As counseling programs are being strained by the ever increasing needs of today's students, other methods of helping the students are being used. The peer helper program is one method that is optimistically being tried. Information is presented here on the background, training procedures, and evaluation methods (both subjective and objective) of…

Three years of experience with a program using labor union volunteers to work with young adult offenders are described. The project's relative success is attributed to the volunteers' union background, staff-volunteer interaction, thorough training of the volunteers, and their range. (Author/HLM)

Chaired by Bernard G. Guerney, Jr., this program on the development and evaluation of helping skills training included the following presentations: (1) "The Development of a Helping Skills Program" (Steven Danish); (2) "Paraprofessionals Assess the Training Program" (Barbara Wakshul); (3) "Research Conducted on the Training of Basic Helping…

This article describes several cautions and recommendations in regard to the use of skill-training programs. Whether the value of skill training is being overestimated is explored through a discussion of the process of skill training, skills vs. self as instrument, and perceptual psychology. (Author)

Two training programs in rural Iowa demonstrated community helpers can be trained to function effectively in rural mental health service delivery. Comparable training programs sponsored by the center are currently in progress. Training these natural helpers in interpersonal skills is an important service of community mental health centers. (Author)

This paper describes a Nursing Home Ombudsman Program, developed to provide employment for the "unemployable" older adult, that hired 19 older adults to work 20 hours per week for a year, providng friendly visits to senior residents living in nursing homes and minimum outreach services to community seniors. A two-week, eight-session orientation…