This text provides day-to-day guidelines based on the ABC model of intervention (a generic model that follows a three-part structure: A - developing and maintaining rapport; B - identifying the problem; and C - exploring the client's coping strategies). This practical volume is designed to help students and professionals help their clients deal with crises such as drug abuse, AIDS, coping with death and loss, victimization, and abuse.

Table of Contents

1. WHAT IS A CRISIS? Crisis Defined. Crises as Danger and Opportunity. Process of Crises. The Crisis-Prone Person. Other Determining Factors. Precipitating Events. Developmental Crises. Evolutional Crises. Situational Crises. Subjective Distress. Coping Methods Fail. 2. CRISIS INTERVENTION. The History of Crisis Intervention. Contributions from Other Theoretical Modalities. Brief Therapy. The ABC Model of Crisis Intervention. 3. ETHICAL AND PROFESSIONAL ISSUES. The Need for Ethics. Use of Paraprofessionals. Self-Awareness and Countertransference. Dual Relationships. Confidentiality. Elder Abuse Reporting Act. Child Abuse Reporting Act. The Tarasoff Case. Informed Consent. Supervision and Training. 4. A MULTICULTURAL PERSPECTIVE. The Role of Ethnicity and Gender on Help-Seeking Attitudes. Development of Culturally Sensitive Psychotherapists. Mexican-American Families. African-American Families. Asian-American Families. 5. THE ABC MODEL OF CRISIS INTERVENTION. A: Developing and Maintaining Rapport. B: Identifying the Problem. C: Exploring the Client's Coping Strategies. 6. WHEN CRISIS IS A DANGER. Suicide. Managing a Client Who Is a Danger to Others. Psychotic Breakdowns. 7. CRISES OF LOSS. Death and Dying. Divorce and Separation. 8. AIDS. Basic Statistics About AIDS. Intervention. 9. SUBSTANCE ABUSE. Recognizing Substance Dependence and Substance Abuse. Types of Drug-Abuse Crises. Alcohol: The Leading Abused Drug. Cocaine, Crack Cocaine, and Speed (Amphetamines). Marijuana. LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethyamide). Heroin. 10. CRISES OF VICTIMIZATION. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Child Abuse. Spousal Abuse. Sexual Assault. 11. SELECTED SITUATIONAL CRISES OF ADOLESCENCE, ADULTHOOD, AND OLD AGE. Crises of Adolescence. Crises of Adulthood. Crises of Old Age. Epilogue.