An Evaluation Of The Training Program At A Crisis Intervention Telephone Referral Service

Psychological Crisis Intervention: The SAFER-R Model is designed to provide the reader with a simple set of guidelines for the provision of psychological first aid (PFA). The model of psychological first aid (PFA) for individuals presented in this volume is the SAFER-R model developed by the authors. Arguably it is the most widely used tactical model of crisis intervention in the world with roughly 1 million individuals trained in its operational and derivative guidelines. This model of PFA is not a therapy model nor a substitute for therapy. Rather it is designed to help crisis interventionists stabile and mitigate acute crisis reactions in individuals, as opposed to groups. Guidelines for triage and referrals are also provided. Before plunging into the step-by-step guidelines, a brief history and terminological framework is provided. Lastly, recommendations for addressing specific psychological challenges (suicidal ideation, resistance to seeking professional psychological support, and depression) are provided.

Crisis Education and Service Program Designs, Second Edition, provides a framework for more systematic inclusion of crisis content in health and human service programs and shows educators and practitioners how to adopt a nondual approach to working with trauma survivors' minds and bodies.

Effects of a training program for volunteer telephone crisis counselors at the National Runaway Switchboard (NRS) were examined. The participants were 35 individuals who self-selected to participate in the NRS training to become crisis counselors. All participants filled out the NRS Knowledge Questionnaire, which assessed knowledge related to crisis intervention and comprehension of topics related to the NRS. They also responded to a standardized crisis call from the same scripted simulated call. The role plays were evaluated with the NRS Role Play Evaluation Form, which assessed specific skills related to the NRS's five-step solution focused Crisis Intervention Model. The Knowledge Questionnaire and role plays were administered pretraining, posttraining, and at the three-month follow-up period. A Training Satisfaction Survey was also administered posttraining to address the participants overall satisfaction with the program. The questions being asked were: (a) Are there any common characteristics among volunteers who do not complete training? (b) Can the volunteers be effectively trained? (c) Does the training program change the volunteers' knowledge base about the National Runaway Switchboard and the types of calls they receive? (d) Does the training program change the volunteers' crisis intervention skills? (e) How satisfied are the volunteers with the training experience? Results indicated that the NRS training program significantly increased the volunteers' crisis intervention skills and knowledge base. Significant increases were seen when comparing the pretraining scores to the posttraining scores. Volunteer skills and knowledge did not show further significant improvement as a result of three months experience. Volunteers who completed the training program were highly satisfied with the program. Although several volunteers dropped out of the training program, it was difficult to characterize and predict the individuals, suggesting the NRS does a sufficient job of training and retaining a diverse group of volunteers. Only gender and educational level were seen as significant predictors, with males and those with lower levels of education being more likely to drop out of the training program. In addition, it can be implied that retaining volunteers in the summer months may be more difficult when compared to the other months of the year.

This book will further stimulate interest and discussion of the telephone and the Internet as a mode of treatment. In this extensively revised third edition, a practical framework for providing immediate problem-solving assistance by telephone to persons in crisis is provided. Several new chapters have been added and several chapters have been updated and rewritten. The text offers specific techniques to deal with out-of-control situations with the highly important initial steps to protect the caller, the crisis worker, and the community. The scope of the book includes an overview of counseling by telephone, how to effectively manage crises, how to be supportive verbally and nonverbally, how to accurately assess situations, and how to help create a sense of stability. Part I discusses the varieties of telephone services, while Part II covers crisis intervention and counseling, including telephone therapy, active listening, cognitive therapy approaches, transactional analysis and learned helplessness approaches, as well as Gestalt therapy approaches. Part III discusses a variety of problem callers: the obscene caller, the chronic caller, the silent caller, the nuisance caller, and the “one counselor” caller. A new section, Part IV—Special Topics, includes valuable information on dealing with adolescents, war veterans, rural communities, the elderly, and individuals with disabilities on campus. Part V offers a look at contact beyond the telephone, including crisis intervention by e-mail and letter. Part VI views the roles of telephone counselors, such as the mental health professional, the nonprofessional crisis worker, selecting telephone counselors, and training crisis workers. Finally, Part VII summarizes and evaluates today’s telephone counseling services. This unique and up-to-date book serves as a comprehensive tool for those setting up telephone and Internet counseling services and those in charge of centers already operating, especially in training and supervising those on the front lines, the crisis interveners.