This article integrates the guidelines of American Red Cross and the "Psychological First Aid: Field Operations Guide" (Brymer et al., 2006) with adult development theories to demonstrate the promotion of adaptive functioning in adults after a disaster. Case examples and recommendations for counselors working in disaster situations are…

As the U.S. population ages, counselors must begin structuring their interactions to meet the unique needs of older adults, especially in the area of crisis intervention. The purposes of this article are to draw attention to the rapidly growing, often disregarded older population and to introduce the Crisis Model for Older Adults (CM-OA), an…

After a crisis intervention has passed, what use can be made of that challenging event? This article introduces the concept of Postvention which involves debriefing following critical events to gain a deeper understanding of a young person.

Reviews the professional literature on spiritual emergency, including history of the concept; etiology, features, and course of phenomenon; differential diagnosis; and professional response to clients in spiritual emergency. A verbatim transcript of a client describing a spiritual emergency illustrates aspects of the phenomenon and evaluates…

In this article, the author recalls a situation he encountered when a 4-year old boy inexplicably collapsed unconscious to the ground in the middle of his preschool classroom. She describes how the school had a detailed emergency and crisis plan in effect and how they utilized it while dealing with this situation. Sections include: (1) A Working…

This paper presents and evaluates a comprehensive client management system for suicide and crisis intervention services. The management system consists of five service designations: self-injury, crisis, active support, general support, and single contact. These designations determine the extent and type of activity engaged in, as well as the scope…

Describes the services of the Appalachian Mental Health Center in Elkins, West Virginia. Services include a school for emotionally disturbed teenagers, an Adult Training Center, a preschool for developmental disabilities, a public inebriate shelter, a crisis center for teens, a small prison counseling program, and long-term counseling for drug and…

Crisis intervention is a now accepted form of brief therapy that has become the treatment of choice for many individuals seeking to cope more effectively with life stresses. Recently, there has been an evolution of several disparate styles of crisis intervention in the direction of one convergent model. The screening/assessment style that…

Describes the children's therapeutic program at The Family Place (a shelter for victims of family violence), designed to provide children with positive role models, positive experiences, and healthy alternatives to dealing with frustration and anger. The program has three major components: crisis intervention activities, remedial activities, and…

Crisis intervention has typically been conceptualized as seeking a return of clients to a state of equilibrium. Personal work experience with Hurricane Andrew survivors has led to an appreciation of the importance of several considerations. Develops a proactive approach, attempting to recognize and extend clients' preexisting strengths. Offers…

This article describes types of depressive disorders typically found in school-age populations, identifies formal and informal ways to diagnose depression, and discusses successful school-based interventions including cognitive-behavioral and psychoeducational strategies. It also considers the school's role in crisis intervention plans and…

A project was conducted to provide adult basic education (ABE) personnel with a better understanding of the special needs of clients suffering from mental health problems and to provide information that will help them to develop agency policies and procedures for this type of client. During the project, four workshops were organized and delivered,…

This guide documents cost effective methods of providing community-based alternative court intervention services to youth. The service program was designed to assist adolescent status offenders and their families in resolving the underlying problems which bring the youths to the attention of the juvenile system. A Family Crisis Intervention Center…

Each year, dozens of natural disasters occur, leaving child victims in their wake. Short-term effects on children include such maladaptive behavioral reactions as enuresis, insomnia, crying, vomiting, and phobias. Long-term effects include compulsive behavior, personality changes, chronic anxiety, and nightmares. (JN)

This paper contains an outline of a workshop designed for the disaster mental health worker. The goal of the workshop is to describe how disaster services are different from other mental health services and to provide suggestions on how to make these services more effective. The types of disasters, the anatomy of a disaster, and time phases of a…