The requirement to assure the teaching of critical thinking put the school in front of its own weaknesses. A profound criticism highlights limitations, hindrances and obstacles that are difficult to pass without the personal efforts of the teachers. Following criticism, one can identify a set of requirements that would allow for improvement and…

This paper focuses on the stress and struggles faced by survivors, following physical and/or emotional loss. It explains how counselors must be prepared to assist when grief strikes the nation, the classroom, or the individual. Each incident carries its own uniqueness and must be dealt with in light of the victim's personal need and their belief…

The shift in mental health delivery systems from a centralized to a decentralized community-based system requires quality service standards from both a professional and a service implementation viewpoint. The present paper sets forth the basic and preliminary structure for standards for crisis outreach services. Definitions are presented which…

The National Institute of Mental Health reported in 1998 that suicide in the United States is the third leading cause of death among young people, and that they are the only age group whose mortality rate has increased due to suicide during the last 20 years. The United States Territory of Guam has also experienced an increase in adolescent…

A therapeutic technique for dealing with a chronic caller to a suicide prevention center was tested. The two objectives to such a technique were to reduce the frequency of calls made by chronic callers to the suicide prevention service, and to persuade callers to be more specific when discussing their problem. To accomplish these objectives, a…

Research in crisis intervention has prescribed how trained but non-professional individuals should and do act in a crisis situation. The present study, however, focused on the types of responses untrained helpers use to respond to the crisis of another individual. Results indicate that types of responses vary significantly, with probing and…

Suicide is a personal act with a high degree of interpersonal effects and outcomes. The student contemplating or attempting suicide has reached a turning point in his life and is searching for a way out. Suicide rates among college-age students have tripled over the past 25 years. While national attention has been drawn to the problem of teenage…

Within the last decade, the role of the school psychologist has been changing as a result of the impact of disasters and increasing violence in schools and communities. This workshop was designed to help school psychologists prepare for and intervene in disasters in their school communities. The goals were: (1) to encourage school psychologists to…

A study was designed to compare the verbal responses of trained and untrained helpers confronted with the same crisis situation. The subjects were 24 trained graduate helpers, 24 untrained graduate helpers, and 24 untrained undergraduate helpers. Each subject was paired with an actor in one of the following conditions: male actor with male…

This paper describes the Home-Based Crisis Intervention (HBCI) program in New York and the outcomes of a study that investigated the effectiveness of the program. The HBCI program provides short-term intensive in-home services to families with children who are at-risk for out-of-home placements. Counselors work with families to prevent psychiatric…

Recent statistics indicate that a high school of 2000 students will experience an average of one student suicide every four years. This paper reviews and synthesizes relevant information on issues in school response to student suicide and sudden death. Highlighted are risk factors that school personnel can identify in suicide-prone students,…

This report describes how, in the aftermath of Hurricane Hugo, the South Carolina Department of Mental Health activated its Emergency Preparedness Plan to assist mental health centers and their staff in providing crisis counseling services to the general public. The first section explains the history and structure of the involvement by the…

With the recent trend towards diversionary projects for juvenile law offenders, various threapeutic residential and outreach models have been introduced. It was hypothesized that there are family characteristics which are related to high incidences of continued delinquent behavior, and that males from single parent, low-income families will be the…

Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings joined President Bush, Mrs. Bush, and Attorney General Gonzales at a Conference on School Safety on October 10, 2006. Teachers, parents, administrators, law enforcement officials, and other experts discussed best practices and lessons learned about school safety during the conference at the National 4-H…

This paper describes the Home-Based Crisis Intervention (HBCI) program in New York and the effects that exposure to violence had on 36 participating children (ages 5-18), the training counselors received on violence issues, and strategies used as a result of efforts to address the effect of violence. The HBCI program provides short-term intensive…