36 | APRIL 25 • 2024 
J
N

W

e all experience 
crisis in our 
lifetimes, whether 
that is something expected 
or something unexpected 
and tragic. In the midst 
of it, we feel 
overwhelmed 
and temporarily 
unable to 
cope. But for 
many people, 
with time and 
support the 
crisis resolves. 
For some though, that 
chaotic time of crisis is 
processed inside our brains 
and bodies as trauma, and 
that can disrupt our lives for 
much longer. While every 
trauma has a reaction to a 
very stressful crisis at its 
root, not every crisis has to 
be processed as a trauma. 
Why does this matter? 

WHEN AN EVENT IS 
PROCESSED AS TRAUMA
When we experience a crisis 
in our own lives, or see, 
hear or learn about an event 
that is deeply disturbing, 
shocking and totally outside 
our normal experience, 
we feel unsafe. And the 
danger can be reinforced 
each time we read about it 
on social media, causing us 

to feel overwhelmed and 
helpless, triggering our 
built-in physiologic response 
to stress, which can vary 
tremendously from person 
to person. This can impact 
us in a variety of ways, 
ranging from disrupted 
sleep, anxiety, agitation, 
shallow breathing and a 
pounding heart, to difficulty 
processing or remembering 
information, confusion, 
irritation, increased sadness 
and uncontrollable crying as 
examples. 
This stress response is 
a normal reaction to an 
abnormal event. We are 
biologically hardwired to 
respond to stressful events 
in this way in order to act 
swiftly to keep ourselves 

safe and out of harm’s way. 
In short, stress isn’t just 
an emotion we feel, but it’s 
something that lives in our 
bodies. 
For many, these symptoms 
resolve on their own, but, 
for some, symptoms can 
persist. These lingering 
signs of acute stress are not 
a sign of mental illness, but 
if unaddressed they can 
leave us more vulnerable to 
developing Post Traumatic 
Stress Disorder (PTSD). 
The good news is that a 
single conversation with a 
trained crisis intervention 
first responder can help 
people return to their 
normal baseline functioning 
much sooner and reduce 
the likelihood of developing 

PTSD. Luckily, help is readily 
available in the community. 
The JFS Crisis Support 
Team has been intervening 
when requested for the past 
two years and has begun 
training others in hopes 
that there will be enough 
trained interventionists that 
no community member will 
experience a crisis alone. 
Typically, interventions 
happen as a one-time 
appointment and last 
no more than an hour. 
During that time, the 
interventionist follows a 
model specifically designed 
to help people return to 
baseline functioning. Ideally, 
this takes place in the first 
48 hours following a crisis 
but can still be helpful if that 
48-hour window has passed.

WHEN DO I CALL FOR 
THIS TYPE OF CRISIS 
SUPPORT?
JFS Crisis Support 
interventions are for life 
crises in which we struggle 
to shut down our physiologic 
response to stress. That 
means that an event occurs 
that triggers the physical, 
emotional, cognitive and 
behavioral symptoms 
described above, and these 
symptoms do not resolve 

Lynn Breuer, 
LMSW, CDP

HEALTH

Crisis Intervention in our 
Community: How JFS Can Help

