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Crisis intervention: no panacea - a voluntary organisation perspective
- Authors:
- MONACH Jim, MONACH Jane
- Journal article citation:
- Practice: Social Work in Action, 6(3), 1992, pp.181-192.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Crisis intervention has become an important tool in the analysis of effective modes of helping those in severe distress. However, it has become increasingly apparent, to those working in the mental health field in particular, that the technical term is abused in the non-professional (and we could suggest, unprofessional) way in which the words are used in association with reduced services. Pressure on resources and some professional carelessness in the way arguments have been presented in favour of crisis services have both contributed to this situation. The authors argue the importance of a clear presentation of the technical meaning of crisis intervention, in a context in which it is acknowledged that such services should be supplementary and complementary - they were never intended by their theoretical or professional 'parents' to be the only forms of mental health service. Collusion must not be made with the wishful thinking that a crisis intervention service will necessarily, and most importantly, be cheaper than conventional services. There is a specific danger that statutory services will contract placing greater burdens on users of services, their carers and voluntary organisations, without the required funding and support. Case examples are used to illustrate the importance of continuing, long-term support as part of the necessary network of services.