People in Crisis: Clinical and Public Health Perspectives, 5th ed, by Lee Ann Hoff. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass; 2001. 489 pages, softcover, $38.95.
People in Crisis: Clinical and Public Health Perspectives is about people in crisis. It examines and explains the crisis experience, offering strategies and resources that can be implemented by helping personnel. The book is intended to help readers learn how to help themselves and others in crisis. The stated audience for this book includes basic and advanced practice nurses, social workers, physicians, police, clergy, teachers, rescue workers, psychotherapists, psychologists, counselors, specialized crisis workers (including volunteers), human service administrators, program coordinators of crisis services, social science teachers, researchers, and health and mental health educators who train the aforementioned professionals as well as the general reader who wants a more complete understanding of crisis.
The book's 13 chapters are divided into three parts. Part 1, "The Understanding and Practice of Crisis Intervention," introduces and sets the book's groundwork by defining terms, applying historical perspectives of crisis theory to current crisis intervention techniques, and presenting and developing the crisis paradigm as the conceptual framework. Various aspects of crisis care- identification; risk assessment; planning and implementing strategies for individuals, families, groups, and community; follow-up; and evaluation-are discussed. A noteworthy chapter is "Family and Social Network Strategies during Crisis," which underscores the importance of social support by saying that it is "central to the process of human growth, development and crisis intervention."(p136)
Part 2, "Violence as Origin of and Response to Crisis," uses a multiperspective viewpoint to examine those who are at risk for, attempt, and survive suicide and other self-destructive behaviors and violent persons and their victims, with related individual and sociocultural factors. A particularly relevant chapter in today's society is "Violence and Crisis from Disaster," which deals with natural and humanmade disasters and looks at the differences between them, technological and political factors, prevention, and individual and community response.
Part 3, "Crises Related to Situational and Transition States," looks at stress and crises related to changes in health status, self-image, occupation, residence, and life passages including death. The role of rites and rituals in life passages is discussed. A useful feature is the list of tables, figures, and exhibits at the book's beginning. The preface highlights expanded and updated areas from previous editions. A description of the author's educational background and work experience attests to her expertise in the subject area. Throughout the book are flow charts and paradigms, tables, case examples drawn from the author's professional experience, assessment forms and scales, worksheets, checklists, contracts, screening forms, and a telephone script for crisis counseling. These are helpful aids to crisis intervention practice. Each chapter ends with a single paragraph summary that efficiently highlights the chapter and detailed references. Both name and subject indices are found at the end of the book.
The book has many strengths. It is comprehensive, covers the topics accurately and in great detail, and offers useful crisis interventions for the practitioner. The author's style of writing is interesting and holds the reader's attention. Since the book's material is extensive and the level of writing is sometimes difficult, but appropriate for the professional reader, the author may have been overly ambitious in targeting non-professional readership. One of the book's inconsistencies relates to the preventive measures suggested: they vary in terms of their ability to be implemented. For instance, some of the preventive interventions listed for child abuse are global and unrealistic, whereas the personal, socialpsychological, sociopolitical, and professional strategies given for the primary prevention of crime and antisocial behavior are specific and more feasible.
People in Crisis: Clinical and Public Health Perspectives is a timely and important contribution to the literature. Given the economic downturn, the increase in violence and terrorism, and the tragic events of September 11th, the need for effective crisis intervention has increased dramatically. This book is an extremely useful resource that offers guidance, help, and practical solutions to those dealing with people in crisis.
Adjunct Associate Professor (Clinical) Division of Public Health Marquette University School of Dentistry Milwaukee, Wisconsin