Crisis Intervention From A Biblical Perspective

It will be the emphasis of this paper to analyze the utilization of Biblical concepts and perspective in crisis intervention theory. The Biblical perspective that can be used in crisis intervention theory by the crisis worker is radical in that it assists the patient and community in looking first at their current crises as temporal but spiritually needing attention. Then the person or community in crises focuses on their coping methods and resiliency with a renewed strength and courage given by God. The Biblical perspective gives the patient and community an over arching perspective that they need to be healthy mentally and physically so that they can be the most effective in serving God and others during the crisis. Secondly, it is important to be able to effectively rely on scientific methods of counseling at the initial onset of crises intervention theory, and this most effectively can be carried out by cognitive-behavioral methods. Finally, while utilizing Biblical and cognitive-behavioral methods it is important for the crisis worker o be able to define to the patient or community that the current prevalent normalcy bias has grown to be so paralyzing it endangers effective coping methods and resiliency within both secular and Christian worlds. Once the Biblical crisis intervention theory is initiated, the normalcy bias is defined and eradicated, and the cognitive-behavioral method defines coping methods and a path to resiliency the crisis intervention theory is set. The patient or community will be the most effective during, after, and avoiding a future crisis. Crisis workers who may be Christian ministers, missionaries, community leaders, and Christian disciples will be able to assist either a Christian or non-Christian patient or community. This new radical perspective of service for God being the first priority will assist in coping and healing from a crisis, and within the new perspective understand what that crisis brought them: spiritual, physical, and mental growth.

"For the scientist who has lived by faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountain of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls his himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries" (Jastrow, 2000).

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour" 1 Peter 5:8 (ASV). Kanel (2010, p.1) defines a crises within "a trilogy definition in which there are three parts of a crises which are: (1) a precipitating event; (2) a perception of the event that causes subjective distress; and (3) the failure of a person's usual coping methods, which causes a person experiencing the precipitating event to function at a lower level than before the event." Janosik (1986, p. 4) defines crisis through the lens of "precipitating events, behavioral responses, failed efforts to cope, and disrupted equilibrium." Crises and the human reaction to crises has been one of the true givens since creation. Crisis as we see in our current day and in the next decade will drastically increase on this fallen world as the nations are shook, and the final drama between good and evil are played out. Crises Intervention Theory is effectively defined by Greenstone and Leviton (2002) as "a timely and skillful intrusion into a personal or community crises to defuse a potentially disastrous situation before physical or emotional destruction occurs. The intervener makes attempts to return the sufferer to a level of pre-crisis functioning at a time when his or her life lacks structure." (p.1-2). Thus, one of the most important skills of watchful crisiss workers is to morph their crisis intervention theory and counseling with a biblical perspective. These workers will be the leaders who God will to call to minister, counsel, and guide their patients and surrounding communities. Their leadership will be a rock in a sea of shock, denial, fear, and retreat. They will be able to take personal and community crises and lead people to an understanding of what is happening, why it's happening and then most importantly faith and strength in Jesus Christ. Within this process they will be able to combine faith and effective crises intervention theory based on medical and psychological scientific methods to assist their patients, their churches, and communities to cope with the current crises, while building resiliency which will then allow them to grow and become leaders.

As we see crises in our current world they are either caused by man, nature, or a combination of both. One of the most important facts that a crisis worker need to understand is that every human being has a different perspective and method of analyzing and processing what events are defined as a crises. Once this is understood, the person or community group as a whole may be descriptively defined as entering, currently in, or the crisis is on the horizon. Once this fact is confirmed by the patient group the planning and action of crisis intervention counseling can be initiated. The goal of every crisis worker is to assist the patient group with establishing effective coping methods and having them developing resiliency. The most effective scientific method of crises intervention counseling theory that works (not weakens) within a Christian Biblical perspective is cognitive behavioral theory. Cognitive Behavioral theory counseling will initiate once the crises worker completes effective ABC model of crisis intervention and management analyses on the community or patient. Kanel (2007) states "The ABC model of crisis intervention is based on Jones's (1968) A-B-C Method of crises management, with its three stage process: A, achieving contact, B, boiling the problem down to basics, and C, coping." (p.69). Once the patient or group community has been in contact with the crisis worker, and the problems and crises have been defined down to the basic foundation, then they can the initiate the Cognitive Behavioral theory of counseling with the patient or group to build coping methods and resiliency. Kanel lists the primary steps of "Cognitive-Behavioral crisis intervention theories as:

1. Defining the Problem

2. Review ways that you have already tried to correct the problem.

3. Decide what you want when the problem is solved.

4. Brainstorm alternatives.

5. Select alternatives and commit to following through with them." (p.19).

This framework will be the outline that then leads to the crisis worker focusing on the individual's perceptions in