In today’s challenging and ever-changing world, mental health issues are becoming increasingly complex. Psychological crises are emerging in a surge, and mental health counselors need to continuously improve themselves to cope with the growing number of psychological crisis situations.
1. Complex Psychological Health Challenges
In modern society, it seems that people are doing less physical labor and more mental labor; life appears to be more comfortable and convenient, yet psychological pressure is on the rise. The fast-paced lifestyle, “involution” in learning and work environments, and social media platforms that easily trigger various anxieties among the public are all factors contributing to the complexity of mental health issues in contemporary society.
In recent years, the pandemic has also had a significant impact on people’s mental health. Many have felt lonely and depressed during the pandemic, and even after it ended and life returned to normal, they still struggled to adjust their state and remained trapped in psychological crises.
These social factors often subtly influence people’s mental health status; they may not be the main causes of psychological crises but are stubborn issues that make it difficult to intervene during crises, complicating the psychological problems of those seeking help. While analyzing and addressing the primary psychological crises of individuals seeking assistance, we, as mental health counselors, need to peel back the layers and address the secondary issues in the minds of those seeking help, handling the complex psychological health challenges appropriately.
So, as mental health counselors, how do we respond to the increasingly complex psychological crises today?
Continuously learning relevant knowledge and improving professional qualities is undoubtedly the only correct answer to this question.
2. Key Advantages of Learning Crisis Intervention Techniques
Understanding crisis intervention knowledge and mastering intervention techniques is significant for mental health counselors. From a professional development perspective, in the process of learning how to conduct crisis intervention, counselors improve their adaptability, strengthen their psychological resilience, and enhance their quick thinking and response abilities. These improvements can help us showcase greater professional capabilities, aiding in providing higher quality psychological support to our clients and increasing client satisfaction.
At the same time, learning crisis intervention techniques serves as a “refresh” of our understanding of the professional field and a deep dive into the realm of psychological dilemmas. Through learning, we can effectively help clients reduce anxiety and untangle their emotional knots, while also clarifying and reflecting on our own mental state, promoting personal growth and transformation.
While focusing on studying professional knowledge is beneficial, without the right direction, it may yield minimal results.
As mental health counselors, we all understand that although psychological theories are concentrated gems worth studying word by word, it is even more important to flexibly and correctly apply these theories in practice based on the actual situations and states of those seeking help, rather than treating them as immutable rules. Therefore, the learning of crisis intervention techniques must not be limited to understanding theoretical concepts from books; we should also consider how to apply these theories more effectively in practice.
Some experiences and tips summarized by crisis intervention expert Zhang Haiyin from his practice may help us better achieve the latter:
1. Emphasize emotional expression during a crisis; encouraging individuals to experience their loss can help them integrate better.
2. Recognize that the duration and expression of grief vary by individual; avoid using excessive treatment methods in haste to help individuals recover quickly.
3. Avoid labeling prematurely during crisis intervention; the emotions, thoughts, or behaviors that individuals exhibit, even if intense, are merely a temporary adjustment process.
4. Discussing what happened during a traumatic event can help individuals reduce negative self-evaluations of their reactions to that trauma.
5. In crisis intervention, the focus should be on doing less to avoid counterproductive effects.
6. Continuously endure together, rather than making the individual feel no pain; companionship and support are the most fundamental starting points.
7. Mental health counselors engaged in crisis intervention should also care for themselves, avoid feelings of burnout and secondary trauma, and timely release negative emotions.
—— The above content is summarized from Zhang Haiyin’s “The Theory and Practice of Psychological Crisis Intervention”
