title: Evaluation of crisis intervention services with anonymous clients.
abstract: A technique is introduced for using intake data to evaluate crisis intervention services in which client anonymity prevents the usual follow-up procedures. The technique is based on the assumptions (a) that the rate of reuse of the service indicates the effectiveness of the service, and (b) that counselors' estimates of their effectiveness provide some indication of the adequacy of their training. The study was conducted at a 24-hour metropolitan hotline. In addition to obtaining the usual intake information, counselors asked callers how often they had used the hotline previously and then rated their own effectiveness in aiding the callers. Analyses show the relative effectiveness of the hotline with various types of callers and problems and suggest areas where additional counselor training is desirable.
mesh_terms: D003419:Crisis Intervention; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans