5 Practical Ways to De-Escalate Emotional Distress By Wendy Patrick

Many people, within the course of their employment, encounter individuals who potentially pose a threat to themselves or others. This dilemma is faced by security professionals, healthcare practitioners, law enforcement, or anyone with a public-facing job where they interact with customers. Although mental health specialists are in the best position to address underlying conditions, all individuals who contact persons in crisis have the opportunity, assuming the proper training, to de-escalate emotion and behavior.

De-Escalating In-Person

Jill E. Spielfogel and J. Curtis McMillen (2017) examined de-escalation strategies across different professions.[i] Frequently discussed in mental health settings, they note that de-escalation is an important practice within the field of law enforcement, nursing, and even customer service. Surveying 56 professionals with expertise in de-escalation about practical strategies they used to assist people in distress, they found areas of commonality, noting that across professions, communication, listening, validation, and body language, were highly important for effective de-escalation.

Managing Emotion Online

Margot van Mulken (2024) explored verbal de-escalation techniques that have been successful when used by webcare employees working with online complainants.[ii] The 13 linguistic and rhetorical features she identified that facilitated de-escalation were grouped into three categories: empathy, authenticity, and verbal accommodation.

Empathy was defined as including expressions of gratitude, positive evaluations and expressions of sympathy that transmit an attitude of building rapport. Authenticity emphasizes the human, personalized element of response, which increases perceived credibility and trustworthiness, which transmits sincerity, and which may help disarm the recipient. Van Mulken identified accommodation as a third dimension that emphasizes the closeness of the employee to the customer through emphasizing common ground, stimulating dialogue, and encouraging further contact, allowing an employee to build a relationship through prolonged interaction.

This type of research, as well as practical experience, informs relational approaches to behavioral management.

5 Behavioral Management Strategies for Success

1. Examine personal background to decide what type of approach to take with each subject, considering age, family, living situation, and any demographic factors that may impact receptiveness to professional intervention. Offers of assistance are uniquely appealing to certain subjects in need of basic resources such as food and shelter.
2. Strategize safe methods of physically approaching potentially dangerous people in crisis (after having notified law enforcement if appropriate), considering visible signs of emotional distress as well as substance use—which requires training in detecting relevant symptomology.
3. Develop specific ways to use conversation to address negative emotions surrounding a currently perceived injustice or grievance. Use a pre-planned selection of words and phrases accompanied by a calm tone of voice to convey compassion and empathy to ensure the encounter is a conversation, not an interrogation.
4. Standardize a foundational list of protective factors such as occupation, friends, family, and faith to incorporate into conversation when engaging an individual in crisis. Appealing to positive influence and healthy relationships will assist in redirection.
5. Use open body language such as nodding, soft eye contact, and leaning forward while listening to comfort a speaker in distress. This calm, non-emotional approach does not suggest indifference, which can be insulting, but genuine interest

Even when security, law enforcement, or mental health professionals are already on the way, using approachable, engaging, situationally appropriate tools, tactics, and techniques can equip professionals in a variety of situations to assist in de-escalating persons of concern and facilitate peaceful resolution.