Intervention styles with suicidal callers at two suicide prevention centers

Résumé

Examined the nature, process, and determinants of interventions with suicide callers. The participants were volunteers (17-70 yrs old) at 2 Canadian suicide prevention centers. The clients were 263 callers at the prevention centers. A total of 617 calls with suicidal clients were analyzed and classified with the help of a 20-category rating instrument, the Helper's Response List. It was observed that the intervention profiles could match one of the 2 styles: nondirective (Rogerian - 391 calls) or directive (226 calls). The particular style of intervention was related more to the characteristics of the callers themselves than to the characteristics of volunteers. CENTRE-PRÉVENTION-SUICIDE INTERVENTION-CRISE BÉNÉVOLE ADOLESCENT AÎNÉ ADULTE APPELANT AIDANT