Crisis Intervention Psychotherapy in the Age of COVID-19

Abstract

Crisis intervention psychotherapy (CIP) is an underutilized form of therapy that can be offered as a treatment during psychiatric disasters and emergencies, and it may be especially useful during the age of Coronavirus Disease 2019 . CIP is a problem-solving, solution-focused, trauma-informed treatment, utilizing an individual or systemic/familycentered approach. CIP is a brief form of psychotherapy delivered as a companion or followup to psychological first aid. Crisis psychotherapy is designed to resolve a crisis and restore daily functioning. CIP can be adapted as a single session for a COVID-19 mental health emergency or for a hotline or as 2 to 20 sessions of treatment with COVID-19 patients and families offered virtually on a psychiatric inpatient unit, through a consultation-liaison service, or in outpatient settings. This article reviews the history of critical incident stress management and the use of its replacement, psychological first aid. The history and core principles of crisis psychotherapy and 8 core elements of treatment are described. The use of digital and virtual technology has enabled the delivery of crisis psychotherapy during the COVID-19 pandemic. A case study of a family impacted by COVID-19 is reported as an illustration. The use of a 6-week timeline, an ecological map, and a problem-solving wheel-and-spoke treatment plan are demonstrated.

Virtualization of psychological emergency care in mental health in the COVID-19 pandemic

“…In the US, the literature points out that the level of citizens suffering due to the COVID-19 pandemic was very intense, bringing impacts to mental health such as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress (Park et al, 2021); it is thus indicated to seek forms of psychological intervention during the crisis (Feinstein, 2021). Thus, an intervention that proved to be very prominent in this context was constituted by the PFA, used as a means of establishing social support networks (Barbarin et al, 2021;Saltzman, 2020).…”

Socio-Ecological Influences on HIV Care Engagement: Perspectives of Young Black Men Who Have Sex with Men Living with HIV in the Southern US

“…In addition, after a confirmatory diagnosis, some participants experienced mental distress which made it difficult to link to care. Consequently, screening all patients who receive an HIV + result for the need for evidence-based crisis debriefing and counseling [ 32 ] and providing referrals for ongoing mental health services may be beneficial for facilitating care engagement. Finally, while several young men reported experiencing stigma, by and large, stigma was not described as influencing care engagement.…”

Psychological treatment of traumatic memories in COVID‐19 survivors

“…The focus of the literature on the psychological impacts and interventions of the pandemic era has been mainly directed towards health care workers and special populations (David et al, 2021; Liu et al, 2021; Rodrigues et al, 2021). A few studies have been published about the psychotherapies in use, specifically about the role of mindfulness (Kang et al, 2021; Osman et al, 2021), crisis intervention psychotherapy (Feinstein, 2021), cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) (Lewis et al, 2020) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) (Bongaerts et al, 2021; Fogliato et al, 2022; McGowan et al, 2021). Mindfulness, defined as ‘the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment by moment’, has emerged as a valid intervention for targeting symptoms of avoidance and negative cognitions, including self‐blame, shame and guilt among PTSD patients (Banks et al, 2015; Kabat‐Zinn, 2003).…”

“…It is a brief form of psychotherapy delivered as a companion or follow‐up to psychological first aid. Crisis psychotherapy is designed to resolve a crisis and restore daily functioning (Feinstein, 2021). CBT is effective in trauma treatment because it encourages patients to re‐evaluate their thinking patterns in order to identify unhelpful patterns (‘distortions’) in thoughts, such as overgeneralizing bad outcomes, negative thinking and always expecting catastrophic outcomes, to more balanced and effective thinking patterns.…”