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Chapter 5: Crisis Counseling and Emergency Response
Multiple Choice
___________________refers to “negative events that produce distress and to the distress
itself.”
a. Trauma
b. Crisis
c. Disaster
d. All of the above
Which definition is tied to context (e.g., system, individuals)?
a. Emergency
b. Trauma
c. Disaster
d. Crisis
How is a disaster different than a crisis?
a. A disaster is more extreme
b. A disaster is considered an event
c. Professional counselors often play a role in disaster recovery efforts
d. A disaster is more easily recovered from
Which of the following definitions includes “…immediate suffering and basic human
needs that cannot be promptly or adequately addressed by the affected people…”?
a. Emergency
b. Trauma
c. Disaster
d. Crisis
From what does a crisis typically result from?
a. A situation where individuals cannot effectively use the same coping
skills they have used in the past
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b. A direct exposure to trauma
c. For individuals who experience a man-made disaster
d. An impending or occurring even that is destructive
A school district recently installed panic buttons in each of its classrooms. The
purpose of this button is to lock down a classroom and alert police if significant
danger is detected. This is an example of:
a. Prevention
b. Mitigation
c. Preparedness
d. Planning
Anti-violence programs implemented in schools, training in how to set up an office
safely in a mental health clinic, and requiring proof of identification when entering a
residential treatment facility, are examples of what?
a. Safety
b. Preparedness
c. Prevention
d. Mitigation
Henry, an experienced counselor, recently relocated to a mental health clinic in a
neighboring county. He learned that there is no plan in place, should a child or
adolescent bring a weapon into the clinic or become violent with a counselor. Henry
collaborates with the staff and together they create a crisis plan. What term best
describes this scenario?
a. Mitigation
b. Preparedness
c. Prevention
d. Emergency response
Why should professional counselors review crisis plans before an event occurs?
a. It provides important information for how to best calm down clients,
professionals, and first responders
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b. It provides information that is critical to the safety of clients,
professionals, and first responders
c. It provides information to counselors on how to best begin providing
services to the affected parties
d. It is not important to review crisis plans before an event, but it is
important to know where the crisis plan is located in the setting one is
working in
What factors are considered when constructing a crisis plan?
a. Settings, populations, and age of clients
b. Organizations and individuals
c. Type of professionals working in a particular setting and whether a crisis
has occurred in the setting previously
d. Locations, populations, and characteristics of the event
How do professional counselors play a role in crisis planning?
a. They may be involved in the development and implementation of the plan
b. They are responsible for providing counseling to personnel and
professionals that work within the setting if an event occurred
c. They inform others of what the plan entails
d. They lead the plan if an event occurs
Why is it important for professional counselors to screen service providers that
offer help following an emergency?
a. Those posing as service providers might have negative intentions
b. Persons experiencing a crisis may be incapable of making informed choices
among available services
c. Service providers may not have appropriate credentials or licenses to
assist persons experiencing a crisis
d. Persons experiencing a crisis may decline services when they are actually
in need of them
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What are additional activities that may be included following an emergency (e.g.,
response)?
a. Connecting all persons involved in the crisis to mental health services
b. Planning and coordinating services to meet basic needs
c. Critiquing the crisis plan
d. Assigning roles for who carries out which part of the crisis plan
What organization has developed training regarding their crisis and emergency risk
communication (CERC) principles and guidelines?
a. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
b. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
c. Family Educational Rights and Privacy Acts (FERPA)
d. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
What is the purpose of the crisis and emergency risk communication (CERC) plan?
a. To develop crisis plans
b. To develop prevention plans
c. To develop emergency and disaster response plans
d. To develop plans for communication during disasters and emergencies
“Bouncing back from difficult experiences” is the description of which term?
a. Protective factors
b. Adversity
c. Resilience
d. Confidence
According to Maslow’s (1945) hierarchy of needs, which are the most basic?
a. Safety
b. Esteem and self-actualization
c. Sense of belonging
d. Physiological
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Which of the following factors influences a community’s ability to return to
predisaster functioning?
a. Timing of rescue
b. Ability to meet basic needs
c. Coping skills
d. All of the above
Which of the following is essential that counselors consider when assigning a
diagnosis following a disaster?
a. Symptoms meet the criteria outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual for Mental Disorders
b. The disaster is significant enough to have caused the symptoms
c. Symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment
d. Symptoms were not present prior to the disaster
What two diagnoses are most common diagnoses associated with disasters?
a. Post-traumatic stress disorder and trauma-induced disorder
b. Acute stress disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder
c. Depression and trauma-induced disorder
d. Generalized anxiety disorder and depression
What is a key difference between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and acute
stress disorder (ASD)?
