[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 41 (Friday, February 29, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11126-11128]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-3903]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request

    In compliance with section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995 concerning opportunity for public comment on proposed 
collections of information, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health 
Services Administration will publish periodic summaries of proposed 
projects. To request more information on the proposed projects or to 
obtain a copy of the information collection plans, call the SAMHSA 
Reports Clearance Officer on (240) 276-1243.
    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collections of 
information are necessary for the proper performance of the functions 
of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways 
to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, 
including through the use of automated collection techniques or other 
forms of information technology.

Proposed Project: Data Toolkit Protocol for the Crisis Counseling 
Assistance and Training Program (CCP) (OMB No. 0930-0270)--Revision

    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 declared disaster in accordance 
with section 416, Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
Assistance Act (Pub. L. 93-288, as amended).
    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), gulf coast States 
affected by the 2005 hurricanes, and recent 2007 southern California 
wildfires have primarily addressed the short-term mental and behavioral 
health needs of communities through (a) outreach and public education, 
(b) individual and group counseling, and (c) referral. Disaster victims 
are

[[Page 11127]]

normally resilient people responding to abnormally stressful events, 
thus crisis counseling services are directed at normalizing 
individuals' experience and distress. Outreach and public education 
serve primarily to normalize reactions and to engage people who might 
need further care. Crisis counseling is a strengths-based approach that 
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 may be a one time event 
or typically continues no more than a few times on several different 
occasions. Since crisis counseling is time-limited, referral is the 
third important function of CCPs. Counselors are expected to refer 
clients to formal treatment if the person has developed more serious 
psychiatric, substance abuse, or other severe behavioral health 
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 progress reporting, such as 
quarterly and final, for the program. The data will be collected in a 
consistent way from all programs, so that data 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 data tool kit are listed and described below:
     Encounter logs. These forms document all services 
provided. Completion of these logs by the crisis counselors is required 
during both the CCP Immediate Services Program (first 60 days after the 
disaster declaration) and the Regular Services Program (up to 9 months 
after Immediate Services Program). There are three types of encounter 
logs: (1) Individual Crisis Counseling Services Encounter Log; (2) 
Group Encounter Log; and (3) Weekly Tally Sheet.
    [cir] 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 is 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, 
complete separate forms for all family members who are actively engaged 
in the visit. Information collected includes demographics, service 
characteristics, risk factors, event reactions, and referral data.
    [cir] Group Encounter Log. This form also completed by crisis 
counselors is used to identify either a group crisis counseling 
encounter or a group public education encounter. A check at the top 
identifies the class of activities (i.e., counseling where participants 
do most of the talking or education where a formally presentation is 
conducted). Information collected includes services characteristics, 
group identity, and activity topics.
    [cir] Weekly Tally Sheet. Similar to the Individual and Group 
Encounter Logs, this form is completed by crisis counselors or other 
appropriate program staff and documents brief educational and 
supportive encounters not captured on either the Individual or Group 
Encounter Logs. Information collected includes service characteristics, 
daily tallies and weekly totals for brief educational or supportive 
contacts such as mailings, telephone calls, email contacts and material 
distribution with no or minimal in-person interaction.
    The following three tools of the Data Toolkit: (1) Assessment and 
Referral, (2) Participant Feedback, and (3) CCP Service Provider 
Feedback are typically introduced when the Regular Services Program 
begins. These tools are not required to be completed; they are strongly 
encouraged, but optional.
     Assessment and Referral Tool. This tool provides 
descriptive information about intense users of services, defined as all 
individuals receiving a third individual crisis counseling visit. This 
tool will be completed by the crisis counselor.
     Participant Feedback. These surveys are 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 
collected includes satisfaction with services, perceived improvements 
in self-functioning, types of exposure, and event reactions.
     CCP Service Provider Feedback. These surveys are 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 was greater than 20. Estimates of 
Annualized Hour Burden

                                       Estimates of Annualized Hour Burden
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                                     Number of     Responses per       Total         Hours per      Total hour
              Form                  respondents     respondent       responses       response         burden
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Individual Crisis Counseling             \1\ 200              40           8,000             .03             240
 Services Encounter Log Form....
Group Encounter Log Form........              94              50           4,700             .03             141
Weekly Tally Sheet..............         \1\ 200          \2\ 33           6,600             .08             528
Assessment & Referral Tool......         \1\ 200          \3\ 12           2,400             .08             192
Participant Feedback............           1,000               1           1,000             .06              60
CCP Service Provider Feedback...             300               1             300             .08              24
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    Total.......................  ..............  ..............          23,000  ..............           1,185
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\1\ 200 is based on typical average of 10 crisis counselors per grant with an approximate average of 20 grants
  per year.
\2\ Average of 33 weeks for each grant that includes both Immediate Services and Regular Services Programs.
\3\ On average 30% of crisis of encounters may result in use of this optional tool.

    Send comments to Summer King, SAMHSA Reports Clearance Officer, 
Room 7-1044, One Choke Cherry Road, Rockville, MD 20857 and e-mail her 
a copy at [email protected]. Written comments should be 
received within 60 days of this notice.


[[Page 11128]]


    Dated: February 21, 2008.
Elaine Parry,
Acting Director, Office of Program Services.
 [FR Doc. E8-3903 Filed 2-28-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4162-20-P