HENNEPIN (MN) COUNTY CRISIS INTERVENTION CENTER EVALUATION OF ITS EFFECTIVENESS

• NCJ Number: 50257
• Journal: EVALUATION Volume: 1 Issue: 1 Dated: (FALL 1972) Pages: 61-65
• Author(s): Z T STELMACHERS; S H LUND; C J MEADE
• Date Published: 1972
• Length: 5 pages
• Corporate Author: Minneapolis Medical Research Foundation, Inc
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

EVALUATION PROCEDURES WERE DEVELOPED DURING THE PLANNING STAGE OF A CRISIS INTERVENTION CENTER IN HENNEPIN COUNTY, MINN., USING THE GOAL ATTAINMENT SCALING TECHNIQUE.

Abstract

BASIC PROGRAMMATIC GOALS OF THE CENTER, WHICH IS OPERATED BY THE HENNEPIN COUNTY MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE, ARE TO PROVIDE IMMEDIATE AND 24-HOUR ASSISTANCE TO EMOTIONALLY DISTURBED PERSONS, TO PREVENT THE DEVELOPMENT OF MORE SERIOUS PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS BY EARLY IDENTIFICATION OF AND INTERVENTION IN A POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS EMOTIONAL CRISIS, AND TO OFFER ALTERNATIVES TO INVOLUNTARY COMMITMENT BY ENCOURAGING AND PROVIDING LESS COSTLY AND LESS SOCIALLY DISRUPTIVE TREATMENT MODALITIES. GOAL ATTAINMENT SCALING USED AT THE CENTER IS A TREATMENT OUTCOME EVALUATION TECHNIQUE THAT PERMITS CLIENT-SPECIFIC GOAL SETTING AT VARIOUS LEVELS OF SUCCESS. THE MEASURING INSTRUMENT IS KNOWN AS AS THE GOAL ATTAINMENT FOLLOWUP GUIDE, WHICH CAN BE CONCEPTUALIZED AS A GRID, WITH VERTICAL COLUMNS REPRESENTING DIFFERENT GOALS AND HORIZONTAL LINES INDICATING TREATMENT SUCCESS WITHIN GOALS FROM LEAST TO MOST FAVORABLE OUTCOMES. A VARIANT OF GOAL ATTAINMENT SCALING CALLED CONTRACT FULFILLMENT ANALYSIS IS EMPLOYED. TREATMENT GOALS IN THIS ANALYSIS ARE USUALLY NEGOTIATED BETWEEN THE THERAPIST AND THE CLIENT. DIFFICULTIES INHERENT IN CONTRACT FULFILLMENT ANALYSIS INCLUDE FOLLOWUP EXPENSE AND PROBLEMS IN NEGOTIATING GOALS WITH SOME CLIENTS. TABLES CONTAIN A SAMPLE LIST OF CONTRACT FULFILLMENT ANALYSIS SCALES AND REPRESENTATIVE GOAL ATTAINMENT FOLLOWUP GUIDES. THE MOST DIFFICULT PART OF THE TREATMENT-EVALUATION PROCESS WAS THE SETTING OF SPECIFIC LEVELS WITHIN EACH GOAL; CONSEQUENTLY THIS WAS SOMETIMES ACCOMPLISHED IN AN ARBITRARY MANNER. IT IS NOTED THAT THE USE OF CONTRACT FULFILLMENT ANALYSIS MAKES THE RESULTS OF EVALUATION OF THE TREATMENT OF CRISIS INTERVENTION CLIENTS INCOMPATIBLE WITH THE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE'S GOAL ATTAINMENT SCALING EVALUATION RESULTS. THUS, THE MOST VALUABLE USE FOR THE FINDINGS IS IN FEEDBACK TO THE THERAPIST. IT IS ALSO RECOMMENDED THAT CLINICIANS DETERMINE WHICH CLIENTS SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE FOLLOWUP, AS WELL AS USE OF (AN UNSPECIFIED) DIFFERENT FORM OF FOLLOWUP ON A RANDOMLY SELECTED SAMPLE. (DEP)