What does it mean to be a family in crisis?
What is a crisis?
Merriam Webster defines crisis as:
noun cri·sis \ˈkrī-səs\
: a difficult or dangerous situation that needs serious attention*
plural cri·ses \ˈkrī-ˌsēz\
1
a : the turning point for better or worse in an acute disease or fever
b : a paroxysmal attack of pain, distress, or disordered function
c : an emotionally significant event or radical change of status in a person’s life
2
: the decisive moment (as in a literary plot)
3
a : an unstable or crucial time or state of affairs in which a decisive change is impending; especially : one with the distinct possibility of a highly undesirable outcome (such as a financial crisis)
b : a situation that has reached a critical phase
So what does it mean to be a family in crisis? It means that there is a turning point in the family reached through death, divorce, marriage, birth of a new baby, loss of a job or any other number of life-impacting events; a decisive moment; a crucial time in which change is impending or a situation which has reached a critical phase. These definitions basically mean that there is existing and added stress. Changes, situations, critical events, happen all day, every day, and take their tolls: emotionally, physically, spiritually, mentally and entirely. The everyday wear-and-tear may not be felt or physically manifest itself immediately. It can be a slow breakdown or a quick snap.
Our goal is to equip families-in-crisis to move through the crisis, beyond the crisis, to the other side. We help families define what the other side looks like and we help families lay out the steps to get there. It is a group effort and the end result can be beautiful and it can also be messy.
Families in crisis don’t have to suffer a complete unit breakdown. They don’t have to dissolve, suffer unbearably, or shatter. They can come together and be made stronger. They can find that thread that holds them together and strengthen it, become more cohesive. Our goal is to empower families so they realize their own strengths and abilities and then implement them.
What are crises that you, your family, or someone in your sphere of influence have faced or currently face?
*author’s emphasis
(Merriam Webster, http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crisis, 2015)