Describes an approach to behavior modification employing gradual stages and beginning with the enhancement of positive behavior. Major emphasis is placed on accelerating prosocial behavior rather than decelerating antisocial behavior. (CM)

Play group therapy sessions were held in an attempt to improve impulse control; peer, social, and relationship skills; expression of repressed anger; feelings for self; and cooperative play among five latency-aged boys. Many of the goals set for the children in the group were reached. (Author/RH)

Describes an educational program that contributed to a 90% reduction in the use of physical restraints in nursing homes over a two-year period. Program consists of a workshop, telephone and on-site consultations, regional meetings, and other support materials. Surveys suggest that the project can be easily adapted by care providers. (RJM)

Purpose: Getting dressed is an activity that is of particular difficulty for many persons with dementia, given the need for hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, and overall planning skills. Despite several studies concerning interventions to improve dressing behavior, very little is known about the dressing process as it is currently…

Discusses the complex problems concerning the rights of the incarcerated adolescent to control his own mind and body versus the rights of others and the requisites of effective treatment as defined by the clinician. (Author/SDH)

This issue of "Residential Group Care Quarterly" contains the following articles: (1) "National Definitions and Data Collection for Residential Care Facilities' Use of Restraint and Seclusion" (Lloyd Bullard); (2) "CWLA Publishes Best Practices in Behavior Support and Intervention Assessment Instrument" (Nupur Gupta); (3) "Initial Findings of an…

Conducted two-year mental health intervention with older adults in six residential care facilities. Findings showed little intervention impact but revealed that residents treated were generally socially marginal with weak ego skills, rather that significantly mentally ill. Suggests more intensive program that restructures facility's milieu to…

Describes one of the units of the children's home operated by the Borough of Knowsley, England. This unit, which serves adolescents with emotional and social problems, is based on six models that address attachment, environment, education, responses to stress, and grief. The unit's key functions are to support children, investigate children's…

Juvenile firesetting behavior has received relatively little research attention and previous attempts to systematically classify this heterogeneous population of children has been only partially successful. Currently there is no literature available that defines treatment and intervention needs of adolescents in residential treatment with…

This study examined the implementation of a model of managing aggressive and harmful behaviour in an adolescent in-patient psychiatric unit. This model, Positive Behaviour Management, replaced a previous model, Control and Restraint, which was considered unsuitable. Both models included the use of physical interventions, and the research into such…

Official state program reviews of 204 substitute care facilities were assessed for the types of behavior management and behavioral interventions used and the extent to which agency practices were consistent with learning theory principles. Data were also collected on the type and number of professional staff available to implement and oversee…

This article presents findings from a quasi-experimental, nonrandomized group design study that explored whether trauma-enhanced substance abuse treatment results in longer residential treatment stays and improved outcomes compared with treatment-as-usual. We used a subsample (N = 461) of participants in the Women, Co-Occurring Disorders and…

A widespread bias exists among legal, medical, and social service professionals that the appropriate placement for elderly individuals with cognitive impairment (dementia) is a nursing home. Two major reasons for institutionalization are to remove the patient from a potentially harmful situation and to relieve the family of the burden of care.…

Explores the value of telephones as intervention with parents (N=47) whose adolescent children were in residential treatment. When sessions included therapists, adolescent residents, and parents, parents perceived the greatest benefit in helping family communication and functioning. Parents were also most satisfied when family telephone therapy…

Proposes the use of a post-substantiation model for responding to incidents of abuse within an institutional setting. Provides an example of how this model is applied to the investigation of institutional abuse. (Author/BB)