Rachel Rouse Counseling, PLLC

04/24/2026

Coaching With Brooke ❤️

04/23/2026

Crises can strike people of any age, from stressed children who lash out in the classroom to senior citizens whose anxiety turns to anger. When someone is in crisis, communicating with them can feel challenging. Some things that usually feel natural, such as reasoning or mirroring their body language, may actually deepen the crisis. However, communicating with someone during crises is far from a lost cause. With knowledge of verbal and nonverbal signals, plus safety tips, you can more effectively communicate with people experiencing crises.

Verbal Signals

Words matter, especially during a person's crisis. Opt to make simple requests instead of trying to reason. Focus on what is happening now and in the near future rather than the past or events further out. Strive to keep your speech measured and simple. It can also be helpful to avoid placing any time constraints on the discussion as well.

Using Requests Over Reasoning

As a crisis develops, the upset person may temporarily lose the ability to reason effectively. Feelings can become their driving force rather than reason-based thinking. This means that trying to resolve a crisis through verbal reasoning will likely not be useful. Even something as seemingly benign as explaining the situation can instead inflame it.

Instead, a more productive tactic is using simple requests. Examples include asking the person to sit down, drink some water, or go on a walk. However, avoid making direct or vague demands like "calm down," or “relax,” as these may cause agitation. The goal is to keep your requests gentle, along the lines of, "Hey, let's talk a little more quietly because we're bothering people." Also avoid using any kind of demanding or confrontational language, such as, “You need to sit down.” (Psychology Today ❤️)

Image Phish❤️

04/11/2026

Institute of Child Psychology❤️

04/10/2026

This is your sign! 🪁

04/09/2026

Approved❤️

04/08/2026

Staying optimistic can be challenging, but it’s a skill that can be practiced. These are some of the ways I like to practice optimism (because it definitely doesn’t come naturally to me)!

04/07/2026

Thank you, Action for Happiness ! ❤️

04/07/2026

04/07/2026

Whatever you’re going through right now — mental, physical, emotional — you will heal from it. Take care of yourself. Keep going.

04/06/2026

Alexithymia, also known as emotional blindness, is a personality feature in which a person has difficulty experiencing, identifying, understanding, and expressing their emotions. This can be influenced by several factors including genetics, past experiences, and certain medical conditions. About 10 to 13 percent of the population has this trait, with more men than women experiencing it.

The late psychiatrist Peter Sifneos, a professor at Harvard, introduced this term in 1972, which means no words for emotions. A person with alexithymia has a hard time processing their own emotions, which affects the way they respond to other people’s emotions, with relationships suffering as a result. Alexithymia is not a mental health disorder, and there is no clinical diagnosis. However, it does appear in conjunction with conditions including autism spectrum disorders, depression, post-traumatic stress, as well as neurologic problems such as brain injury. (Psychology Today ❤️)

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03/28/2026

Excellent list! Thank you, Joy of Autism! ❤️