Why Crisis Skills Matter
Your clients will have emotional emergencies. Anxiety spikes. Anger flares. Distress becomes unbearable. In those moments, your clients need tools that work immediately—not next week, not after they've practiced for a month. Now.
Crisis skills aren't about solving problems. They're about surviving the moment until clients can think clearly again.
Core Concepts: Surviving Without Making Things Worse
When your client's emotions reach crisis level, the goal isn't to fix everything—it's to get through the moment safely.
- Distress Tolerance: Your clients learn that they can survive uncomfortable emotions without acting on them. Emotions are temporary—even the intense ones pass.
- No Permanent Decisions in Temporary States: Your clients learn to recognize when they're in crisis—and to delay major decisions until they're thinking clearly.
- Body-Based Calming: When your client's brain is hijacked by emotion, thinking their way out doesn't work. Physical interventions work faster.
When to Use Crisis Skills
Use crisis skills when your clients are experiencing:
- Panic attacks or severe anxiety
- Feeling rage or intense anger
- Overwhelmed to the point of shutdown
- Tempted by impulsive decisions
- Emotional pain that feels unbearable
Evidence-Based Approach: These crisis skills are adapted from DBT's Distress Tolerance module, specifically modified for coaching contexts. They provide immediate relief without requiring clinical intervention.
The 5 Essential Crisis Skills
TIPP Technique
Rapidly calm intense emotions through physiological intervention. Temperature, Intense exercise, Paced breathing, Paired muscle relaxation. This technique works by changing your body chemistry to calm emotional arousal.
Explore This Skill →Sensory Grounding for Crisis
Use physical sensations to interrupt emotional spirals. Ice cubes, cold water, strong scents, textured objects—sensory input breaks the cycle of overwhelming emotion and brings clients back to the present moment.
Explore This Skill →Distraction Techniques
Temporarily shift attention away from overwhelming emotions. Activities, Contributing, Comparisons, Emotions (opposite), Pushing away, Thoughts, Sensations. Buy time until the emotional intensity decreases.
Explore This Skill →STOP for Crisis
Create a pause before impulsive action. Stop, Take a step back, Observe, Proceed mindfully. This simple four-step process prevents clients from making decisions they'll regret when emotions are running high.
Explore This Skill →Pros and Cons
Make better decisions in crisis by evaluating consequences. What happens if I act on this urge? What happens if I don't? This structured analysis helps clients choose wisely even when emotions are intense.
Explore This Skill →