Public Relations & Media Inquiries

For media inquiries, contact InCrisis or Mentor Research Institute to obtain a PRESS KIT and access to additional articles, background, research, on-line video and images suitable for publication.

About InCrisis

InCrisis provides computer-assisted interviews for children and adults. InCrisis was formed in October 2003 and is located in Bend, Oregon.

At the heart of this service are clinically and empirically developed computer applications that gather information from parents or caregivers.  The information is processed and reports are generated for use by parents, care-givers, health care, education and training professionals. The information contained in our reports is designed to support the services offered by appropriate and qualified professionals.

This computer application and report service is the first of its kind. The application contains over one million lines of computer code. The software and server are based on state-of-art computer system technology and software programming. This type of system is computer-assisted interview (CAI) because it can simulate a screening interview that would be useful to physicians, psychologists and psychiatrists.

InCrisis offers the most sophisticated and powerful online screening tools available. Reports generated by our software are based on complex information processing procedures, yet present information in an easily understandable manner.

About the Method and Technology

Behavioral ratings and checklists are commonly used for screening children, adolescents and adults. These approaches can effectively identify symptoms and signs of behavioral and mental health problems. Behavioral observations and ratings over time and from multiple sources can provide information about the progress of treatment and whether or not a person’s condition or behavior is getting worse.

Mental health histories and behavioral rating systems are easy to administer and can provide both reliable and valid information.  Information gathered from several people observing a child’s behavior is normally more reliable and valid than what a child will tell a professional evaluating that child.

For more information about the technology and services see our Resources page.

Problems Facing Parents

InCrisis was created because the emotional problems facing parents and children are larger than our current health care system's capacity to address them in a timely manner. Nearly 1 in 5 children have behavioral and mental health problems. As many as one 1 out of 10 have serious and severe problems. These problems include developmental disorders, depression, substance abuse, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorders, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Only 1 out of 5 children with significant problems will be identified.

Finding help is not easy. Parents must choose from and communicate with numerous professionals including counselors, clinical social workers, psychologists, family nurse practitioners, psychiatric nurse practitioners, neurologists, family physicians, psychiatrists and adolescent psychiatrists to find help for their child’s problems. Parents become lost without the information necessary to find help for their child. Effective documentation and description of their child's history and behavior is a critical first step in helping parents work effectively with health care professionals.

System Description

• Designed to be comprehensive, reliable, valid & useful
• Research & development since 1989
• Over 1 million lines of computer code
• Input from multiple observers

For more information see

• Description of the ACSQ and StepOne

Proper Use

InCrisis provides information and educational services to parents, professionals and public organizations. The Web site does not provide evaluation, assessment, treatment, diagnostic or emergency services. Our Web site users are customers and are not patients. No educational or information processing service can replace the value of  face-to-face assessment, evaluation and treatment. The primary goal of  InCrisis reports is to help parents document, identify and communicate their observations, their opinions, and their child's history to qualified professionals in a meaningful manner.