Therapist's Guide to Clinical Intervention - Sigmund Freud

Losses such as death, divorce, relocation, and job change, and new or frightening experiences
such as a physical trauma or hospitalization are frequently thought of in terms of what
a crisis means. However, some positive events such as a marriage, birth of a child, job promotion,
and acceptance to a desired college can also be experienced as a crisis. With any
experience that is new there is some level of stress, expectation of performance, concern of
how to deal with it, and questions about what may happen as a result of it. This can be just
as overwhelming for a person as an event interpreted as a negative experience. When a person
experiences a crisis in relation to a positive experience they may also feel guilty or upset
with themselves expressing that they are confused because this should be a happy or pleasing
experience.
Recognizing and understanding that the crisis is not the event, but the individual's interpretation
of the event allows insight into why two different people may react differently to
the same event. One child may begin school confident, secure, and grown up, while another
child may feel fearful, rejected, or punished. Other events that may trigger a crisis include
loss, loneliness, independence, sexuality, high expectations of performance (by self or others),
and feeling overwhelmed by a situation that is interpreted as being out of their control.
Therefore, everyone has different areas of vulnerability of sensitivity resulting from their
past experiences which will influence their interpretation and response to situations. There
is not an issue or event that across the board will be interpreted as a crisis for every person.
Each person will interpret and react to life experiences in their own unique manner as a
result of personality, disposition, coping ability, support, issues of emotional security, and
previous life experiences will all work together as a person responds to a crisis event.
WHAT HAPPENS DURING A CRISIS
When an event precipitates a crisis there is a disruption in equilibrium and stability. Anxiety
and tension begin to rise. The person tries to understand what is happening and why
it is happening. The less a person is able to understand the situation, the more tension and
anxiety they experience. This can lead to feeling overwhelmed, out of control, and helpless.
With this psychological and emotional experience there may also be feelings of shame,
depression, anger, or guilt. A child may be unable to verbally express their fears or may be
afraid to express them. The confusion of fear, anxiety, and other emotions is the crisis.
When preparing yourself to help children deal with life events that they may interpret and
experience as a crisis, it is helpful to consider the following:
1. Children tend to be self-centered. This is especially true of young children and
adolescents. They seem to interpret things as if the world revolves around
them—everything is taken personally. Because of this they may interpret
themselves as being the cause of something that they have no power or
control of, which can be overwhelming.
2. Children tend to interpret things in a literal or concrete manner. This can
cause a crisis via misunderstanding. For example, telling a child that death is
like sleep, or having a medical or dental procedure won't hurt because they
will be knocked out. What the parent means and what the child interprets such
statements as meaning are likely to be different.
3. Fantasy is reality for young children. This could be a situation in which one
parent is seeking divorce and the child fears that they will also be abandoned
or divorced by this parent. Sometimes a child experiences a form of fantasy
called magical thinking, which means that a child has a belief that they had the
power to make something happen by thinking it. An example of this is when a
412 3. Skill-Building Resources for Increasing Social Competency