A Community Long-Term Hotline Therapeutic Intervention Model for Coping with the Threat and Trauma of War and Terror

Marc Gelkopf, Sigal Haimov, Liron Lapid

Long-term tele-counseling can potentially be a potent intervention mode in war- and terror-related community crisis situations. We aimed to examine a unique long-term telephone-administered intervention, targeting community trauma-related crisis situations by use of various techniques and approaches. 142 participants were evaluated using a non-intrusive by-proxy methodology appraising counselors' standard verbatim reports. Various background measures and elements in the intervention were quantitatively assessed, along with symptomatology and functioning at the onset and end of intervention. About 1/4 of the wide variety of clients called for someone else in addition to themselves, and most called due to a past event rather than a present crisis situation. The intervention successfully reduced posttraumatic stress symptoms and improved functioning. Most interventions included psychosocial education with additional elements, e.g., self-help tools, and almost 60 % included also in-depth processes. In sum, tele-counseling might be a viable and effective intervention model for community-related traumatic stress.