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INTRO CRISIS COUNSELING
Introduction to Crisis Counseling Assignment
Author Note
Crisis Definition
The term crisis has numerous of uses, as cited by James and Gilliland (2017). There are
several aspects to consider when categorizing what a crisis is and the effect it has on people. A
crisis is dependent on the perception of an event that is perceived to be threatening, which results
in a change in the person’s functioning that their normal coping mechanisms are not able to
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INTRO CRISIS COUNSELING
handle (Jackson-Cherry & Erford, 2024). A crisis to one person may not be a crisis to another, as
an emphasis of ‘crisis’ is determinant by the perception of the precipitating event (Jackson-
Cherry & Erford, 2024). Two individuals could go through an identical traumatic event, and for
one person it may be considered a crisis and not for the other person. Aspects that are unknown
that have an impact whether an event is a crisis are the person’s current coping mechanisms, the
support and community they have in place, previous trauma and crisis experience, and the
resources they have access to (Jackson-Cherry & Erford, 2024).
The four domains of crises are Developmental Crisis, Situational Crisis, Existential
Crises, and Ecosystemic Crisis. Developmental Crises occurs during traditional transitions of life
stages (Jackson-Cherry & Erford, 2024). These transitions often come challenges of facing new
roles or expectations. A potential crisis for a college student is graduating college. They have
gone through the last three to four years of having freedoms with limited responsibility and are
having to adjust to the transition of the work force where those freedoms once again become
