Mental health crises can occur suddenly and unexpectedly, at home or in public, triggered by familiar or unfamiliar reasons. In case of emergency, Catalyst Care Group provides urgent mental health support and crisis intervention within two hours of your initial call.
Understanding Crisis Intervention
A mental health crisis is an overwhelming and challenging experience for the individual and their family. It often occurs when a person feels overwhelmed by specific events or situations or sudden changes in their environment.
In many cases, when a person experiences moments of crisis, a quick and proper response can make a life-saving difference. Crisis intervention is a rapid and urgent response to a mental health emergency, aiming to stabilise the person in crisis and create a safe environment for the individual and people around them. Crisis support is a short-term technique performed by mental health professionals who implement a personalised plan for the next steps and future treatment approaches.
Specialised crisis teams work efficiently towards assessing and addressing social circumstances and environmental triggers that might lead to mental health crises. Further, they aim to empower people with mental health conditions to develop effective coping skills to manage the triggers or prevent future crises. Most importantly, crisis intervention services focus on preventing unnecessary hospital admissions and helping individuals feel better in the comfort of their own homes.
Crisis Types and Contexts
Crisis types can appear in different contexts, depending on the person’s unique circumstances or mental health challenges. For example, moments of crisis can be experienced by people with autism spectrum disorder, learning disabilities or mental health conditions like major depressive disorder and borderline personality disorder.
Other crisis types may include:
- Developmental crisis
- Situational crisis (severe traumatic event)
- Existential crisis (existential anxiety, childbirth, midlife crisis)
In these cases, crisis services and mental health nurses play a substantial role in stabilising and soothing the mental health crisis, providing professional and compassionate support and understanding to the individual and their family. Crisis resolution teams can be reached by contacting emergency departments in the health and social care sector.
Being able to identify the individual context of each crisis, health professionals can provide urgent care and mental health crisis strategies, ensuring that the support provided is effective and encouraging.
The Role of Multidisciplinary Teams
The role of multidisciplinary teams in crisis interventions involves 24-hour availability, access to rapid responses, and a range of crisis management strategies. Here, we can include medications, practices that increase a person’s resilience and reduce the risk of relapse, support for caregivers and family members, and practical advice for daily life and tasks.
Our years-long experience and extensive research show that effective crisis teams reduce the risk of hospital admission and increase the number of positive outcomes. At Catalyst Care Group, the crisis intervention and multidisciplinary teams provide urgent, person-centred and emotional support to manage behavioural distress and create a safe environment for people.
Key Professionals in Crisis Intervention
Crisis intervention relies on a network of specialised professionals trained to offer immediate support and aid during times of acute mental health, emotional, or situational crises. These key professionals include psychiatrists, psychologists, and crisis counsellors, who provide immediate counselling, therapy, and psychiatric support.
Social workers promote access to resources and community services, while emergency medical professionals offer urgent medical assistance. Together, these professionals form a multidisciplinary team dedicated to stabilising crises, offering emotional support, and connecting individuals with ongoing care for sustained well-being and recovery.
Professional crisis intervention teams provide coping mechanisms for effective and person-centred crisis management.
Challenges in Crisis Intervention
Crisis intervention presents various challenges due to the complexity and urgency of addressing immediate mental health, emotional, or situational crises. Some key challenges include:
- Timeliness: Responding promptly to crises is essential. However, access to services or professionals may be limited, leading to delays in immediate assistance.
- Risk Assessment: Evaluating the level of risk and determining appropriate interventions, especially in situations involving suicidal ideation or potential harm, requires careful and accurate assessment.
- Resource Availability: Inadequate resources, including mental health facilities, crisis hotlines, or trained professionals, can hinder effective intervention and support.
- De-escalation: Managing heightened emotions and volatile situations to ensure safety for individuals in crisis and responders requires skilful de-escalation techniques.
- Cultural Sensitivity: Understanding diverse cultural backgrounds, beliefs, and practices is crucial in delivering effective and respectful crisis interventions.
- Collaboration and Coordination: Coordinating efforts among various professionals, agencies, and services involved in crisis response can be challenging, leading to gaps in care.
- Trauma-Informed Care: Providing trauma-informed care while addressing immediate needs in crises requires specialised training and sensitivity to trauma triggers.
- Follow-up and Aftercare: Ensuring individuals receive appropriate ongoing care and support beyond the immediate crisis moment is vital for long-term recovery, but continuity of care can be challenging to maintain.
Navigating these challenges demands well-trained professionals, organised support systems, adequate resources, and effective collaboration among healthcare sectors to ensure a comprehensive and compassionate response to crises.
What Crisis Prevention and Response Teams Need in Order to Succeed
Providing support requires a highly responsible and skilled team of professionals who share several key traits and responsibilities, including:
- Well-developed communication skills
- Attentiveness to details and assessment skills
- Effective decision-making skills
- Human-focused approach
- Compassion and empathy
- Heartfelt understanding and friendly personality
This further includes relying on well-established practices and support options but also being flexible and offering innovative solutions to current challenges. Crisis management teams need to use opportunities to learn more about the role and contribution of others involved in crisis resolution and how they can all work together to achieve the best outcome possible for the individual in need.
Crisis services need to be fully integrated into the health and social care system alongside long-term care. Crisis teams of professionals should be committed to considering new collaborative alternatives for managing crisis situations for people with lived experience, fostering a supportive environment and providing a better quality of life. Working together helps us in the health and social care sector build an inclusive and diverse community, providing equal opportunities and access to care for every individual with complex care needs.
Crisis Intervention and Rapid Response with Priority for CCG
As a house of brands, crisis intervention and rapid response are Catalyst Care Group’s priorities. With multidisciplinary teams of professionals trained in Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) and Transitional Care Program (TSP), we are committed to providing urgent care and support at the most challenging times of people’s lives.
Our rapid response teams have achieved incredible results in preventing unnecessary hospital admissions and re-admissions, preventing out-of-area placements and transitioning people from hospital to home care services. They also achieve positive outcomes, support people to become active citizens in the community and encourage people to reach their goals and fulfil their dreams.
At Catalyst Care Group, we strive to empower people to become the best versions of themselves by instilling hope and a sense of meaning. Learn more about the life-changing impact of our teams through these heart-warming, real-life stories.
