How to Support and Calm an Individual in Crisis
Conflict Management Strategy Can Cool Tempers Through Cooperation
We live in a contemporary culture in which headlines of violence dominate the news media. From shootings to sexual assault, from the classroom to the workplace, reports of violence top every broadcast, illustrating the well-known slogan, “If it bleeds it leads.”
Yet in many cases, contact with a person in crisis provides an opportunity to diffuse the situation — without resorting to violence.
Research helps explain:
Strategy: Diffusing Danger Through De-Escalation
Etienne Blais and Benoit Leclerc (from 2023) examined the success of police interventions when confronting individuals in crisis.
Recognizing that police officers are frequently the first responders to mental-health-related emergencies, and accordingly, often described as “street corner psychologists” or “psychiatric first aid providers,” they sought to examine what makes such contact successful — and effective — in diffusing the situation.
Collecting data from 130 police reports, Blais and Leclerc (ibid.) identified the specific actions and steps police officers used when encountering individuals in crisis to obtain peaceful cooperation.
They identified a six-step script, covering the period of first receiving the emergency call to engaging with the individual in crisis at the scene, through the completion of the intervention.
Supportive Solutions
Blais and Leclerc (supra) focused their research on police interactions with people who were emotionally and mentally impaired, which impacted their behavior and decision-making.
They note this population was also likely impaired by mental illness, alcohol, medication, or a combination of factors, which could create behavior that may cause such individuals to be a threat to themselves or others.
Blais and Leclerc (supra) found that police using support techniques such as involving the person in crisis in searching for a solution facilitated cooperation and de-escalation.
They found the opposite was also true: persons in crisis were less likely to calm down or cooperate when police used control techniques whether physical — such as weapons or constraint, or nonphysical-such as expressed disapproval or threats.
This was important because they recognize support techniques as a necessary part of obtaining information from individuals in crisis in order to proceed with other techniques.
Overall, support techniques were an important part of de-escalating crisis, regardless of the presence of other situational variables.
In Crisis, Timing Matters
Regarding timing, Blais and Leclerc (supra) found that using support techniques at the beginning of the intervention could reduce the chances of officers resorting to coercive actions or the use of constraints — which were less likely when the person had calmed down or complied with initial instructions by police.
Recognizing the link between support techniques and increased cooperation, Blais and Leclerc (supra) report their results emphasize the importance of cultivating an environment favorable for cooperation and negotiation immediately upon police arrival at the scene of the incident.
In this fashion, involving the person in crisis in helping to find a solution is an effective management strategy.
Regarding the mechanics of diffusion techniques, Blais and Leclerc (supra) note that individuals in crisis are more likely to cooperate when they are given a voice.
Officers can explain why they are there, ask the person contacted for information about the incident, and use strategies of problem-solving.
Bystander Support
Blais and Leclerc (supra) also found that bystanders can positively influence police action, as officers used fewer nonphysical control techniques when someone who had a relationship of trust with the person in crisis was present.
Blais and Leclerc (supra) recognize that mental health specialists can support police officers on the scene of a crisis, but also that friends, family, and intimate partners can be used as “handlers” because they have influence or control over the individual in crisis.
These persons can both provide incident information to officers, and also “legitimize” the presence of police, that someone in crisis might otherwise perceive as a threat.
Supportive solutions to managing crisis can diffuse negative emotion, increase safety, and allow cooler heads to prevail.
This article was originally published in Psychology Today and is used with the permission of its author.
Wendy L. Patrick, JD, MDiv, Ph.D., is an award-winning career trial attorney and media commentator. She is host of “Live with Dr. Wendy” on KCBQ, and a daily guest on other media outlets, delivering a lively mix of flash, substance, and style. Read Dr. Wendy L. Patrick’s Reports — More Here.
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