Thirty-one child forensic mental health professionals specializing in cases involving allegations of sexual abuse were surveyed to assess their normative evaluation and testimony practices with respect to clinical interviews and child psychosocial assessment. Survey questions covered the evaluation process and methods, the limits of expert…

Examines elementary school counselors' perspectives about the effects of parental substance abuse on children of substance abusers (COSAs) and the counselor's role and ability to meet these children's needs. Identifies the school-based services available to COSAs, perceived barriers to providing services, and counselors' experience with family…

Psychology graduate students (n=185) responded to case descriptions in which client gender, alcoholism, and socioeconomic status (SES) were manipulated. Found consistent, negative effect of client alcoholism on several prognostic variables, including decision to hospitalize; tendency for female clients to be thought to require more therapy…

Investigated counselor trainee's recollections of early family structure and current intergenerational relationships. Found trainees who remained relatively free from "triangling" patterns with parents reported significantly greater spousal intimacy, more individuation from parents, and less triangulation with children and spouses.…

A study of 51,624 Michigan students declassified from special education indicated that the students were academically, socially, and behaviorally well adjusted in general education programs. Teachers and counselors felt that 11% continued to need special education. Four percent of declassified students returned to special education within three…

Social workers in the United States were queried on their attitudes toward transracial adoption (TRA), defined here as African American children being adopted by White parents. An analysis of 363 questionnaires found that optimism about the future of race relations was the most powerful predictor of TRA attitudes. For both African American and…

Research was conducted to identify the events and experiences influencing the development of clinical self-confidence during the first year of client contact for beginning marriage and family therapists. Thirty-nine recent graduates of a master's degree training program participated in a semistructured interview in which they were asked to…

Researchers in this study sought to construct an instrument specifically designed to measure counselor trainee attitudes toward alcohol and drug abuse. The instrument, the "Counselor Trainee Attitudes Measure" (CTAM), used for this research was developed collectively by the researchers. The CTAM gathered demographic data including undergraduate or…

An increasing number of children face deteriorating family bonds, out-of-wedlock births, lack of shelter, pregnancy, abortion, and drug or alcohol related crimes. When schools fail to address the immediate family and social needs of students, learning for these students becomes difficult and relatively unimportant. This study promotes the…

School counselors refer to themselves as professionals who provide services to clients. Nonetheless, a critical examination of perceptions and roles is necessary before this assertion can be accepted. The purpose of this study is twofold: (1) to examine the extent to which school counseling in Queensland, Australia is considered a profession, and…

The history and current status of honors programs at the University of Maryland, College Park, are discussed, with some reference to special recent programming for gifted students. The following historical developments are covered: honors programs at Columbia College in the early 1900s, the idea of honors as a separate upper division program at…

The importance of systematic assessment of target behavior in the development of an assessment strategy for children is the cornerstone by which many parent-mediated interventions are conducted. To determine current practices of parent/child assessment and evaluation of treatment, directors of 112 community mental health clinics were surveyed.…

This study explored the similarities and differences in professional attitudes toward intervention in incest cases. The sample consisted of 35 men and women employed at one of the following: a counseling agency, child protective services, sheriff's department, and police department in a Southwest community. Demographic data were collected,…

These three papers represent the results of the third phase of Florida's Impact of Testing Project. After reviewing the background to the project, the first paper discusses third-phase findings in terms of project objectives, i.e.: to determine entry-level assessment procedures and their uses in student placement; to determine the impact that…

The use of touch in therapeutic relationships is seldom dealt with as a practice issue except in a proscriptive way. To gather descriptive information on the use of touch in therapy, professional therapists (N=50) whose practice was largely family therapy were interviewed about the successful use of touch in their helping relationships. Interview…