← Daniel Morales · Case Hub

The Crisis Narrative

Module 1 of 3
Daniel Morales · Emergency Department consult · About 1 hour
Invite the story of Daniel's recent suicidal crisis, work gently through his guardedness, and notice both the warning signs and the strengths he shows you as he tells it. This is the ground the crisis response plan is built on.
1 Preparation
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2 Live with Daniel
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3 Self-check
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4 Debrief & Reflect
25%

Client

Daniel Morales
Age 26 · Army Veteran · Infantry
ReferredED triage (SI flagged)
Daniel Morales 📋 Electronic Record
Dr. Lena Hayes
Dr. Lena Hayes
AI Instructional Coach
Tap a section below for guidance from your AI Instructional Coach.
Suggested openings
  • "Coming in took something. I am glad you are here."
  • "Would you walk me through what happened?"
  • "What I would like to do is build a crisis response plan with you, in your words."
  • "That is a fair thing to want to know before you tell me anything."
Common pitfalls
  • "Thank you for your service" said reflexively
  • Answering "are you going to lock me up?" with blanket reassurance
  • Firing more questions when he gives you a barebones account
  • Writing the plan in your words instead of his
  • Treating dark humor or flatness as pathology
  • Filling silences before Daniel does

1Preparation

Learning objectives 5 objectives
  1. Open with warmth and purpose, framing crisis response planning as work you do together.
  2. Invite the narrative of the recent crisis and work through guardedness without interrogating.
  3. Validate and pace; tolerate silence and flat affect without premature problem-solving.
  4. Recognize and name both the warning signs and the coping Daniel already used.
  5. Maintain a collaborative stance and ask permission before shifting direction.
About this client Read before you prepare
About this client. Daniel Morales, a 26-year-old Army veteran (11 Bravo, one Afghanistan deployment) with VA-documented PTSD, is in the Emergency Department after a recent suicidal crisis. He told his sister how bad the night had gotten, she got him to promise to come in, and the triage screener flagged suicidal ideation. You are the behavioral health clinician called to see him. He is guarded and worried that talking openly will get him "locked up." Your job today is not to build the plan yet. It is to invite the story of his recent crisis, to work gently through his guardedness, and to notice the warning signs and the strengths he shows you as he tells it.
Complete your preparation 5 steps left
Most preparation materials are in the Electronic Record. Start with the ED Triage Note and the Clinical Summary, about 5 minutes.
Finish the preparation steps above to unlock this step.
2 Live with Daniel. Opens when preparation is complete.
3 Self-check. A short knowledge check after the live session.
4 Debrief & Reflect. Opens after the live session.
Daniel
Dr. Hayes
Daniel
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Daniel Morales · Veteran