Providing an Immediate Response to a Crisis is NOT Always the Best Choice
We’ve all been conditioned to believe that when someone gets hurt we need to take action. A scraped knee, a broken arm or chest pain all warrant attention on a continuum of care. Hot chocolate, a hug and a little gentle cleaning will generally soothe a scraped knee. Chest pain usually requires more.
Traumatic events evoke a similar response in us as caregivers. When someone’s in pain, we take action. However, we have fewer guidelines to follow when responding to emotional/psychological pain, than with the physical counterparts. When you break an arm, it gets set, you wear a cast for 6 weeks and it’s over. Not so with traumatic reactions which are unique to the individual, can be difficult to recognize, may become hidden or buried only to surface at a later date or may dissipate on their own during a natural recovery process. It’s no surprise that we bring out our complete arsenal of skills to cover the full range of possibilities. Our efforts as caregivers at times have become quite grand and at times even grandiose.
Let’s step back for a moment, however, and examine some of the basic principles that we have abandoned in our rush to do good. Although crisis response isn’t treatment, there are treatment guidelines that make sense when considering our options for support.
1) Don’t treat until you know there is a problem. Offering an intervention immediately following a crisis event is unwise. Most folks don’t quite know what has “hit them” in the early stages of an event. Imposing a structured intervention upon those impacted is unnecessary when simple human kindness will suffice. Sometimes just a cup of coffee, kind words and a call to the family is the recommended course of action.
2) A titrated response is wise. If the best crisis response is one that fits into the natural progression of recovery, then starting with the least intrusive or invasive procedure is wise. Connect the impacted individuals with their natural resources . . . friends, family, community. Surgery is generally not the first choice for any ailment. Why should expert intervention supersede family support? The expert’s role initially might just entail helping the individual to consider the resources they have available for support. This can be done via a brief phone contact.
3) Offer interventions as an option and on a continuum. Timing is everything. Individuals benefit most from an organized, educational crisis support session after the initial shock has worn off and they are able to verbalize their reactions. When it comes time to offering expert assistance – include the impacted individuals in the decision making process. Not everyone benefits from a structured format, in fact, for some it may enhance their traumatic reactions. Offering an intervention is supportive and shows caring. We have to be careful not to confuse our “caring” with the benefit (or lack thereof) to be derived by those impacted Provide supportive options that can be offered over time and can be individualized to fit the needs of all.
4) The right response . . . at the right time can maximize the services offered to the employees while maintaining respect for the individual’s unique reaction to the crisis event. The first step in a good crisis response is evaluating the need, developing a plan of action that reflects an assessment and evaluation of need and a flexible service designed to enhance the natural recovery process. A good response is timely, cost effective and provides the maximum benefit to your employees.
We need to embrace some of the basic principles that we use to serve our clients on a daily basis into our crisis response skill set. Medication is not prescribed without an assessment, in the majority of cases surgery is not the first option chosen by your physician to relieve pain – why would the deployment of crisis experts in the initial hours be your first choice for crisis response?
Consider this:
· Use your crisis support experts to provide support and guidance to those organizing the response onsite – this can be done face-to-face, teleconferencing or online in some cases.
· Have crisis support experts available to provide initial support via phone, during the early hours of a crisis. This could be on an as needed basis or just a phone call to let the employee know that resources are available if needed or to help them connect with their natural support systems
· Use your crisis support experts to determine when to schedule a structured group or individual response – this will not only enhance the effectiveness of your response, but save you time and money.
Businesses want to do the right thing. Rushing to have a crisis response professional meet with your employees immediately following a traumatic event seems reasonable, but it’s not. Contacting a crisis professional immediately following the event is the right response for you. However, allow the crisis professionals help you determine when is the right time for your response.
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A Fast Response is Not Always the Best Response
Posted - 05/25/2005 : 2:55:47 PM
