Crisis Intervention Services
Grief Relief Intervention Team
G.R.I.T. is the crisis intervention platform of
Grief Relief
Crisis interventions can be tailored toward the needs of your organization, community, or group.
Please call our office for specific details and requests: 717-522-6111
GRIT helps with...
Crisis intervention for traumatic/stressful life events within your organization, community, or group
On-site counselors following a traumatic/stressful life event within the organization/community/group
Ongoing interventions for death or non-death related event
Grief Relief is proud to partner with On the Job and Off's First Responder Assistance Program.
F.R.A.P provides support for trauma, stress, depression, anxiety, grief, eating disorders, gambling, substance use, and more.
Our counselors work with volunteer & career emergency service personnel and both individuals and departments are eligible to join.
If you would like to talk to someone about F.R.A.P. call our hotline at 1-855-970-3727
What is GRIT?
Crisis intervention for traumatic/stressful life events within your organization, community, or group
On-site counselors following a traumatic/stressful life event within the organization/community/group
Ongoing interventions for death and non-death related events
Who will respond and what services are provided?
Responders:
At least one licensed therapist/clinician and one crisis-trained responder
Services Provided:
Skills and strategies for coping with the event
Information about the impact of trauma
Education on traumatic/complicated loss & grief
The importance of self-care
What is our approach?
GRIT uses an approach that includes listening, empathizing, validating, educating, legitimizing, and supporting (LEVELS) those who have been affected by the event(s).
Listening – to how individuals/group have experienced the event
Empathizing – acknowledging individual’s/group feelings about the event
Validating – acknowledgement that a person’s reactions such as thoughts, feelings, and behaviors make sense at the time of the event
Educating – providing information to individuals/group about how the event may affect them in the coming days including common reactions and responses to the situation.
Legitimizing – normalizing the individual/group reactions to the event
Supporting – providing support for individual(s) who are in emotional distress related to any natural or human-caused event
What is a crisis?
Crises involve an unexpected event that is beyond the individual's control. Examples of crises include natural disasters, loss of a job, assault, and the sudden death of a loved one.
They cause distress
They overwhelm and challenge an individual’s usual coping skills
They are often precipitated by a traumatic event(s) – natural or human-caused
Examples include natural disasters, loss of a job, assault, and the sudden death of a loved one.
How can a crisis affect individuals?
Immediately after the event, shock and denial are typical. In addition, individuals may experience any or some of the following:
Intrusive thoughts
Anxiety
Avoidance, social withdrawal, detachment
Distressing dreams
Intense distress
Inability to recall
Detachment
Loss of interest
Irritability and anger
Longer term reactions include unpredictable emotions, flashbacks, strained relationships and even physical symptoms like headaches or nausea.
What is crisis intervention and who can benefit from it?
Crisis intervention is a short-term strategy designed to help reduce potential negative effects to an individual(s) who have experienced, witnessed, or been affected by the event in any way.
Crisis intervention is for individuals/groups in emotional distress related to any natural or human-caused disaster in which a person(s) experiences (witnesses or is confronted with):
Actual or threatened death
Serious injury
Threat to the physical integrity of self or another
Learning that an event has occurred
Why is crisis intervention important?
A crisis can include but is not limited to, a homicide, death by suicide, death by overdose, mass casualty events, natural disasters, sudden, unexpected deaths and/or violent deaths.
Crisis intervention is important because it:
Aims to reduce the intensity of the person’s physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral reactions to a crisis.
Differs from other counselling interventions in that it focuses on short-term strategies and support during and immediately after the experience of trauma.
When should I call GRIT?
24-48 hours after the event - provides short-term immediate care, support, and strategies to individuals who have experienced an event that produces any level of distress.
3-7 days after the event – provides short-term strategies and support as soon after the event as the need is determined
Ongoing treatment – individual appointments as needed to process the effects and impact of the event
First Responder Assistance Program (F.R.A.P.)
We realized that first responders weren’t connecting with therapists who were trained to understand the ins and outs of the emergency services. So we created the First Responder Assistance Program.
If you would like to talk to someone about F.R.A.P. call our hotline at 1-855-970-3727
Joining F.R.A.P. grants access for first responders and their families to counselors who are culturally competent in the emergency services.
F.R.A.P provides support for trauma, stress, depression, anxiety, grief, eating disorders, gambling, substance use, and more.
Includes crisis intervention & group debriefings for departments and clear paths to in-patient mental health or substance use treatment if needed.
Our counselors work with volunteer & career emergency service personnel and both individuals and departments are eligible to join.