Crisis Intervention Theory

Crisis Intervention Theory Crisis intervention theory was first introduced in the early 1940’s by Erich Lindemann (Turner, 2011). This theory was introduced in 1942 when a fire killed almost 500 people at a night club in Boston Massachusetts. Several of the doors at this night club were boarded up and bolted shut because this nightclub previously served as an illegal bar during prohibition. There was only one exit at the front of the building. Erich Lindemann and some of his colleagues observed the survivors of this tragedy and documented their responses which included behavioral changes, emotional responses like grief and guilt and somatic responses (Turner, 2011). Turner (2011) describes how in 1964 Caplan continued to develop crisis intervention theory.
Caplan conceptualized that people generally live their lives in a steady state of homeostasis. Events occur throughout life that challenge the homeostasis, and the individual mobilizes resources (physical, psychological, emotional, intellectual, and social) to restore balance, when the balance is not quickly restored or a solution to the challenge is not evident, the experience to the …show more content…
This therapy focuses on the future rather than the past. The main intervention used is goal setting. The setting of specific, concrete, and realistic goals is an important component of solution-focused therapy (Trepper et al., 2008). Smaller goals are more beneficial than larger ones. Clients are encouraged to come up with their own goals as a solution to their problems. The therapist and client frequently revisit these goals, discussing how close they are to their goals and determining the next steps. The solution-focused therapy also relies on a cooperative therapeutic alliance with the client, focusing on the solutions rather than the problem and focusing on the future and goal