The National Center for Leadership in Intensive Intervention (NCLII), a consortium funded by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), prepares special education leaders to become experts in research on intensive intervention for students with disabilities who have persistent and severe academic (e.g., reading and math) and behavioral…

The present article summarizes the assumptions, model, techniques, evidence, and diversity/social justice commitments of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). ACT focused on six processes (acceptance, defusion, self, now, values, and action) that bear on a single overall target (psychological flexibility). The ACT model of behavior change has…

When considering health promotion among college students, 2 questions that arise are how to (1) most effectively offer health initiatives and (2) motivate students to participate in these efforts. Objective: In responding to these questions, the author considered 2 health-promotion tools: the transtheoretical model and the concept of possible…

Observable behavior change is a more useful goal in counseling than self-acceptance or self-understanding. Goals should be stated as specific behavior changes desired by each client, compatible with the counselor's values, and externally observable. Behavioral goals would result in: (a) a clearer anticipation of what counseling could accomplish,…

Individuals given assertion training showed increases in acceptance of disability scores, self-concept/esteem scores, and social interaction skills scores when compared with individuals who did not experience assertion training. Assertion training was effective for increasing acceptance of disability in physically disabled university students.…

Assigned 60 couples to training group learning behavioral strategies to promote healthy sleep patterns in infants or to control group. At 6-9 weeks, training group infants displayed significantly better sleeping patterns than did control infants. Training group parents awakened and responded less often to infant signaling and reported greater…

The purpose of this article is to postulate a psychological mechanism to account for self-defeating behavior, which is also the central mechanism in a new definition of mental health. (Author)

Two comprehensive case studies present the careful use of a Time Out" approach to behavior modification with elementary school students. These sessions should be undertaken only under supervision of the school psychologist since a Time Out" can produce damaging psychological effects if used indiscriminately. (CJ)

Objective: Thin body preoccupation and social pressure to be thin (TBPSP) in adolescence are risk factors for the development of full and partial bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder. This study examined precursors of these potent risk factors. Method: A prospective study followed 134 children from birth to 11.0 years and their parents.…

Changes in self-concept as a function of behavioral treatment for test anxiety are investigated. Test-anxious subjects (N=72) were randomly assigned to systematic desensitization, relaxation-training only, or no-treatment control conditions. Results indicate that the desensitization and relaxation treatments were both effective in reducing test…

Group assertion training has employed a variety of techniques including bibliotherapy, behavioral rehearsal, and didactic lecture presentations. Whether didactic information affects behavior, structure, and/or self-evaluation is unknown, and it is not clear whether behavioral practice enhances the effects of didactic training upon behavior,…

This article describes those dimensions that have historically contributed to the development of feelings of inadequacy and negative self-concepts in Black women. An effort is made to show how counseling services were implemented to assist Black women experiencing feelings of low self-esteem. (Author)

The educational and pyschological effects of the practice of Transcendental Meditation (TM) on secondary school students were examined. A course including TM technique was taught to two public high school classes of 30 volunteers each. One class took the TM course for both semesters; the other took an alternative course in self-development for the…

Processes by which teachers may identify behavioral objectives for their students and bring about changes in attitudes and values are examined. An example is presented of the general affective goals of helping students to develop positive self-concepts, appreciate the dignity and worth of others, and value democratic attitudes. It is pointed out…

Extending over a 14-week period, this study examined the effects of a program designed to enhance the self-esteem of at-risk students by developing an internal locus of control in the students. The program consisted of six major components: (1) a specified vocabulary and format; (2) goal identification and description by students; (3) student…