Video Transcript: Pitfalls in Crisis: Taking Over, Giving Advice, and Fixer Energy

🎥 Video 5B Transcript: Pitfalls in Crisis: Taking Over, Giving Advice, and Fixer Energy

Hi, I am Haley, a Christian Leaders Institute presenter.

In disaster and emergency settings, chaplains often enter emotionally intense spaces where many people are overwhelmed. In those moments, it is natural to want to help quickly.

But there is a difference between helping and taking over.

Some of the most common mistakes chaplains make in crisis are not usually done out of pride or bad intent. They often come from sincere concern. A chaplain sees pain, confusion, or urgency and starts trying to solve everything.

That is where fixer energy begins.

Fixer energy happens when a chaplain starts acting like it is their job to manage the scene, answer every question, calm every conflict, direct decisions, or carry burdens that belong to others.

It feels active. It may even look helpful at first. But over time, it creates confusion, pressure, and loss of trust.

Isaiah 41:10 says, “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you” (WEB).

That verse reminds us that God is the ultimate rescuer. The chaplain is not.

Let’s look at three common pitfalls.

First, taking over.

This happens when chaplains step outside their role and start managing what belongs to emergency personnel, shelter leaders, medical teams, church leadership, or family decision-makers.

A chaplain may start giving direction without assignment.
A chaplain may insert themselves into a family’s decisions.
A chaplain may speak as though they know what should happen next.

But in crisis care, over-functioning creates problems.

It can weaken structure.
It can frustrate trained responders.
It can make families feel controlled.
And it can put the chaplain in a role they were never meant to carry.

A better approach is this:
Be useful, not controlling.
Be available, not invasive.
Be steady, not dominant.

Second, giving advice too quickly.

In emergency settings, people often ask big questions in raw moments.

“What should we do?”
“Should I tell the kids now?”
“Do you think she’s going to make it?”
“Should we go home or stay?”
“What would you do?”

Those questions are emotionally heavy. But chaplains must be careful.

Do not give medical advice.
Do not give legal advice.
Do not pretend certainty.
Do not make major decisions for people.

Instead, slow the moment.

You might say:
“That sounds like an important decision. Who is the best person on your team to help with that?”
Or,
“I’m here to support you as you think this through.”
Or,
“I do not want to speak beyond my role, but I can stay with you while you talk to the right person.”

That is often far more helpful than quick advice.

Third, bringing fixer energy into spiritual care.

Fixer energy can sound spiritual. A chaplain may try to rush someone toward peace, offer explanations for suffering, quote too much Scripture too soon, or act like one prayer should settle everything.

But pain does not usually respond well to spiritual pressure.

Ministry Sciences teaches us that overwhelmed people often need regulation, steadiness, simplicity, and relational safety before they can deeply process words. Organic Humans reminds us that people experience crisis with their bodies, emotions, relationships, and souls all at once.

That means the chaplain should not force closure where there is still shock.

You do not have to explain God’s purposes in the moment.
You do not have to remove grief.
You do not have to make the pain resolve quickly.

You can simply be present.

Now let’s make this very practical.

What not to do.

Do not act like the scene needs your leadership unless you have been assigned that role.
Do not give advice outside your scope.
Do not speak with false certainty.
Do not pressure people into prayer, confession, or spiritual decisions.
Do not take family conflict into your hands.
Do not become the hero of the moment.

Instead, do this.

Stay calm.
Stay humble.
Stay within the structure.
Ask permission.
Offer brief care.
Use simple words.
Refer when needed.
And remember that faithful presence is often stronger than dramatic action.

A wise chaplain does not try to become the center of a crisis.
A wise chaplain helps bring steadiness to the edges of it.

That kind of ministry protects people.
It protects responders.
And it protects the chaplain from confusion and burnout.

In disaster settings, not every urgent feeling is a call for you to take over.

Sometimes the holiest thing you can do is stay grounded, stay kind, and stay in your lane.