A model for the delivery of mental health services to people residing in small communities (less than 10,000 population) is presented. The model is the product of personal consultation experience over the past three years with a modestly staffed and financed but very successful mental health agency. Emphasis is placed on community action,…

The four sections of this paper outline changes in UNICEF programs from their inception in 1946 to recent initiatives circa 1983. The first section delineates shifts in program emphasis, showing how the organization's focus has moved from meeting the emergency needs of post-World War II European children toward addressing the long-term needs of…

This paper describes a program of free, short-term, individual bereavement counseling for survivors of sudden death in Marin County, California. Co-sponsors are Marin Suicide Prevention Center and Marin County Coroner's Office. Most survivors are initially referred to the program by the coroner at the time of certifying cause of death, others are…

Following a brief introduction, this paper focuses on how the Texas Project for Elders, one of ten sites in the country participatng in the National Long-Term Care Channeling Demonstration Project (Channeling), has taken into account the mental health needs of clients and caregivers both in the development and delivery of services. The clients…

This paper describes the efforts of the rural Pioneer Mental Health Center (PMHC), Seward, Nebraska, in the development of a community-based alcohol/drug prevention program. Part I focuses on the history and development of the prevention model, which emphasizes process-oriented activities to promote community identification and ownership of the…

In planning for the 1989-90 academic year, Hazard Community College's Employee Professional Development Committee recommended and gained approval for a wellness program that would assist all employees in reducing stress and becoming more physically fit. Similar to fitness programs in the business sector, the wellness program utilized community…

This article discusses a program originated in response to the need to serve a most disturbed segment of children in New York City--youngsters discharged from psychiatric hospitals or residential treatment centers. This program directly links separate social institutions--the schools and the mental hospitals--in a plan for unified services to one…

A project implemented by a school of nursing and social work at one university and evaluated by a school of education at another is described. The project, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, trained 128 personnel from 32 nursing homes in strategies to raise the mental status of residents. Evaluation results indicated a desired…

The Geriatric Assessment Unit (GAU), which has proven successful in urban areas, may be a viable system for providing health care to the elderly in rural areas. GAUs engage in assessment, follow-up response to findings, education, and research. The assessment component includes, at minimum, physical health, functional ability in activities of…

This paper describes a project which is attempting to strengthen existing programs and develop new forms of support for rural children and their families. The setting of the project is a three-county area in south-western Pennsylvania which has been designated as "underserved" in reference to health and mental health facilities. The…

A model developed by Transitional Services for New York, Inc., for collaboration between State and County government under private, not-for-profit auspices is described which attempts to assist the transition of former psychiatric patients into the community. The agency functions are described in terms of: (1) a tri-level housing network including…

This paper presents the hospice as an alternative method of caring for the dying, with emphasis on bereavement follow-up care of the family. Components of this approach are described in terms of: (1) the delivery of care through a physician-directed team supported by nurses, social workers, pastors, volunteers, and consultants; (2) the maintenance…

The paper deals with a mental health program designed to treat the 2 1/2 to 5 year old Mexican American child with severe emotional or behavioral problems. Components of the program included a mutual agreement with Parent Child Centers (Headstart) in the community; staff who had expertise to evaluate, diagnose, design, and implement an individual…

This paper describes a pilot project designed to provide a training and implementation program for volunteer, paraprofessional facilitators of a marriage and family intervention method known as Structured Enrichment. The intervention, which was designed to teach couples and families to negotiate specific problem issues in their relationships, is…

There is evidence that informal caregiving systems, called natural helping networks, already carry much of the service load of community mental health services, and need to be strengthened to provide even more. Social network analysis is a useful tool for understanding how these informal mechanisms operate, as well as the way in which some…