What is Therapeutic Crisis Intervention?
Therapeutic Crisis Intervention, or TCI, is the program used for crises in my school district. (Specifically, we use TCIS – Therapeutic Crisis Intervention for Schools, as opposed to the other programs that are for families or residential settings.) TCI is a trauma-informed, evidence-based model to help prevent, de-escalate, and manage crises. The program was developed by Cornell University for use in children’s residential care facilities and has been adapted for school settings. The goals of TCI are to support students who are experiencing emotional/behavioral crises and to teach coping skills.
The Importance of Behavior Interventions
Many school districts utilize some form of crisis intervention program. Some examples of these programs include CPI, Mandt, and Handle With Care. Crisis intervention is necessary so that we can minimize the number of crisis behaviors that occur, deescalate students before a crisis happens, and respond safely to crisis behaviors.
Components of TCI
The goals of TCI are to TEACH behavioral strategies and SUPPORT students who are in crisis. There are several components of the Therapeutic Crisis Intervention model. Some of these components include:
Behavior Support Techniques
Behavior support techniques are the continuum of moves that adults can make to help manage behaviors. Examples of these include prompting, redirection, making a caring gesture, offering hurdle help, managing the environment, and standing in proximity to the student.
Crisis Co-Regulation
Another element of TCI is crisis co-regulation strategies. When a student’s behavior starts to escalate, staff can intervene in order to prevent a student from moving from agitation to aggression. In crisis co-regulation, a calm adult is able to provide “emotional first aid” to a student by helping them drain off their emotions. Using calming breaths, body language, time, and activre listening, the adult can guide the child to a calmer state.
Physical Interventions
Therapeutic Crisis Intervention does include physical restraint training for adult staff. However, it is important to note that restraints are only used as a last resort, when a child poses an immediate threat to themself or others. Untrained individuals should NEVER perform restraints! Additionally, there is also training in protective maneuvers such as dealing with bites, choking, hair pulls, et cetera.
The Life Space Interview
Finally, one of the most important elements of TCI is the Life Space Interview (LSI). After a crisis, the LSI is the teaching tool used to repair relationships and teach new behaviors. During the LSI, the student and staff member debrief what happened and plan strategies for preventing future occurrences.
Incorporating TCI Behavioral Strategies
Teachers can utilize elements of TCI’s skill-building techniques in the classroom. You may have noticed that many of the behavioral support techniques are things you do already! One of the most important – and simplest! – things you can do is to manage setting conditions. This means managing elements within your control that can make challenging behaviors more likely to occur. An example of a setting condition is the classroom environment. Creating a structured, organized classroom helps prevent behaviors because students know what to expect.
Another important aspect is building and maintaining positive relationships. Remember that you are there to teach and support students! A strong, caring relationship with students helps to prevent difficult behaviors because students feel safe. Another effect is that when challenging behaviors do occur, students will be more responsive to your interventions if they have a trusting relationship with you.
Utilizing Therapeutic Crisis Intervention strategies in the classroom helps me create a calmer environment and teach my students valuable coping skills. Have any questions about TCI? Ask them below!
