Therapist's Guide to Clinical Intervention - Sigmund Freud

7. Distract yourself
A. Find something to replace negative response patterns like going for a walk, calling
a friend, meditating
8. Create options
A. Give yourself permission to do what would be helpful and have a backup plan
where a husband or someone else can take care of tasks while you
1. Take a bath
2. Exercise
3. Engage in specific relaxation techniques
4. Meditate
5. Listen to music
6. Pray
9. Be reasonable
A. Remind yourself that it won't last forever
B. Only do what needs to be done
C. Get help
10. Set limits on telephone time
11. Limit visits from family and friends
12. Assert yourself to conserve energy, say no
13. Talk about your experience with someone you trust
14. Deal with difficult feelings
A. Feelings of loss for the perfect pregnancy
B. Feelings of loss for the perfect mother-baby experience
C. Correct romanticizing childbirth and new motherhood
D. Feelings of guilt
E. Feelings of failure
F. Low self-esteem
G. Fear
Adapted from Kleiman & Raskin (1984). This Isn't What I Expected. Bantam Books.
PROFESSIONAL GUIDELINES FOR CRISIS INTERVENTION
If this is a crisis group instead of an individual session, address group rules, identify group
goals, and establish an outline for the series of group sessions.
1. Explain the professional process. Therapist's role, client's role, issues of
confidentiality, expectations, and goals.
2. Elicit the client's description of what occurred. Encourage a thorough description
of visual, auditory, and olfactory experience. Does the client play a role in what
happened. If not, what do they know about it, and how did they learn about it.
3. Review their previous level of functioning and rule out a cumulative effect from
prior crisis experiences which have not been resolved.
Professional Guidelines for Crisis Intervention 145