Crisis Intervention Strategies (with InfoTrac)

Rating:
Summary: Skip the profanity
Review: A fairly good text, it probably covers the field better than other available sources. However, the selection of illustrations seem to be chosen based on how much profanity they can include. I realize that crisis situations involve people who don't monitor their usage, but why include every F--- and other curse word when they aren't needed to convey the meaning.

I teach large classes and probably won't adopt this title because of the gratuitous inclusion of verbal static.

Rating:
Summary: An invaluable tool in the field of mental health.
Review: Gilliland and James have successfully created an extremely comprehensive introduction to crisis intervention methodology in this text.

While lacking some historical perspective on the development of this methodology, the book incorporates a variety tools useful to the mental health professional. These tools well make up for the exclusion of a short history on crisis intervention.

The authors clearly defined various helping situations (i.e., suicide, sexual assault, spousal abuse, and chemical dependency) and demonstrated how their applications assisted in the resolution of these issues. Furthermore, Gilliland and James added the sections on extreme circumstances, such as hostage taking, as well as professional concerns, such as burnout.

For those entering the field, this text provides a wealth of information. Those that are well seasoned will still find this a useful reference.

On first glance, I was surprised to find this text so easily read, particularly when dealing with such a serious subject, yet I have returned to it time and again in my own practice for ideas and direction.

Thank you.