a. PTSD is more common in adults, whereas ASD is more common in children
and adolescents
b. Duration of symptoms
c. Presentation of symptoms
d. Intensity of symptoms
Which of the following is an additional criterion for ASD, but not PTSD?
a. Dissociative symptoms
b. Increase sense of arousal
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c. Avoidance
d. Recurrence of the event
In Acute Stress Disorder, symptoms occur within ________ of the event.
a. 2 weeks
b. 4 weeks
c. 2 months
d. 6 months
Symptoms of ASD last for a maximum of ____________, whereas symptoms of PTSD last
more than __________.
a. 4 weeks, 4 weeks
b. 2 weeks, 2 weeks
c. 4 weeks, 6 months
d. 2 months, 2 months
Which of the following disorders reflect the immediate effects of a disaster or other
trauma-causing event?
a. Generalized Anxiety Disorder
b. Trauma-Induced Stress Disorder
c. Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
d. Acute Stress Disorder
What is the difference between warning signs and risk factors?
a. Warning signs may develop before or after a crisis event, whereas risk
factors only develop after a crisis event
b. Warning signs are indicators that a person is experiencing stress during
and/or after a crisis situation, whereas risk factors are characteristics
combined with the statistical likelihood that people with similar profiles in
similar situations will experience a crisis
c. Warning signs can be alternated whereas risk factors are permanent
d. Warning signs refer to suicide, whereas risk factors relate to general
characteristics of a person or context
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Which of the following behaviors is the most concerning example of a warning sign?
a. A friendly outgoing individual becoming more quiet and withdrawn
b. An individual who drinks occasionally stops drinking
c. An individual who receives average grades received a below average grade
on a test
d. None of the above
The mnemonic device SAD PERSONS is used to assess for risk factors associated
with:
a. Suicide
b. Homicide
c. Depression
d. Trauma-related disorder
Which of the following is a true statement regarding risk factors related to suicide?
a. Suicide was the leading cause of death for people ages 15 to 24 in 2009
b. Alcohol use is not considered a risk factor for suicide
c. Psychosis is almost always present in those who attempt suicide
d. Romantic relationships, friendships, and community affiliations are
important to assess for
Which of the following is not one of the phases of the treatment approach for
children in a disaster, as recommended by Baggerly and Exum?
a. Implement developmentally appropriate interventions that incorporate
play
b. Train parents and teachers in interventions
c. Recommend parents seek their own treatment
d. Identify children’s typical and clinical symptoms
What are ways that a professional counselor can learn more about working with
individuals experiencing crises?
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a. Enroll in additional graduate courses focusing on crisis counseling
b. Seek out training opportunities through organizations such as the
American Red Cross
c. Attend a lecture on working in crisis situations
d. Seek supervision
True/False
According to APA (2013), trauma can be directly and/or indirectly experienced by
an individual.
A crisis is considered an event.
Examples of human-made disasters include the Boston bombing and the Sandy
Hook Elementary School shootings.
A disaster is considered an event.
When individuals experience the same disaster or crisis event, they typically have
the same reactions to it.
Crisis plans are relatively easy and quick to create.
Crisis plans are predominately created for organizations.
A chain of command is organized to assist individuals experiencing a crisis in
making quick and effective decisions during the situation.
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The textbook indicates that it is not important to accurately communicate the
details of the crisis event as part of emergency response, as the media typically
conveys details in an accurate and sensitive manner.
Recovery following a trauma is a fairly short-term process.
Looting is a common behavior during times of crisis.
Individuals that experience emotional and psychological reactions to a crisis event
often go on to meet criteria for a clinical diagnosis warranting mental health
treatment.
The mnemonic device, SAD PERSONS, has been adapted to apply to children and
adolescents by adjusting the last two letters, N to represent negligent parents and S
to represent school problems and sickness.
Males who attempt suicide are likely to have a history of previous attempts than
females.
For the most part, what constitutes a crisis is similar from one person to another.
Short-Answer/Essay
Define trauma, crisis, and disaster. Discuss how they are unique from one another.
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What are the five principles that emergency response efforts should be based on?
Communities can be impacted by a crises or natural disasters. What factors play an
important role in communities’ ability to return to predisaster functioning?
What are the procedures professional counselors follow when beginning their work
with a new client during a crisis or disaster situation? How might the procedures be
different when working with a client during a crisis situation compared to working
with a client that is not in a crisis situation?
Answer –
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What are the risk factors that are assessed for suicide? Briefly describe each of the
risk factors.
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For children in a disaster, Baggerly and Exum suggest a three-phase approach to
treatment. List the three phases.
Describe the commonalities and differences between PTSD and ASD.