Crisis situations seem to be growing rapidly in this time of change and uncertainty.
Emotional turmoil and negative behavior seems to be on the rise, spanning from verbal abuse to physical assault.
Schools and agencies are now required to intervene more often for the safety and protection of students, staff and clients, and have a responsibility to train staff to safely and effectively deal with reasonably foreseeable situations.
Handle With Care, a crisis intervention training program, offers the tips below when responding to someone who is becoming out of control.
Be attuned to signals of potential crisis behavior:
There is usually a change of behavior before physical aggression occurs, which can include:
- Verbal clues: what is being said, such as insults or threats
- Non-verbal clues: how something is being said, including voice, volume, rate of speech and tone
- Body language, such as body tenseness, leaning forward, pacing, finger-pointing or hand-clenching
Reduce potential for conflict through these actions or words:
- Remain calm and in control
- Only one person should speak at a time
- Respect personal space
- Be aware of not only what you say, but how you say it
- Keep natural eye contact and put in place a direct line of communication
- In a team intervention, the team member with the best relationship should be the “talker”
- Set clear, consistent and enforceable limits
- Take immediate action in dangerous or life-threatening situations
Crisis programs can provide training for agencies, schools, hospitals, organizations and parents who care for children and people who have the potential of being aggressive, violent or out of control toward themselves and other.
Experts also can be available to talk about emotional trauma, feelings of insecurity or fear, and provide information about connecting to community resources.
Published January 2, 2019
