Resource Tag: VOLUNTEER EVALUATION

A person who was role-playing called 10 community-based hotlines & presented them with her personal problems. In all cases, the hotlines functioned at a level considered to be less than minimally facilitative. (LH)

This study attempts to determine some personality characteristics of good volunteers. A good volunteer was defined as one who is most effective in handling crisis calls. Results show that the most effective volunteers tended to score higheron the scales self-confidence & dominance, & lower on the abasement scale. These findings would tend to support the […]

Reviews crisis intervention studies conducted (a) in community suicide prevention/crisis intervention programs, (b) in psychiatric settings & (c) with surgical patients. Evaluation emphasis needs to shift from crisis worker performance to client behavior for (a); (b) suffers from methodological shortcomings that prohibit definitive conclusions; (c) indicates the necessity for developing intervention techniques most appropriate for […]

The article contains a wealth of information concerning the impact of the Samaritans in England, and a general review of other related research. Confounding variables are considered including an analysis on the decrease of suicide deaths (in several locations) and the increasing numbers of suicide attempts. The impact and involvement of medical agencies is explored […]

A study to design a cohesive, experiential training program, including the adaption of techniques such as microlab group exercises, role-playing, and self-scoring exercises for use in suicide prevention work. In addition, the affect recognition exercise, the lethality rating exercise and a self-report measure are discussed. (KB)

The major purpose of this study was to research the development and evaluation of a training program by a professional not directly affiliated with the Crisis Intervention Center to enhance comparisons between training programs. The objective was to evaluate the volunteers’ ability to assess suicide lethality, do preliminary evaluation of effectiveness in handling the suicidal […]

Sixty five untrained volunteers from the community and twenty seven professional trainees or professionals engaged in a helping profession, who participated in telephone duty in a 24 hour suicide and crisis intervention service were rated on both Truax’s and Lister’s facilitative scales of empathy, warmth and genuineness. A composite of these rated measures was described […]

Study of possible personality and personal history/demographic correlates of volunteer performance in suicide prevention/crisis intervention services. Determination of the interrelationships of various criteria of performance, including two volunteer participation variables, length of service and the Involvement Ratio; and two telephone performance variables, Technical Effectiveness and Facilitative Genuineness. (KB)

Seventy two volunteers for telephone duty in a 24 hour suicide intervention service in Gainesville, Florida took the California Psychological Inventory (CPI) and were rated on the Truax and Caskhuff Scales of genuineness, empathy and warmth. A composite of these rated measures was described in this study as Clinical Effectiveness (CE) of volunteers. (KB)

This study, carried out in a telephone crisis intervention program in which nonprofessional volunteer counselors received 55 hours of prejob training, isolates the effects of prejob training & on-the-job experience. 3 groups were measured. Results show that counselor skills & knowledge increased greatly with prejob training, but did not show further improvement as a result […]

A comparison between professional staff and telephone volunteers revealed little difference when assessing utilization of referrals. Specific training suggestions are offered to help reduce the high incidence of “no shows” for appointments after referral. All results are generated from interviews and self-report style questionnaires. (LS)

This study utilized pseudoclients for 40 interactions to assess 4 hotlines in a large Canadian city. The volunteer staff (mostly women) were rated low on empathy, response, focus & level of facilitation scales and were judged ineffective. At times the interactions were questionable. All hotlines studied were of a general nature and offered little or […]

Author concludes that crisis service paraprofessionals can be extremely detrimental or extremely useful to their clients. In the hope of maximizing their potential to be helpful, accepted roles, relevant evaluation research and a training strategy are discussed.

This article describes a widows’ befriending scheme based on the assumption that an individual who has dealt with their own grief is the most appropriate caregiver for the more recently bereaved, and by easing the mourning process, may be instrumental in preventing future breakdown. The article has been based on a project to evaluate the […]

Study examining the training and selection variables employed by the Marin Suicide Prevention Centre, California, over a four year period with 505 volunteers. (KB)

The Sacremento SPC experience in adding a professional outreach staff to work with area bartenders and alcohol related calls, is briefly described. Volunteer reactions were initially negative and distrusting. Specific measures were taken to overcome this. The training process is briefly described. (LS)

This address (1968) offers a rationale and background for suicide prevention services, drawing on a decade of experience at the Los Angeles Suicide Prevention Center. Training parameters are briefly outlined, including objectives, content, administration, gatekeepers, professionals and volunteers.(LS)