Risk Appraisal and Action Plans
This chapter describes the first session and the basic components of the REACH OUT intervention. The first session focuses on risk appraisal, conducted using two standardized measures, which helps the clinician and caregiver jointly establish a hierarchy of needs and goals for treatment and organize them according to the five risk areas. The chapter then outlines, step-by-step, the core process of REACH OUT: the creation of formal Action Plans. The goal of this intervention is to engage the caregiver in joint problem solving with the objective of creating written Action Plans targeting specific caregiving problems (e.g., improving caregiver health, addressing hazards in the physical environment). The chapter ends with tips for the clinician to keep in mind when working with caregivers to develop Action Plans.