A categorization system of crisis center telephone use: patterns of interaction

Current investigations of telephone crisis intervention effectiveness have neglected the evaluation of broad patterns of interaction between the crisis center and the larger community. This study describes the development and implementation of a Caller Frequency Category System (CAFS) which is based upon the frequency and type of contacts between callers and the center. Data collected for 100 clients from a crisis intervention center suggest that the system can be applied reliably and does differentiate among clients by the type of interaction they have with the center. Two unexpected findings were that (a) longer-term callers tended to be older men or teenage girls, and (b) the greatest proportion of total telephone use involved calls initiated by the center itself to people other than crisis clients. Revisions to the CAFS are proposed which will clarify the role which a crisis center serves in the community-wide resolution of personal crises.