Page:What is Crisis.pdf/15

• “What is it that prompted you to call specifically at this time (as contrasted with last week or last month, year)?”
• “On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being ‘horrible’ (or urgent, or panicky, or ⁠) and 1 being great, what number would you say best describes your difficulty?”
• “What is the obstacle that keeps you from taking charge of things?”

Reframing the Call

Counselors are urged to “reframe” the helplessness or dependency of a particular caller by using encouragement and intentionality. Accentuate the positive.

• “Tell me what you’ve done since our last call.”
• “Tell me which referrals you called following your last call.”
• “What good things have happened?”
• “What have you thought of doing?”

Intervening

• Support the feelings of the caller, not necessarily behaviors (such as frequent calling, attempts to seem helpless, etc.)
• “Go with” the caller; avoid trying to convince that he or she is wrong.
• Beat your caller to the punch in the “yes, but” dance…Caller: “I don’t know what to do.” Counselor: “Yes, but if you did know, what would you want to do?”
• Help your caller to list pro’s and con’s of choices, consequences, etc.
• Facilitate your caller to “act as if” they could do something differently, just for one day. Encourage experimentation with new possibilities.
• Use imagery to help your caller imagine and visualize mental pictures of what certain outcomes might look like.
• Role-play.
• Avoid over-processing. Strike while the iron is hot. When the caller seems ready for action, go for it.
• Be supportive of any effort to change.

Setting Limits

• “I regret to inform you that our agency cannot provide what you need. I’m glad that you felt you could explore this as an option.”
• “I believe in you and your ability to solve your problems. I fear that if we talk too frequently, (or for too long) that you will get the message that I think you're helpless.”
• “We have found that we can be most helpful to you and others who share your problems if we focus and work very efficiently to give you the referrals that would best serve you.”
• “I’d like to honor you by ending our call on time.”

Referring to Appropriate Resources

• “Your needs are outside of the services that we can provide to you. I am encouraging you to call ⁠ (a therapist, hospital, mental health center, etc.) to get further assistance. I have a few phone numbers I could give you.”