Crisis Support vs. Clinical Intervention
Lesson: Navigating Crisis & Self-Care
Time Estimate: ~10 minutes
- Reading Time: ~6 minutes (1,050 words / 175 wpm)
- Activity: Decision-making scenario (5-7 minutes)
📖 Learning Objectives
By the end of this topic, you will be able to:
✅ Differentiate between peer crisis support and clinical crisis intervention
✅ Identify what is and isn’t within the peer support role during a crisis
✅ Use warm handoffs and referrals to ensure peers receive the appropriate support
🔍 Understanding Your Role in Crisis Support
As a Peer Support Specialist, you are often one of the first people a peer turns to in a time of distress. While your role is critical in providing emotional support and connection, it’s important to understand where peer support ends and professional crisis intervention begins.
✔ Peer support is about listening, validating, and connecting peers to resources
✔ Clinical intervention is about assessment, crisis stabilization, and treatment
✔ Knowing your role ensures ethical, effective, and safe support for peers
🗣️ “Peer specialists are supporters, not crisis responders. Our job is to walk with someone through the moment, not to fix or treat the crisis.”
⚖️ What Peer Crisis Support IS and ISN’T
Many crisis situations involve high emotions, confusion, and distress. The most effective peer support happens when specialists stay within their role while ensuring the peer is connected to the right level of care.
✅ Peer Support in a Crisis
✔ Being present – Staying calm and offering reassurance
✔ Listening nonjudgmentally – Letting the peer express their emotions
✔ Validating their experience – Acknowledging their pain and struggles
✔ Encouraging safety – Helping the peer find a safe space to process emotions
✔ Connecting to resources – Providing information and warm handoffs to professional services
🚫 What Peer Support Specialists Do NOT Do in a Crisis
❌ Diagnose or assess risk levels – This is the role of licensed professionals
❌ Provide therapy or crisis counseling – Peers support but do not treat
❌ Physically intervene – Peer specialists should never restrain or handle crisis situations alone
❌ Make decisions for the peer – Instead, they empower the peer to seek appropriate help
Example: If a peer expresses suicidal thoughts, a peer specialist does not assess risk or create a safety plan, but instead connects them to crisis services while offering emotional support.
🚨 When to Refer to Professional Crisis Services
Some situations require immediate clinical or emergency intervention. Knowing when to refer or seek outside support ensures that peers receive the best care possible.
Signs That a Peer Needs Immediate Professional Help
🚨 Expresses a clear plan or intent to harm themselves or others
🚨 Is experiencing a severe mental health episode (psychosis, paranoia, extreme distress)
🚨 Is unable to stay safe or function in the present moment
🚨 Shows signs of overdose or medical distress
✅ What You Can Do:
1️⃣ Stay calm and present – Offer support without escalating the situation
2️⃣ Encourage professional help – Let the peer know you are there to help them access services
3️⃣ Use a warm handoff – If possible, facilitate the connection instead of just giving information
🚫 What NOT to Do:
❌ Try to handle the crisis alone
❌ Minimize or ignore their distress
❌ Force them into a decision—allow them agency while ensuring safety
Example: Instead of saying, “You need to calm down,” try “I hear that you’re feeling really overwhelmed right now. Would it be okay if we reach out to someone together?”
🤝 Using Warm Handoffs & Referrals
A warm handoff is when you personally assist a peer in connecting with a crisis service or professional resource rather than just providing contact information. This approach increases engagement and reduces feelings of abandonment.
How to Do a Warm Handoff:
✔ Explain the referral in a supportive way – “There’s a crisis line that many people find helpful. Would you like to call together?”
✔ Offer to assist in the process – Sitting with the peer while they make the call can reduce anxiety
✔ Follow up if appropriate – Check in later to see if they were able to access support
✅ Better Approach: Instead of just handing a peer a hotline number, say:
“Would you like me to stay with you while you make the call?”
🗣️ “Warm handoffs ensure that peers don’t feel alone when reaching out for help.”
📌 Key Takeaways
✔ Peer support is about listening, validating, and connecting peers to resources.
✔ Peer specialists do not diagnose, assess risk, or provide crisis intervention.
✔ Some crisis situations require professional services—knowing when to refer is critical.
✔ Using warm handoffs increases the likelihood that a peer will engage with crisis resources.
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📚 References & Research
📖 SAMHSA’s National Guidelines for Behavioral Health Crisis Care (SAMHSA.gov)
📖 National Association of Peer Supporters (NAPS) Ethical Crisis Support Guidelines (NAPS.org)
📖 The Role of Peer Specialists in Crisis Intervention – Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research