Crisis houses

Domain V · Systemic, relational, group & community · United Kingdom

What it is

A crisis house is a service model, not a therapy. It is a small residential unit, usually in an ordinary converted house, that offers a short stay with 24-hour support to adults in acute mental health crisis. It is meant for people who cannot be supported at home but do not need, or do not want, an…

Format

• Version followed: the UK residential crisis house model as described by the NIHR/SDO "Alternatives Study" group (Johnson, Gilburt, Lloyd-Evans, Slade, Morant, Osborn and colleagues, 2007–2010). Its working detail comes from four published exemplars: Drayton Park Women's Crisis House (NHS, Camden &…
• A crisis house is a service model, not a therapy. It is a small residential unit, usually in an ordinary converted house, that offers a short stay with 24-hour support to adults in acute mental health crisis. It is meant for people who cannot be supported at home but do not need, or do not want, an…

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Is there physical contact? Was it explained beforehand, and do you feel free to say no or stop at any point?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• How do you and the practitioner understand what is happening, in spiritual or cultural terms? Is that a source of comfort, worry, or both?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• Overload. Agree a gradual level of activity.
• Low staffing at night and weekends is a known weakness.
• Distress spiking after a disclosure. Return to grounding (4.10).
• A clear end date from day one reduces later conflict over extensions.
• Missed meeting times as an early sign of withdrawal or deterioration.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.