with their depression that they not focus effectively on the child’s problem or may blame the child for their own problems Families that not present with organized mental and social functioning may have serious difficulties resolving crises ( Table 126.4 ) The goal of a family evaluation for childhood psychiatric emergencies is to determine the methods they use to help the child when distressed, how well these work, and gauge the willingness to try new strategies to help with the current crisis When the physician approaches parents as partners, the likelihood of an effective collaboration between parents and medical staff is maximized Using Social Support Some families come to the ED feeling isolated, overwhelmed, and exhausted Often, such families have not used all the family and community resources available to them Effective crisis intervention for psychiatric emergencies involves not only emergency treatment but also effective disposition planning for the family The ED staff should determine what other family members and community resources are available to the family