Problem solving with families in psychiatric emergencies

The first phase of the interview with families in psychiatric emergencies assesses the emergency and the family system. This is in preparation for the second phase, problem solving. Problem solving can consist of crisis intervention, social systems brokering, and/or therapy consultation. The authors describe a way of thinking about and intervening in family emergencies that maximizes therapist leverage and effectiveness with highly stressed and difficult families. Case examples are used to illustrate both the utility of the approach and the mistakes the authors made when certain tasks were ignored. The effective practice of emergency psychiatry is enhanced by the flexible use of systems and strategic principles.