Approximately 10% of children and adolescents have mental health problems necessitating intervention, but well below 50% of these children receive needed services, and far fewer receive the quality of care required to effectively reduce their impairments. Although system reform is needed to improve service utilization and quality of care for all…

This article describes the Pathways to Prevention (PTP) infant mental health initiative conducted by Early Head Start (EHS). The authors note that staff members who want to build their early childhood programs' capacity in infant mental health are often at a loss about how to do it. They suggest establishing an intensive, ongoing relationship with…

This article describes the essential aspects of a creative, experiential course in dream interpretation for psychology and counseling students. Such a course offers counselor educators an opportunity to develop basic interviewing and advanced processing techniques in their students while facilitating greater self-exploration and improved…

This article illustrates procedures for using e-journals as a creative and adjunctive approach in group work. Incorporating e-mail based journaling as an ancillary form of group interaction allows members to communicate via written channels, and creates new ways for clients to relate in the group. This article outlines how leaders can use…

Rates of overweight children and adolescents have nearly tripled over the past 30 years. Many barriers exist to healthy eating and physical activity for children and adolescents, including factors in the school and community environment. It is these modifiable school environmental factors that led to the development of the Nutrition Friendly…

During the years 1991-1995, through planning efforts in local communities, a successful model has been created for the implementation of the Colorado Comprehensive Health Education Act (1990). Three key components of the Colorado model are: (1) the establishment of local health advisory committees; (2) the administration of local needs…

This report presents information and opinions advocating for school-based health centers. Each section starts with a brief introduction and follows with quotations from leaders in the field. The leaders whose thoughts are captured here believe school-based health centers are part of the solution to increasing childhood and adolescent health…

Established in 1977 by the Diabetes Research and Education Act, the six Diabetes Research and Training Centers (DRTCs) located throughout the country offer resources for diabetes educators and other health professionals involved in treating or counseling people with diabetes. DRTCs provide continuing education, seminars, and workshops in…

The New Mexico School Health Advisory Committee adopted a model of comprehensive school health programming that incorporates the following eight components: (1) health services; (2) health education; (3) school health environment; (4) physical education; (5) student nutrition; (6) counseling; (7) integrated school and community health promotion;…

This document consists of two articles on sex education programs aimed at reducing sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and unintended pregnancies among American Indians. Both articles describe the problems of unwanted pregnancies and STDs, including acquired immune deficiency syndrome. During 1987, there were more than 3,000 live births to Native…

The purpose of the project was to develop an advanced, competency-based training program for residential youth service/child care workers providing services to children and adolescents with severe mental health or emotional problems. The program was designed in response to problems common to these workers in rural areas such as Kansas, including…

Cited as the largest single cause of lost work time and on-the-job fatalities for U.S. workers, motor vehicle crashes cause major nonrecoverable losses for U.S. businesses. Workplace programs to encourage employees to wear safety belts can thus help employers reduce traffic accident-related losses of work time and can substantially reduce the…

The Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act of 1987 was reauthorized for another two years by the Omnibus McKinney Homeless Assistance Act of 1988. This report summarizes the nine titles of the McKinney Act, including changes brought about in the 1988 reauthorization. Title I covers general provisions of the Act. Title II establishes the…

In the mid-70's mental health programs in Florida underwent a major change with the implementation of a Unit Treatment Rehabilitation (UTR) model of patient care, which emphasizes the re-socialization of patients and a team approach to mental health care. In response to this change, an innovative program was developed through coordination between…

This paper reviews in detail the history and current status of the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH), since its beginning in 1934, as the only world-wide, voluntary, non-governmental, interdisciplinary, mental health coalition comprised of both volunteer and professional organizations as well as individual members. The relationship of the…