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Q: What is the difference between responding and reacting to a crisis?
A: When a crisis takes place with an individual with behavioral challenges, staff sometimes react to the crisis instead of responding. Reacting is usually impulsive and involves little to no thinking. This may result in errors in judgment that may cause the individual or staff to become injured. Responding to a crisis means you allow yourself a moment to think and regroup and are therefore better prepared make the right choices and use better judgment. If you ever feel that you are not able to properly respond to a crisis situation or need a break, ask someone to cover for you and take that break. In the end, by removing yourself, you may have helped to make the situation safer for the individual as well as yourself and other staff.