Crisis Homes
Crisis homes – private family homes that take in people with acute psychiatric problems while they receive treatment services from the mental health system – are another domestic-style acute treatment model which reinforces the concept of “moral restraint.” Such systems have been established in Colorado and Wisconsin in the USA, in Sydney, Australia, and elsewhere. Nurses, psychiatrists and other staff from the mental health agency work with the family to provide care and treatment. Foster families are chosen for their warmth and acceptance but are not expected to offer counseling. Their job is to provide a home-like environment and report what they observe while the client receives treatment from the mental health professionals. Each client is given his or her own room and treated like a guest. The average length of stay in these programs, some of which have operated for decades, is around ten days. They have proven valuable for the acute care for people with psychosis and are especially useful for crisis care for clients with borderline personality disorder.
Crisis homes…
are another
domestic-style
acute treatment model which reinforces the concept of “moral restraint.”
