Behind every student dealing with a mental health problem is a family trying to grasp what's happening to their child and struggling to do its best. This personal story shares the journey of a family as it confronts a child with Generalized Anxiety and Panic Disorder and describes the many starts and stops and confusion of diagnosing and…

The purpose of this article is to present a family intervention model to family service providers that builds on previous research in areas of social support and family problem solving. The Family Outreach Model provides a set of strategies for engaging and working with families in five phases of family coping at different points in time in the…

The parent of a head injured young adult recounts her family's problems learning to cope and gives other examples of the effects of head injuries on sons and daughters, husbands, and wives. Successful and unsuccessful patterns of family coping are noted. (DB)

Family patterns of dysfunction that often reinforce maladaptive behaviors and cognitions of children growing up in an alcoholic home environment are often difficult to overcome. Adjustment issues associated with being an adult child of an alcoholic (ACOA) are presented along with factors that have been identified as being important in developing…

This paper describes a group counseling model for bereaved adolescents, which was designed to enhance awareness of grief issues among adolescents and to provide guidelines for addressing those needs in a group setting. The decision to develop a support group for bereaved students is reviewed and the steps taken by a Fairfax County, Virginia…

Describes the "North Dakota Family Coping Project," a program using research, teaching, and service expertise to help rural families cope with change. The program is built on four principles: (1) identify unique needs and characteristics, (2) utilize unique features, (3) build partnerships, and (4) monitor and evaluate programs. (CH)

Briefly sketches responses of consumer and homemaking educators to the personal dilemmas caused by unemployment. Programs described range from skills development, employability enhancement, and career exploration, to stress management and therapeutic counseling. (SK)

This article explores the notion of "non-finite loss," defined as the ongoing sense of grief experienced by parents caring for children with severe disabilities. Issues that professionals need to consider when working with parents are discussed, and a set of recommendations for promoting more effective partnerships is provided. (Contains…

The study addresses parental coping patterns of children with congenital heart disease in the state of Hawaii. Attention was given to geography and ethnicity as well as parental and child characteristics as factors impacting on the coping pattern. Telephone interviews with parents (N=32) obtained data concerning parent characteristics, their…

Describes a program at Rochester School District (Pennsylvania) that determines the needs of students with chronic attendance and tardiness problems and works with students, families, social service agencies, and alternative educational programs to resolve conflicts. Chronic offenders are identified, assessed individually, and referred to…

This paper describes the Primary Prevention Project (PPP), a demonstration program of the Mendota Mental Health Institute in Madison, Wisconsin which provides services to multi-problem families with children under 3 years of age in order to prevent abuse and neglect, developmental delay, or future socio-emotional difficulty. The project's…

An outreach program focusing on group intervention helped children and adolescents in a distressed Minnesota farm community to cope with the stress of family change. The program provided support groups, taught problem-solving and decision-making skills, and encouraged expression of feelings and group cooperation. (SV)

The prevalence of dementias in the elderly is steadily increasing. While caring for a dementing patient at home, families are subject to tremendous physical stresses and emotional reactions such as guilt, anger, grief, role confusion, depression, resentment, and loneliness. Two group treatment models addressing the mental health needs of…

This description of the Cedar Valley Hospice program emphasizes palliative and supportive care for terminally ill patients and their families. The history of the hospice movement is outlined along with a description of the Cedar Valley program and the results of a 1980 program evaluation. The appendices contain a statement of the hospice goals and…

This paper provides counselors and other helping professionals with tools for assessment of and intervention in grieving families that have suffered the loss of a child or fetus through illness, accident, violence, or miscarriage. Helping professionals who don't specialize in grief issues can especially benefit from this information, as many…