Students are not numbers, and schools do more than just teach academic skills. In this article, the author offers some advice for helping adolescents confront the profound questions of life. The author's school, Souhegan High School in Amherst, New Hampshire, is a member of the Coalition of Essential Schools, an organization built on a shared…

This article reviews research on the continuing-breaking bonds controversy. Across the course of the 20th century a shift in theorizing took place from an emphasis on the benefits of breaking bonds to investigation of the presence and usefulness of continuing bonds with a deceased person. These different theoretical formulations are examined and…

This study evaluates the effects of the Coping Power Program with at-risk preadolescent boys at the time of transition from elementary school to middle school. Aggressive boys were randomly assigned to receive only the Coping Power child component, the full Coping Power Program with parent and child components, or a control condition. Results…

Childhood grief and mourning of family and friends may have immediate and long-lasting consequences including depression, anxiety, social withdrawal, behavioral disturbances, and school underachievement. Childhood pet bereavement is no less important, because the pet is often considered a member of the family by the child. However, society does…

This study examined the impact of terrorism on adolescents, who may be resolving developmental issues regarding their vulnerability to death. Approximately 4 months after the September 11th attacks, a survey was given to 973 Upper Midwest adolescents and teachers. Quantitative analyses indicated that adolescents (especially girls) were frightened…

The authors discuss their facilitation of four grief counseling groups with male inmates in a state prison over a two-year period. Worden's Tasks of Mourning were used as a guide for the group process. Disenfranchised grief and gender and cultural issues in grieving are explored. Catalytic exercises are described, and written feedback from inmates…

A Talking Circle incorporates traditions from various Native American tribes and represents the practice of gathering as a community to solve problems, and the practice of respectful listening. This article describes the benefits of introducing students to a Talking Circle as a way of creating community in the classroom. Having a weekly class…

The limited literature on awareness of differences and stigma in people with intellectual disabilities is largely sociological, emphasises pathology, and has rarely used a developmental perspective with representative samples. Interviews, photographs and standardised tests were used to investigate such awareness with 77 young adults with Down…

The main purpose of this study was to explore the relations between coping styles and emotional and behavioural problems among adolescent students. The study was conducted as a survey among a representative sample of 2006 Norwegian 9th graders. The results show that emotional problems are associated with self-blaming as well as aggressive coping.…

This chapter presents an overview of studies investigating the role of the family while children cope with problems in their transitions to the labor market. Attention is paid to different support systems in a variety of European countries, depending on different state welfare models.

Family resilience can be defined as the ability of a family to respond positively to an adverse situation and emerge from the situation feeling strengthened, more resourceful, and more confident than its prior state. This article presents a succinct literature review on family resilience, including its dimensions, working models, and the…

This study investigates how the option for new-concept part-time (NPT) employment influences the ability of mothers of preschool children working in professional occupations to successfully integrate work and family responsibilities. Female NPT professionals (n=279) and female full-time (FT) professionals (n=250) were compared. The NPT group…

We analyzed the content of school-aged children's responses to a countywide in-class essay assignment in which they described what they are thankful for. Accounts were written in November of 2000 (n=152) and 2001 (n=196). We identified the most prominent themes of children's gratitude as well as differences in the themes that emerged before and…

This study compared stress and coping among 243 migrant and 750 local-born Chinese adolescents in Hong Kong. Findings showed that compared to their local-born counterparts, migrants showed no difference in perceived stress, whereas they were less likely to use withdrawal coping and showed higher self-esteem and less delinquent behavior. Adjustment…

This article uses the case of Asians to highlight the collectivistic elements inherent in Asian help-seeking patterns, problem-solving styles, and stress-coping responses. It then offers recommendations for specific counseling strategies that complement Asians' collectivistic orientation. It should be noted that although generalized observations…