Helping People in Crisis

Book excerpt: "Human services professionals frequently are called on to help people cope with life crises resulting from alcoholism, drug abuse, depression, or other serious problems. Yet they often do now know the most effective techniques for helping people in crisis overcome their sense of panic or defeat, recover their capacity for problem solving, and deal with the physical symptoms of stress. In this book, Douglas Puryear offers practical assistance for psychologists, social workers, and all other professionals whose work involves aiding individuals and families in crisis. He outlines the basic causes and the course of personal and families crises and presents a set of principles for determining when and how to intervene. He details the steps for successful intervention, explaining how to: (1) handle the first contact, (2) assess the situation, (3) plan the intervention, (4) manage interviews, (5) establish and maintain good report and communication, (6) support and mobilize clients, and (7) close the intervention. Numerous case examples from clinical practice illustrate and clarify the approach, and Puryear recounts a typical case in a format that allows readers to check their analyses against his at every stage."- Publisher