Introduction Burnout is defined as a state of ineffectiveness comprising “emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment.” (Maslach, 1982) It is a pervasive and frustrating state, accounting for a large portion of the turnover experienced in mental health services, including volunteer and paraprofessional organizations like crisis lines. There are a number of models of burnout,…
Tag: assessment
Building a Suicide Prevention Group
Introduction I’ve had the pleasure of serving on the Durham Region Youth Suicide Prevention (YSP) Action Group since February 2016. The goal of the YSP is to address the rising youth suicide rates in Durham Region in Ontario. This group was financially supported by a 3-year grant from the Ministry of Children and Youth Services….
Dynamic Appraisal of Situational Aggression (DASA)
Introduction The Dynamic Appraisal of Situational Aggression (DASA) is a tool developed by Ogloff & Daffern (2006) to assess the likelihood that a patient or client will become aggressive within a psychiatric inpatient environment. The DASA is based on the Norwegian Brøset-Violence-Checklist (BVC). DASA Items Irritability Impulsivity Unwillingness to follow instructions Sensitive to perceived provocation Easily…
Bereavement Risk Assessment Tool (BRAT)
Introduction From September 2012 to April 2013, I had the pleasure of completing an 400 hour field placement with Durham Hospice (now VON Durham Hospice). During the first 200 hours (my first semester), I completed the Fundamentals of Hospice Palliative Care Course, learned how to perform psychosocial assessments and assisted in the facilitation of a…
Biopsychosocial Model of Violence Risk Assessment
Introduction Violence risk assessment is an important element of counselling and crisis intervention. Although in high-risk situations it can (and should be) performed by clinicians with specific training in violence risk, there may be situations where clinicians or others (corrections officers, private practice therapists, crisis line supervisors, etc.) need to have a understanding of the principles…