Crisis Intervener

The first situation in which a child could go into crisis, would be that of witnessing a divorce between their parents. Divorce is incredibly common in our society, and even when it isn’t considered a messy divorce, its effects can be catastrophic for a child. When responding to a child experiencing this kind of crisis, it is important to establish a meaningful connection and meeting with them. If the child was young, I would arrange a meeting in which they were able to create art work, talk about their feelings and fears and explain to me what things have been like for them through the divorce. An accurate response would be to remind them that everything will be okay and that your support is guaranteed whenever they need it. After establishing

When a case of sexual abuse has occurred against a child, the most efficient responses as a first responder or crisis intervener are extremely important. According to our textbook, there are a few different steps that one may take in serious situations such as this. The Interviewer or crisis intervener must investigate the situation. If they believe that a crime has occurred, the child has expressed this or they see physical harm or injury, they must complete the investigation and create their report. Once the report has been made, contact to a child protection agency is then completed. When a child has been sexually abused, it is generally pertinent to remove the child from the home to a safe place. This can be so the abuse does not continue, and so any abuse that may be inflicted by the confession of the incidents, does not arise and cause harm for the child. Contact to a law enforcement agency to report the sexual abuse is then made, so legal action can further be taken against the perpetrator. In this situation, I think the most important step is removing the child. Once they feel as though they are in a safe place, I think this is when a plan of action for counseling services can be recommended and created, to help the victim recover and

No child may be alike, and while they appear to be strong, they could be developing unhealthy patterns of coping to the crisis, or denying it all together. Some common reactions and effects to being in a state of crisis are as follows: “They may get poor grades because they are unable to concentrate in school or do their homework. They may act out violent behaviors toward objects, animals, siblings, and school- mates. Additional behavioral and psychiatric ramifications which may be observed in a child victim, particularly in intrafamilial child sexual cases, may include affective problems (guilt, shame, anxiety, fear, depression, anger, low self-esteem, negative self-concept), physical complications (injuries, pregnancy, diseases), cognitive changes (short attention span), behavioral problems (misbehavior, antisocial behavior, isolation, delinquency, stealing, tantrums, substance abuse, withdrawal), self-destructive behaviors (mutilation, suicide), psychopathological behaviors (neurosis, multiple personalities), sexual behaviors (excessive masturbation, repetition of sexual acts with others, atypical sexual knowledge), social problems (interpersonal relationships), and Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder” (Berliner & Wheeler, 1987; Lusk & Waterman, 1986; Mickish, 1995). Children’s developmental stages are the most important factor in deciding proper forms of treatment or responses, they can greatly affect the