The authors divided 275 elderly volunteers into 2 groups (affiliated and non-affiliated participants) and examined demographic, emotional, and practical issues that affect elderly people. There were significant differences between the groups on issues of loneliness, nutrition, and overall quality of life. (Contains 20 references and 3 tables.)…

A survey and three measures of attitudes toward disabilities were completed by 391 undergraduate and graduate students in human services fields (62 percent in nursing). Groups categorized by size of home community generally were similar in attitudes, except that rural-origin students had more negative attitudes on two factors: derogatory…

Much of the multicultural counseling literature has focused on counselor competencies. This paper discusses the importance of incorporating the client preferences and expectations into the multicultural literature. Discusses the effect of context on the client's perceptions. (JDM)

Recent research amongst mental health service users reveals how important spiritual care and counsel are and how few resources are available to provide this service from psychiatry, religious organizations or secular counseling services. Describes the results of three research projects in Somerset and explores the significance of the recovery of…

Introduces this special issue of "Journal of Mental Health Counseling" in which several authors with significant mental health counseling experiences are asked to select the best model(s) to conceptualize and propose counseling intervention to the case of Mr. X. as an African American, Asian American, Hispanic/Latino American, and a…

Expounds on practical implications of racial identity development models for counseling biracial individuals. Briefly reviews ethnic identity development models, conceptualizes the case study, and discusses practice suggestions. Touches on other concepts from the multicultural counseling literature such as bicultural competence and racial and…

Summarizes common themes that emerged from the articles in this special issue of "Journal of Mental Health Counseling" on the counseling of racially diverse clients. Discusses variables that need to be addressed when working with members of visible racial and ethnic groups, and delineates some assessment questions for counselors.…

Discusses a study that, through a questionnaire mailed to social workers, documents the prevalence of client violence among social workers from a broad range of settings. Examines respondents' reasons for reporting or not reporting client violence to management. The majority of respondents had experienced some form of violence from clients. (BF)

Advisors from universities, human services agencies, and Alzheimer's Association identified the educational needs of family caregivers; results were used to prepare training materials. Family caregivers who were trained, mostly African American and rural (n=106), increased knowledge of the disease and caregiving. Economic barriers to participation…

Evaluated predictors of therapy attendance in a sample of substance abusing youth in two southwestern runaway shelters. Runaway youth and their families were engaged into a 15-session ecologically-based family therapy (EBFT) intervention. Fewer days between pretreatment assessment and first therapy session predicted more sessions attended. No…

Introduces a qualitative spiritual assessment instrument. Reviews existing qualitative assessment tools and presents a new multidimensional spiritual assessment framework. The instrument consists of two components: a spiritual history for consumers and an interpretive framework for practitioners. Spiritual strengths that the framework is designed…

This study was designed to explore employment opportunities, salary potential, and knowledge required by graduates of a Bachelor of Science in Rehabilitation Services degree. A survey was mailed to graduates of the program addressing these questions. The response rate was 41%. Of the respondents, 96.7% were currently employed, many within 1.5…

The authors' previous work with long-term family caregivers demonstrated the importance of conversational cues, the reliance on humor to convey sensitive information, and the ways in which the interviewer can follow up, with appropriate probes and nonverbal encouragement, to gain necessary insight into the caregiver situation. This article offers…

Transformational change, versus incremental self-improvement, is what is needed for today's most at-risk teens. This article draws upon many of the principles in Scott Larson and Larry Brendtro's newest book "The Resilience Revolution." There has been much written on the process of transformational change in the business sector over the past…

This Web-based study investigated the effects of client race on the clinical judgment of practicing European American vocational rehabilitation counselors, specifically, whether participants demonstrated bias in their general evaluation, perceptions of psychopathology, and estimates of the educational and vocational potential of African American…