Roberts’s Seven-Stage Crisis Intervention model is among the best for explaining how and why people respond in crisis situations (Yeager & Roberts, 2015). The stages of crisis intervention according to this model take a person down a long and winding trail. One of the reasons why this model is such a good one is that it places problem identification third on the steps. There are some things that people do before they ever properly identify the problems that are taking place within a crisis situation.

For instance, the first thing they do is establish a psychological contact which allows them to then have a collaborative relationship with the person who is in crisis. This is the natural position of human beings, as they are always going to look for the ways to connect with other human beings first before making a logical assessment of the problems that are being faced. It is nonsensical to think that people respond in crisis situations like machines; they are always bound by the constraints of human nature.

Another theory, the Critical Incident Stress Management approach to crisis management, provides for an approach that involves both one-to-one response and team-based responses. Its desire to describe these situations through the context of teams is one of the best things about the model. Quite often, when responding to critical situations, it is best to have people who are able to get together to provide support. It also provides for quality follow-up. It is often the case in these situations that people tend to need long-term assistance in dealing with crises.

By just understanding crisis management in terms of helping on the ground, one misses out on the important long-term responsibilities of responding to a crisis. This is a good model to help keep in mind that a crisis does not end right when the emergency situation is dealt with on the ground.