[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 128 (Wednesday, July 6, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38968-38969]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-13238]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB 
Review; Comment Request

    Periodically, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 
Administration (SAMHSA) will publish a summary of information 
collection requests under OMB review, in compliance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. chapter 35). To request a copy of these 
documents, call the SAMHSA Reports Clearance Officer on (240) 276-1243.

Proposed Project: Toolkit Protocol for the Crisis Counseling Assistance 
and Training Program (CCP)--NEW

    The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's 
(SAMHSA) Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) will create a toolkit 
to be used for the purposes of collecting data on the Crisis Counseling 
Assistance and Training Program (CCP). The CCP provides supplemental 
funding to states and territories for individual and community crisis 
intervention services during a federal disaster.
    The CCP has provided disaster mental health services to millions of 
disaster survivors since its inception and, as a result of 30 years of 
accumulated expertise, it has become an important model for Federal 
response to a variety of catastrophic events. State CCPs, such as 
Project HOPE (after Hurricane Floyd in North Carolina), Project 
Heartland (in Oklahoma City after the Murrah Federal Building bombing), 
Project Liberty (in New York after 9/11), and Project Outreach for 
Recovery (after the Rhode Island nightclub fire) have primarily 
addressed the short-term mental health needs of communities through (a) 
outreach and public education, (b) individual and group counseling, and 
(c) referral. Outreach and public education serve primarily to 
normalize reactions and to engage people who might need further care. 
Crisis counseling assists survivors to cope with current stress and 
symptoms in order to return to predisaster functioning. Crisis 
counseling relies largely on ``active listening,'' and crisis 
counselors also provide psycho-education (especially about the nature 
of responses to trauma) and help clients build coping skills. Crisis 
counseling typically continues no more than a few times. Because crisis 
counseling is time-limited, referral is the third important functions 
of CCPs. Counselors are expected to refer clients to formal treatment 
if the person has developed more serious psychiatric problems.
    Data about services delivered and users of services will be 
collected throughout the program period. The data will be collected via 
the use of a toolkit that relies on standardized forms. At the program 
level, the data will be entered quickly and easily into a cumulative 
database to yield summary tables for quarterly and final reports for 
the program. SAMHSA has confirmed the feasibility of using scanable 
forms for most purposes. Because the data will be collected in a 
consistent way from all programs, they can be uploaded into an ongoing 
national database that likewise provides CMHS with a way of producing 
summary reports of services provided across all programs funded.
    The components of the tool kit are listed and described below:
     Encounter logs. These forms will document all services 
provided. Completion of these logs will be required by the crisis 
counselors. There will be three types of encounter logs: (1) Individual 
Crisis Counseling Services Encounter Log; (2) Group Encounter Log; and 
(3) Weekly Tally Sheet.
    [ctrcir] Individual Crisis Counseling Services Encounter Log. 
Crisis counseling is defined as an interaction that lasts at least 15 
minutes and involves participant disclosure. This form will be 
completed by the Crisis Counselor for each service recipient, defined 
as the person or persons who actively participated in the session 
(e.g., by verbally participating), not someone who is merely present. 
For families, crisis counselors will complete separate forms for all 
family members who are actively engaged in the visit. Information to be 
collected includes demographics, service characteristics, risk factors, 
and referral data.
    [ctrcir] Group Encounter Log. This form will be used to identify 
either a group crisis counseling encounter or a group public education 
encounter. A check at the top will identify the class of activities 
(i.e., counseling or education). This form will be completed by the 
Crisis Counselor for each group encounter. Information to be collected 
includes services characteristics, group identity and characteristics, 
and group activities.
    [ctrcir] Weekly Tally Sheet. This form will document brief 
educational and supportive encounters not captured on any other form. 
Information to be collected will include service characteristics, daily 
tallies and weekly totals for brief educational or supportive contacts 
and material distribution with no or minimal interaction.
     Assessment and Referral Tool. This tool will provide 
descriptive information about intense users of services, defined as all 
individuals receiving a third or fifth individual crisis counseling 
visit. This tool will be used beginning three months postdisaster and 
will be completed by the crisis counselor for each individual who 
accesses individual crisis counseling a third or fifth time.
     Participant Feedback. These surveys will be completed by 
and collected from a sample of service recipients, not every recipient. 
A time sampling approach (e.g., soliciting participation from all 
counseling encounters one week per quarter) will be used. Information 
to be collected includes satisfaction with services, perceived 
improvements in self-functioning, types of exposure, and event 
reactions.
     CCP Service Provider Feedback. These surveys will be 
completed by and collected from the CCP service providers anonymously 
at six months and one year postevent. The survey will be coded on 
several program-level as well as worker-level variables. However, the 
program itself will be identified and shared with program management 
only if the number of individual workers is greater than 20.

[[Page 38969]]



                                       Estimates of Annualized Hour Burden
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                                                     Number of     Responses per     Hours per      Total hour
                      Form                          respondents     respondents      responses        burden
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Individual Crisis Counseling Services Encounter            7,500               1             .03             225
 Log............................................
Group Encounter Log Form........................           4,000               1             .03             120
Weekly Tally Sheet..............................           4,000               1             .08             320
Assessment & Referral Tool......................             100               1             .08               8
Participant Feedback............................           1,000               1             .06              60
CCP Service Provider Feedback...................             100               1             .08               8
                                                 -----------------
    Total.......................................          16,700  ..............  ..............             741
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    Written comments and recommendations concerning the proposed 
information collection should be sent by August 5, 2005, to: SAMHSA 
Desk Officer, Human Resources and Housing Branch, Office of Management 
and Budget, New Executive Office Building, Room 10235, Washington, DC 
20503; due to potential delays in OMB's receipt and processing of mail 
sent through the U.S. Postal Service, respondents are encouraged to 
submit comments by fax to: 202-395-6974.

    Dated: June 29, 2005.
Patricia S. Bransford,
Acting Executive Officer, SAMHSA.
[FR Doc. 05-13238 Filed 7-5-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4162-20-P