose
This service is provided to clients that are exhibiting acute psychiatric problems that require a timely response to alleviate the presenting problems or symptoms that may present an imminent danger to the client or others if not treated.
Service Delivery
Services may be either face-to-face or by telephone with the client or significant support person and may be provided anywhere in the community. Service activities include, but are not limited to assessment, evaluation, collateral, and therapy.
Crisis Intervention will be provided by the following Charis staff:
- Physician
- Licensed Clinical Social Worker / Associate Clinical Social Worker
- Marriage and Family Therapist / Marriage Family Therapist Intern
- Mental Health Rehabilitation Specialist
- Staff with a bachelor’s degree in a Mental Health related field
- Staff with two years of Full Time Equivalent (FTE) experience in delivering services in the Mental Health field
Procedure
When a client is experiencing difficulty Charis staff will intervene immediately within the present setting. If de-escalation is not possible in the present setting, the youth is offered time and space away from the milieu with a staff member. Life Space Crisis Intervention is utilized to alleviate symptoms that may lead to an increased crisis state such as becoming dangerous to themselves or others. Should the client’s presented crisis indicate a higher level of need in regards to intervention (i.e., significant risk of harm to self or others, grave disability), the client’s therapist will be notified and will attend to that youth.
Other trained staff will remain in proximity to assist should the client’s behavioral presentation escalate to a point of lack of physical safety. As well, staff will be utilized to assist in the stabilization of the youth as deemed appropriate by the therapist and treating team members. If the situation escalates to the point of imminent danger for the youth or others around him/ her, the team, led by the therapist, will determine the course of action. Some instances may require a restraint, which will be performed by only certified staff, and some incidents may require hospitalization.
Therapists are available to their clients on a 24/7 basis. If a client should need the therapist’s services after hours, a telephone call will be made at the discretion of the On-Call Manager. If indicated, the therapist will travel to the client’s location and provide services until the client is stable. Other Mental Health Services including, but not limited to a 5150 evaluation, may be provided in order to de-escalate the emergency situation. Charis Youth Center therapists are certified by Nevada County Behavioral Health to conduct the 5150 assessments and to facilitate a youth’s temporary placement in a psychiatric setting. There may be times when the psychiatrist, who is also available on a 24/7 basis, may need to be called to approve a PRN medication intervention for the client.
A Crisis Intervention Service Delivery form will be completed and suffice as the clinical progress note for the Crisis Intervention service. The Crisis Intervention Service Delivery form will be completed for every occurrence and filed in the client’s clinical binder.
The service delivery staff will notify their supervisor and the Executive Director about the crisis incident via telephone call after the crisis intervention is over and the client is stable. Incident Reports will be completed and those required will be faxed to Community Care Licensing and the client’s county representative as soon as possible following the incident. For holidays, weekends, evenings, or after hours, the Incident Reports will be faxed as early as possible the next business day.
