Crisis Response Tools
Overview
Access crisis response tools that are designed to provide immediate support and guidance for individuals facing a range of intense situations, such as emotional distress, thoughts of suicide, and/or withdrawal from substances. Each tool offers practical strategies and resources to support managing difficult moments and finding a pathway to safety, stability, and wellbeing.
Courses
Lowering the Temperature: De-Escalation Strategies
This course helps learners to identify and manage high-stress conflict situations and apply de-escalation strategies when necessary. The goal of de-escalation is to build rapid rapport and a sense of connectedness with an agitated person to reduce the likelihood of escalation to physical violence.
Printable Tools
Addressing Suicidal Thinking
Many people experiencing homelessness may feel hopeless or overwhelmed. Some people in this situation may begin to have thoughts of suicide. Use this informative tip sheet to learn strategies to identify and respond to the immediate mental health needs of people experiencing suicidal thoughts.
Basic Psychological First Aid
Many people are feeling overwhelmed and emotionally distressed, which can impact emotional wellbeing. Psychological First Aid (PFA) offers practical skills to use when supporting people in crisis. Download this wallet card to remember basic PFA skills and enhance the emotional wellbeing of people in crisis.
Managing Intense Emotions
Emergencies and disasters are significant stressors that cause intense feelings of fear for many people. Disaster services workers (DSWs) and other community support staff may interact with people who appear shut down or frustrated as a result of feeling intense fear, which may lead to agitation. Download this tip sheet to learn skills to support those exhibiting intense emotions during times of crisis effectively and with compassion.
Safety and De-escalation During a Crisis
People behave unsafely when they feel unsafe; the many stressors related to crises can make people feel more vulnerable and insecure. Download this tip sheet to help you gain strategies for helping distressed people feel safe while keeping yourself safe.
Videos
Psychological First Aid for Disaster Service Workers: Supporting People Experiencing Homelessness During the COVID-19 Pandemic
People with lived experience of homelessness during COVID-19 may be in need of basic care, comfort, and mental health support. Disaster Service Workers providing support to those with lived experiences of homelessness require unique knowledge and skills to provide effective and compassionate care. Watch this webinar to learn Psychological First Aid skills to support people with lived experience of homelessness, as well as stress management and self-care skills to support your own emotional health during COVID-19.
When Students Talk About Suicide
How can you provide support when a student demonstrates signs or talks about suicide? In this explainer video, ways in which everyone plays a role in suicide prevention are discussed. Learn tips about how to approach conversations regarding suicide prevention.
Video Series
Suicide Prevention in a Virtual Classroom
While teachers have always played a vital role in the emotional development and safety of students, remote learning in response to the COVID-19 pandemic presents new challenges for identifying students at risk of self-harm or even suicide. Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services created this three-part “just in time” video series in collaboration with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health + UCLA Prevention Center of Excellence to provide teachers with clear guidelines, talking points, and tools for recognizing and responding to warning signs in ...
Learning Experiences
Suicide Prevention and the Safe Storage of Firearms: Conversations for Everyone
There are many ways we can ensure we are as healthy as possible. We all know some of the basics: eating well, getting enough sleep, exercising regularly, and so on. Another way is the safe storage of firearms. Learn more about this and suicide prevention in this course.
Learning Pathways
Navigating Youth Challenges: Understanding and Addressing Self-Harm and Suicidality in Young People
This learning pathway is designed to increase participants’ proficiency in the assessment and prevention of suicide and self-harm among young people. This curriculum provides training in de-escalation strategies and identifies evidence-based interventions to support youth, families, and mental health providers in addressing self-harm and suicide.
Trainings
De-escalation of Anger-Driven Risk
Anger, escalation, and conflict put the safety of our clients and others around them at risk and can lead to long-term interpersonal, legal, and health consequences. This training will address strategies for preventing escalation, intervening with escalated clients, treating anger issues, and managing conflict. The training will introduce participants to validated measures for recognizing and measuring anger to assess both client risk and improvement throughout treatment. We will consider anger management aspects of three different evidence-based practices that are designed for aggression, depression, and traumatic ...
De-escalation of Suicidal Thoughts and Behavior
This 2-hour training will address strategies to stabilize vicious cycles that lead to imminent suicide risk. An organizing model will be presented to illustrate how perceptions of thwarted belongingness and burdensomeness can increase the desire to die. The model will also illustrate how an acquired capability to die by suicide can lead to more lethal attempts. Points within the model that present a risk for escalation will be discussed, with attention to risks within the LGBTQ+ community. Strategies, that can either prevent hospitalization or can ...
Substance Use Disorders 101 (SUD 101)
This training will provide information on the acute and chronic effects and consequences of psychoactive substances commonly used by clients, patients, and consumers. The training will introduce participants to the epidemiology, neurobiology, and behavioral indicators of substance misuse. This training will conceptualize Substance Use Disorder (SUD) diagnostic and assessment considerations in identifying functional impairments. The training will detail intoxication and withdrawal symptoms for a range of commonly-misused substances and provide information on medical consequences of use. Recorded on February 5, 2021. Please note that CEs are ...
Suicide Prevention
Suicide is a serious public health concern and is among the leading causes of death in the United States. Those who attempt or complete suicide are often stigmatized. Service providers are challenged with offering support to vulnerable populations who are at greater risk of suicide than the norm. National efforts have focused on identifying risk factors and strategies to prevent suicide. This training provides an overview of both suicide assessment and prevention and offers in-depth statistics with an emphasis on risk factors and warning signs ...
Training Series
Substance Use and Harm Reduction
This video series demonstrates fundamental skills for working with those that have co-occurring disorders. Harm Reduction, from its historical context to current day implications for COVID-19, are underlined while aligning Motivational Interviewing skills to utilize with diverse populations. Pharmacological interventions for addiction are discussed in the context of Los Angeles programming and resources. This series represents a variety of complementary interventions that allow clinical staff to meet their clients where they are at in safe and dynamic ways.
Articles
September Is National Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month
Suicide is a public health concern that effects people of any age, race, sex, and class. It is complicated, tragic, and oftentimes, there are multiple contributing factors that lead to it, most of which are rooted in untreated mental health conditions.
Understanding Why Person-First Language Is Important When Discussing Substance Use
Substance misuse is a term used to describe the use of illegal drugs and the misuse of legal drugs, including tobacco and alcohol (APHA). Substance misuse contributes to accidental death and illness. Worldwide, alcohol misuse contributes to 3.3 million deaths each year, and another 350,000 die due to other substance use (World Health Organization, 2014).
Websites
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline) provides free and confidential support 24/7 for people in distress, as well as prevention and crisis resources for individuals and professionals in the United States.
