MECHANISMS OF CHANGE AND THE INTERNAL LOGIC OF RESTORING REALISM IN CRISIS INTERVENTION

Abstract

Purpose. To highlight the contextualization of the mechanisms that ensure the movement of advisoryvariables and the outline of the internal logic of restoring realism in the process of crisis intervention. Methods.The methodological support is represented by the theory of field behavior (Lewin, 1951); existential paradigm(Yalom, 2017; Bugental, 1999); existential analysis (Längle, 2011); transtheoretical existential-systemicconcept (Kalishchuk, 2020). Results. The reorganization of the semantic fields of the client’s mind is the coreprocess of post-crisis growth. Understanding meaning as an instrument of human discovery of the world leadsus to the conclusion that finding a connection between the signifier (crisis situation, crisis state) and the signified(finding contextual and regulatory meanings) should be considered as the client’s finding a subjective referencepoint in experiencing a crisis event and stabilization in the post-crisis period. The mechanisms of change in crisis intervention ensure that the client’s statement “I-Can-Be-Here-In-The-Crisis” is enriched with the foundmeanings. The author outlines a five-step algorithm for crisis intervention. The meaning and content of eachstep is revealed, in particular, normalization, externalization, reformulation, finding resources, and buildinga perspective. The correlation with the complex reality manifests the resources of the client’s personal powerto resist challenges, as well as to accept and endure reality. Endurance is the main activity that is alwaysat the client’s disposal. Conclusions. Psychological crisis intervention is a methodical procedure of shorttermassistance provided to a person in order to interrupt the downward spiral of experiencing “impossibility”and restore the picture of the world by finding regulatory meanings, resources, endurance, self-confidence,and supports. This process begins with the client’s “encounter” with difficult circumstances from the experienceactualized by the crisis event. And it is this “experience-response” of the client that lays the unique pathof the counseling strategy.