When your teen is in the middle of a crisis, you want to be there for them, but you are not sure how when everything you do is only met with more tears or yelling. Sometimes the best thing you can do is keep them safe and wait for them to calm down until they can communicate better. A teen crisis intervention will provide the tools you and your teen need to navigate this difficult time.
Understanding Teen Crisis Intervention
Being a teenager is not an easy time. Bodies are changing, hormones are increasing, and sometimes their thoughts and emotions can cause confusion and frustration. On top of that, how they appear to their peers and on social media is a big concern and can lead to a significant crisis if they face ridicule or bullying. If you don’t deal with the crisis right away, it can significantly affect their future mental health and prosperity.
Signs of a Teen Mental Health Crisis
The first thing you need to understand is how to recognize the signs of a crisis so you can get them on the right track. While each teen is unique and they can experience different symptoms, some common signs of a crisis in teens include:
- Intense mood swings
- Crying for no reason
- Withdrawing from family and friends
- Changes in sleeping habits
- Changes in appetite
- Confusion and memory loss
- Self-harming or suicidal thoughts
- Increasing self-destructive behavior
Often it can seem like these changes happen overnight, but some types of crisis can grow over time, making it difficult to pinpoint the original cause. That is why it is essential to recognize these signs right away and talk with your teen. If you recognize any of these signs and feel your teen is in crisis, reach out to Imagine Seattle to learn about teen crisis counseling.
Crisis intervention gives teens tools to calm their minds, regulate intense emotions, and feel safe enough to talk through what’s going on. Many of these techniques are simple, yet they can be powerful when used in the middle of a stressful moment.
Here are some of the most helpful strategies:
Meditation: Helping Teens Slow Down Racing Thoughts
Meditation teaches teens how to pause and take a mental step back when emotions feel overwhelming. It helps them notice what they’re feeling without getting swept away by it.
Over time, this practice can build self-awareness and give your teen a greater sense of control in stressful situations.
How to Try It:
- Have your teen sit or lie in a comfortable position and close their eyes.
- Guide them to focus on their breathing or repeat a calming word in their mind.
- Even two to three minutes of quiet focus can help lower their heart rate and ease anxiety.
Grounding with the Five Senses: Pulling Teens Back to the Present
Grounding techniques work by shifting your teen’s focus from overwhelming thoughts to what’s around them right now. Using the five senses interrupts spiraling emotions and helps them feel safer in their body.
How to Try It:
Ask your teen to name:
- 5 things they can see
- 4 things they can touch
- 3 things they can hear
- 2 things they can smell
- 1 thing they can taste
This exercise is especially helpful for teens experiencing panic, anger, or dissociation.
Breathing Exercises: Restoring Calm, One Breath at a Time
When your teen is stressed, their breathing often becomes shallow and fast, which can make anxiety worse. Slowing their breath helps activate the body’s natural calming response.
How to Try It:
- Inhale deeply through the nose for 4 counts.
- Hold for 2 counts.
- Exhale slowly through the mouth for 6 counts.
- Repeat for a few minutes or until they begin to relax.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation: Releasing Tension From Head to Toe
When emotions run high, physical tension often builds in the body. Progressive muscle relaxation teaches teens to notice and release this tension, helping them feel more grounded.
How to Try It:
- Starting at the feet, ask your teen to tighten their muscles for 5 seconds, then release.
- Move up the body: legs, stomach, hands, arms, shoulders, and face.
- This physical release can help their mind follow suit.
Visualization: Creating a Mental Safe Space
For some teens, imagining a peaceful place can provide an emotional escape from the intensity of a crisis. Visualization helps lower stress and gives them something positive to focus on.
How to Try It:
- Ask your teen to close their eyes and picture a place where they feel safe and calm.
- Encourage them to imagine details: the sounds, smells, and colors of their safe space.
- They can return to this image whenever stress rises.
Journaling or Drawing: Letting Emotions Out Safely
Crisis moments often bring emotions teens don’t know how to express verbally. Writing or drawing gives them an outlet to release these feelings in a non-destructive way.
How to Try It:
- Keep a small notebook or sketchpad on hand.
- Encourage your teen to write about what they’re feeling or draw an image that matches their emotions.
- This can provide clarity and help start conversations once they’re calmer.
Teen Crisis Intervention Frameworks to Try
When your teen is in crisis, it can feel like everything is happening all at once: big emotions, tense conversations, and a rush to figure out what they need. Teen crisis intervention frameworks are designed to take some of that pressure off.
They give parents, caregivers, and professionals a step-by-step way to calm the situation and help a teen feel safe enough to start working through what’s going on.
SAFER-R Model
One of the most commonly used is the SAFER-R model, which breaks crisis intervention into six key steps:
- Stabilize – Create a sense of safety. This might mean taking your teen to a quieter space or removing triggers that are making things worse.
- Acknowledge – Let your teen know their feelings are valid. Even saying, “I can see this is a lot for you right now,” can help them feel heard.
- Facilitate Understanding – Gently help them put words to what they’re feeling. Many teens struggle to explain their emotions in the middle of a crisis, so staying calm and patient here is important.
- Encourage Coping – Suggest healthy ways to manage the moment, like deep breathing, holding a grounding object, or texting a trusted friend.
- Restore Functioning or Refer – Once your teen feels a little calmer, help them think about next steps. If the crisis is serious, this might mean reaching out to a mental health professional or a crisis line for immediate support.
Roberts’ 7-Step Model
Another approach, Roberts’ 7-Step Model, is often used by counselors but has takeaways parents can use too.It starts with checking for immediate safety concerns, then moves through these steps:
- Build trust – Stay calm and show your teen you’re there to support them without judgment.
- Identify what’s causing the crisis – Help them talk about what triggered their intense emotions or behavior.
- Explore feelings – Gently guide them to express their thoughts and emotions in their own words.
- Create a short-term plan – Work together on simple next steps to help them feel more in control, even if it’s just taking a break or reaching out to someone they trust.
Finding a Starting Point
These frameworks don’t make you an instant expert (and they’re not a replacement for professional help), but they do give you a clear starting point when your teen needs you to stay grounded.
Knowing what to do in those first few moments can make a big difference while you work on getting them connected to the right support.
Learn More About Teen Crisis Intervention at Imagine Seattle
At Imagine Seattle, we help teens aged 12-17 struggling with a crisis through our crisis intervention in Seattle.
We offer a wide range of therapy programs that include:
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy
- Dialectical behavior therapy
- Trauma therapy
- Family therapy
- Group therapy
Contact us today to speak with our compassionate staff or reach out to us online to learn more about our teen crisis intervention program if your teen struggles with a crisis.
