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The use of paraprofessionals in crisis intervention
Author(s) -
Getz William L.,
Fujita Byron N.,
Allen David
Publication year - 1975
Publication title -
american journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.113
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1573-2770
pISSN - 0091-0562
DOI - 10.1007/bf00877788
Subject(s) - crisis intervention , health psychology , intervention (counseling) , session (web analytics) , service (business) , community service , nursing , psychology , interpretation (philosophy) , medicine , crisis response , public health , medical education , psychiatry , public relations , political science , business , computer science , marketing , advertising , programming language
Single-session crisis services by paraprofessionals (graduate students and community volunteers) in the emergency room of a community hospital were offered to 293 clients. These clients were followed-up 6 to 12 months after their last contact and asked about: (1) the effectiveness of the service, (2) their use of referrals, (3) the major source of change in their crisis situation, and (4) their rating of improvement for their presenting problem. There were 104 clients who completed the follow-up. The results support the interpretation that timely intervention by paraprofessionals may have long-lasting results in specific problem areas. A model emphasizing the use of service deliverers as researchers is proposed.