Critically evaluate the effectiveness of crisis intervention in social work - Essay Example

The social worker should aim at generating this partnership from the beginning, hoping to carry this relationship through until the situation is resolved. This can be done by allowing the service user to identify the issues they face and try to come up with alternate solutions to that of the crisis situation. Social workers are free to suggest an alternative route however they should be careful to try not to impose their thoughts on the service user as they must be free to use their own judgment and consider the best solution for their situation.

Some theorists and social workers suggest that crisis intervention does not focus on anti-oppressive or anti discriminatory practice because the nature of the intervention work is to alleviate the presenting crisis situation and not the underlying problems that may precipitate the event. Although models of crisis intervention are intended to be brief, to the point, focusing on the surface issues, social workers can integrate anti oppressive and anti discriminatory practices by working with the service users and including any environmental issues or structural oppression to the action plan.

The action taken can either be a recommendation to another agency or by putting into practice another theory to their upcoming work. The definitions of crisis pinpoint a crisis as being a hazardous event. Crisis is described as time-limited periods of psychological distress that people need to overcome, but cannot do so by using tried and tested methods of coping (Caplan, 1964, p.73). The approach of crisis intervention originates from the mental health work and stresses on the prevention and not disease treatment.

The formulation of this concept was done by Erich Lindemann and Gerald Caplan from 1940’s and 1950’s, where they researched on how people responded to situations that are psychologically dangerous. It is imperative to take into account that crisis in this case does not mean an urgent situation or disaster,