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Evaluation of crisis intervention services with anonymous clients
Author(s) -
Apsler Robert,
Hoople Howard
Publication year - 1976
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/bf00903196
Subject(s) - health psychology , citation , crisis intervention , library science , intervention (counseling) , sociology , psychology , computer science , medicine , public health , psychiatry , nursing
A technique is introduced for using intake data to evaluate crisis intervention services in which client anonymity prevents the usual follow-up procedures. The technique is based on the assumptions (a) that the rate of reuse of the service indicates the effectiveness of the service, and (b) that counselors' estimates of their effectiveness provide some indication of the adequacy of their training. The study was conducted at a 24-hour metropolitan hotline. In addition to obtaining the usual intake information, counselors asked callers how often they had used the hotline previously and then rated their own effectiveness in aiding the callers. Analyses show the relative effectiveness of the hotline with various types of callers and problems and suggest areas where additional counselor training is desirable.