A Survey of Telephone Answering Services in Suicide Prevention and Crisis Intervention Agencies*

ABSTRACT: The telephone service established by directors of suicide prevention and crisis intervention services is generally given little careful consideration. Many agencies take their telephone systems for granted, assuming that almost any system will function adequately if an operator is available and a crisis worker is on call. There are a number of important issues at stake that should be carefully considered before a program is established that uses any system other than full-time coverage by the trained crisis worker at a permanent location. In order to investigate just what really happens under the various systems in use, a series of 76 calls was placed to 19 different emergency crisis services in the southeastern United States. Times were recorded to show how much time elapsed, through what various systems, to get an actual crisis worker on the line. There were marked differences across the eight different systems identified. The results clearly indicate that crisis services are in danger of unknowingly providing inferior and dangerously low quality service unless they maintain maximum control over their own telephone answering system 24 hours a day.     

Evaluation of Crisis Intervention Programs and Personnel: A Summary and Critique*

ABSTRACT: Many of the suicide prevention centers that developed throughout the country during the last decade have evolved into general crisis intervention services. At the same time, they have stimulated the development of a wide variety of agencies that utilize nonprofessional volunteers who, primarily through telephone contact, provide helping services to people in crisis. This paper presents a critique of three particular problem areas relating to the use of volunteer personnel, along with a summary of research aimed at providing new technologies for their solution. Methods have been developed for rating on-the-job performance of crisis intervention workers, based upon criteria that are thought to have general application to crisis intervention centers. Efforts to describe personality characteristics of volunteers are reported, along with suggestions for the direction of additional investigations. Finally, the issue of assessing the outcome of crisis intervention cases is summarized. A four-phase conceptualization of the crisis intervention process is proposed, and appropriate measures of outcome at each point in the process are suggested. The overall significance of this type of research is discussed in terms of the need for standards by which to evaluate crisis intervention services.     

Evaluation of a Suicide Prevention Center by Sampling the Population at Risk*

ABSTRACT: At present there are no clear guidelines for assessing the effectiveness of suicide prevention and crisis centers. This report focuses on one readily available source of data, specifically that segment of the population at risk made up of persons admitted to the inpatient service of a mental health center due to depressive and/or suicidal states, including suicide attempts. To determine the role of the suicide prevention center in providing services to this group, 575 persons meeting these criteria were interviewed. The findings included the following: (a) 11 percent had utilized suicide prevention center services, with 59 percent of these experiencing substantial benefit; (b) 20 percent stated they were unaware of the center; (c) 8 percent expressed the view that calling the center would be inappropriate because a suicide attempt was not imminent; and (d) 26 percent indicated an inclination to call the center in the event of subsequent difficulties. Experience suggests that response to a crisis (intervention) as well as response to low lethality callers with “everyday problems” (prevention) constitute valid functions of a suicide prevention and crisis center. Preoccupation with short-term goals, such as reducing the apparent suicide rate, should not dominate the conceptualizing of program evaluation methods.     

四川汶川大地震心理危机干预的思考

面对大地震我们如何应对？突发的灾难除了顷刻间造成大量人员伤亡和财产损失外,还会对人们的心理产生巨大影响。帮助灾区人民渡过心理创伤,减少心理疾病的发生和对心理社会功能的后遗影响。灾后心理危机同样是灾难,灾后心理疏导需专业人员,抗震救灾与灾后的心理干预同等重要。     

Bound by Infinities: Technology,Immediacy and Our Environmental Crisis*

The American Journal of Psychoanalysis - This paper explores the relationship between human desire, technology, and imagination, emphasizing (1) the phenomenology of this relationship, and (2) its...     

灾后心理危机干预的个体化和动态性

人们对重大灾难的心理应激反应有一定的规律性和普遍性,但又有复杂性和特殊性.要根据应激反应的不同阶段和不同人群产生的不同心理问题采取相应心理危机干预措施,做到具体问题具体分析.对灾后人群进行心理危机干预的过程中,要采取系统性、动态性原则,从而达到个体最优化,消除或减少心理问题及心理因素相关生理问题,尽早恢复社会功能.     

Managing Elder Suicide: A Profile of American and Canadian Crisis Prevention Centers

Suicides among older adults in the United States and Canada in the last decade have accounted for an increasing share of all suicides. In both countries the use of firearms among older adults has steadily increased. Despite these trends, little is known about the extent to which crisis centers are prepared to prevent elder suicide. A survey of AAS-listed crisis prevention centers examined the training, knowledge, and current practices relevant to elder suicide among personnel in 321 crisis prevention centers in both countries. Results revealed insufficient training, a lack of familiarity with recent suicide trends, and limited outreach to older adults.     

Career Intervention Considerations for Unwed Young Black Mothers in the United States

Teen pregnancy among unwed young Black mothers is still an issue of concern in the United States. Black teen mothers face educational, economic, and career/vocational challenges. This article discusses integrating Gottfredson's (1981) career theory and the Outline for Cultural Formulation ( American Psychiatric Association, 1994 ) in career development counseling with young Black mothers.     

CISM对我国建立灾难心理危机干预体系的启示

危机事件压力管理(CISM)是一个庞大的综合性危机干预体系,涵盖了当代整个危机领域的多种危机干预内容,综合考虑到在个人、团体、家庭、组织甚至整个社会等各个层面的应用.着重介绍了CISM的功能、核心内容以及该体系在灾难心理危机干预中的应用情况与效果,并提出了CISM对我国建立灾难心理危机干预体系的启示.     

Crisis Intervention With Survivors of Natural Disaster: Lessons From Hurricane Andrew

Crisis intervention has typically been conceptualized as seeking a return of clients to a state of equilibrium. Our work with Hurricane Andrew survivors in south Florida, as part of the Disaster Mental Health Services team of the American Red Cross, has led us to appreciate the importance of several further considerations. In our work, we developed a proactive approach, attempting to recognize and extend clients' preexisting strengths. We offer a number of pragmatic interventions, focusing particularly on children's issues and we draw attention to sensitive multicultural issues.