There are a number of advantages to including child and family therapy services in a Health Maintenance Organization (HMO). Because the concept of the HMO is based on a holistic systems-oriented model, it can utilize short-term, structured, and strategic interventions without the burdens of autocratic forms of psychological assessment, large…

This Federal Council on Aging report contains recommendations for a national policy regarding services for the frail elderly and describes the principles on which the recommendations are based. Recommended core services are discussed and characteristics and statistics relating to the frail elderly are identified. The report describes existing…

Ways in which health professionals may improve the quality of life for older adults are considered. Needs must be met in the following areas: (1) safe housing; (2) convenient transportation; (3) protection against street crime; (4) improved communication systems; (5) educational programs; (6) nutrition for the elderly; and (7) physical fitness and…

This study sought to determine some effects that stress has on teachers and if there were differences between the stress experienced by regular classroom teachers and the stress experienced by special education teachers. Subjects were elementary and secondary school teachers. The survey instrument used was the Teacher Occupational Stress Factor…

Psychologists' roles are changing and expanding in many ways. In the next decade, psychologists will probably continue their involvement away from the clinic and into the community. Deinstitutionalization should create many new opportunities for psychologists, particularly in the areas of community support system coordination and service…

As mental health policies and systems become subject to legislative and public scrutiny, more information is needed to evaluate such programs in the United States and abroad. A cross-national survey of 42 countries and provinces compared mental health policies, mental health services, awareness of these services, evaluation, and financing. Notable…

Current economic and political problems and the unclear nature of human services delivery systems create problems for the application of an ecological perspective in planning services for children with emotional disturbances. During conservative periods, the ecological approach, which emphasizes the role of environment, is generally replaced by…

There are many contributing factors to the mental health problems of minority groups. For example, the intergroup and intragroup diversity that exists between and among minority groups has not been recognized and controlled for by social and behavioral scientists. There are also certain social-psychological factors which predispose these groups to…

The rationale, background, and nature of family enrichment programs is explained. These structured, skill training approaches for couples and families consist of six lessons with four to six exercises per lesson. They are extremely structured to the point that instructions to trainers are given verbatim. Trainers can modify these instructions and…

This paper reports the results of an interview survey of 108 Chinese American residents of San Francisco, California's Chinatown. Subjects' attitudes were examined in six areas: quality of life, environment, physical health, mental health, psychological attitudes, and employment. Chinatown residents were found to be two to three times more…

Described is a 2-year program to train child mental health specialists (CMHS) in providing care services to normal and emotionally disturbed children. Training of the child care professional is seen to involve three major areas: parenting (becoming aware of and dealing with the feelings of the disturbed child), clinical management (understanding…

The librarian in a mental health hospital has a unique opportunity to serve patients. The nonclinical setting is a significant factor in establishing the library as a bridge between the hospital and the outside world. The librarian-bibliotherapist, especially when working as a team member with the psychotherapist, brings professionalism and…

This roundtable offered a springboard for discussion on homophobia in the workplace in four major areas: education, industry, mental health, and public service. In the discussion on education, gay, lesbian, and bisexual (GLB) college students explored ingrained attitudes and beliefs that impact their college life. Other issues explored in academia…

This document is comprised of summaries of six papers presented at a symposium on the Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative, a federal grant to school districts intended to promote health and safety in schools and communities. The Initiative was designed to confront school violence, safety, and mental health needs through the provision of a…

The Health Care Reform Tracking Project is a 5-year national project to track and analyze state health care reform initiatives as they affect children and adolescents with emotional/behavioral disorders and their families. The study's first phase was a baseline survey of all 50 states to describe current state reforms as of 1995. Among findings of…