This article explicates a systematic and structured conceptual model for crisis assessment and intervention that facilitates planning for effective brief treatment in outpatient psychiatric clinics, community mental health centers, counseling centers, or crisis intervention settings. Application of Roberts' seven-stage crisis intervention model can facilitate the clinician's effective intervening by emphasizing rapid assessment of the client's problem and resources, collaborating on goal selection and attainment, finding alternative coping methods, developing a working alliance, and building upon the client's strengths. Limitations on treatment time by insurance companies and managed care organizations have made evidence-based crisis intervention a critical necessity for millions of persons presenting to mental health clinics and hospital-based programs in the midst of acute crisis episodes. Having a crisis intervention protocol facilitates treatment planning and intervention. The authors clarify the distinct differences between disaster management and crisis intervention and when each is critically needed. Also, noted is the importance of built-in evaluations, outcome measures, and performance indicators for all crisis intervention services and programs. We are recommending that the Roberts' crisis intervention tool be used for time-limited response to persons in acute crisis. [Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention 5:329-339 (2005)]

This article presents a conceptual three-stage framework and intervention model that should be useful in helping mental health professionals provide acute crisis and trauma treatment services. The ACT model stands for Assessment, Crisis Intervention, and Trauma Treatment. This new model may be thought of as a sequential set of assessments and intervention strategies. The ACT intervention model integrates various assessment and triage protocols with the seven-stage crisis intervention model, and the ten-step acute traumatic stress management protocol. In addition, this article introduces and briefly highlights the other eight narrative, theoretical, and empirically based papers in this issue that focus on mental health and crisis-oriented intervention strategies implemented within 1 month after the September 11, 2001, terroristic mass disaster at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. [Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention 2:1-21 (2002)]

This article traces the emergence of forensic social work from the Progressive Era and the founding of the first juvenile court in 1899 to present day policies and practices with victims of violent crimes and with juvenile and adult offenders. Although social workers have been providing outreach to at-risk youths, gang members, offenders, and crime victims for a century, the term "forensic social work" has not previously been widely used. A unifying definition of forensic social work is provided. This article examines the most significant federal initiatives that have provided funding for forensic social workers to reach out to at-risk youths, offenders, and crime victims. It emphasizes the role of forensic social workers in different settings: police departments, juvenile courts, probation departments, adult corrections, and domestic violence and victim assistance programs. This article also includes a discussion of the unique contribution of forensic social workers in advocating for the social service needs of crime victims as well as of offenders.

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This article is designed to increase our knowledge base about effective and contraindicated types of crisis intervention. A number of crisis intervention studies focus on the extent to which psychiatric morbidity (e.g., depressive disorders, suicide ideation, and posttraumatic stress disorder) was reduced as a result of individual or group crisis interventions or multicomponent critical incident stress management (CISM). In addition, family preservation, also known as in-home intensive crisis intervention, focused on the extent to which out-of-home placement of abused children was reduced at follow-up. There are a small number of evidence-based crisis intervention programs with documented effectiveness. This exploratory meta-analysis of the crisis intervention research literature assessed the results of the most commonly used crisis intervention treatment modalities. This exploratory meta-analysis documented high average effect sizes that demonstrated that both adults in acute crisis or with trauma symptoms and abusive families in acute crisis can be helped with intensive crisis intervention and multicomponent CISM in a large number of cases. We conclude that intensive home-based crisis intervention with families as well as multicomponent CISM are effective interventions. Crisis intervention is not a panacea, and booster sessions are often necessary several months to 1 year after completion of the initial intensive crisis intervention program. Good diagnostic criteria are necessary in using this modality because not all situations are appropriate for it. [Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention 6:10-21 (2006)] KEY WORDS: crisis intervention, outcome measures, meta-analysis, effect size, family preservation, critical incident stress management, evidence-based practice.