schongenial.at: How would you describe the basic mission and role of the crisis intervention team?
Marcel Kohl-Peterke: A sudden death in the family, a tragic accident, an unforeseeable natural disaster or a traumatic event. These are often sudden strokes of fate that turn life upside down from one moment to the next. This is where the crisis intervention volunteers come in.
schongenial.at: In what situations is your team usually called out, and what kind of support do you offer those affected?
Marcel Kohl-Peterke: These are unforeseeable events that cause bewilderment and complete incomprehension among those directly involved. We provide support when fate puts people to the test and pulls the rug out from under their feet. One of the aims of crisis intervention is to reduce the feeling of helplessness in those affected, to give them a sense of security and to stabilise them psychologically in the best possible way. We recognise the event, do not leave the person alone, create a safe framework and help them to grasp the event. We meet the person where they are at the moment. Some talk, some remain silent, some are active.
schongenial.at: What specific skills or qualifications are required to become part of the crisis intervention team?
Marcel Kohl-Peterke: If you want to get involved in crisis intervention, you have to undergo in-depth training and take an aptitude test. We employees have to be stable, resilient, empathetic and able to work in a team. Ongoing training is a matter of course. Incidentally, all crisis intervention workers are volunteers.
schongenial.at: What role does empathy play in your work, and how do team members learn to use it appropriately?
Marcel Kohl-Peterke: During training, you learn how to behave in what are usually extraordinary situations. Empathy in recognising the event and humility before the fate of our fellow human beings allows us to act with empathy while remaining capable of acting.
schongenial.at: What types of feedback do you usually receive from the people you help in terms of appreciation for your work?
Marcel Kohl-Peterke: Mostly great gratitude for the support in a difficult situation, sometimes a spark of hope on their faces.
schongenial.at: Can you describe a particularly challenging event or situation that your team had to deal with and how you handled it?
Marcel Kohl-Peterke: Personally, I can still remember the following moment, which involved delivering a death notice. Together with two colleagues from the police, we had to break the news to a young woman on a Saturday morning that her husband had died in an accident. The two (still very young) children were also present. These are events that naturally affect you and - as in this case - also keep me busy for a while and, of course, stay with me. My wife is an important and first pillar of support for me here.
schongenial.at: How do you deal with it when your own emotional reactions come up during an intervention and how do they affect your ability to support those affected?
Marcel Kohl-Peterke: If we realise that an incident is getting too close to our hearts, we hand it over to a colleague. We also reflect on our interventions as a team and have the opportunity for supervision and one-to-one meetings and can also take some time off.
schongenial.at: Thank you very much for your valuable commitment.
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