Reviews past and current school reform efforts designed to link human services with public schools. Discusses five alternative approaches for linking public schools and human services: informal relations, coordination, partnerships, collaboration, and integration. Offers suggestions for planning, training, resources, and funding necessary to…

Discusses the ecological conceptualization of the person-in-environment as a basis of social work practice. Presents a case illustration of a solution-focused model used in an ecological practice perspective. The case shows how a solution-focused model can be used not only with the client, but also with the client's environment. (Contains 20…

Contains a report of lessons the authors have been developing based on their group work in China. Lessons learned include understanding how cultural imperatives apply and work gets done in relation to planning, and being sensitive to the uniqueness of another culture's communication styles and attitudes about leadership. (Contains 36 references.)…

Examines the impact of counselors' spiritual well-being on the spiritual well-being of patients in their clinical care. Results indicate that the values of wisdom and loving from the Rokeach Value Survey and self-acceptance from the Personal Orientation Inventory account for approximately half of the spiritual well-being variance. Follow-up…

This report reviews research on personality disorders (PDs) in adolescents, focusing on the prevalence of certain PDs by gender and the impact of gender on diagnosis. Empirical findings are presented pertaining to PD gender differences in adults for comparison and conclude that most DSM-III-R defined PDs are unrelated to gender. (Author)

The association between help-seeking and nearly lethal suicide attempts was evaluated using data from a population-based, case-control study. Measures of help-seeking included type of consultant contacted, and whether suicide was discussed. Findings suggest efforts to better understand the role of help-seeking in suicide prevention deserves…

Professional organizations mandate that effective counseling be provided to lesbian, gay male, and bisexual male and female (LGB) clients. This article presents the characteristics, challenges, and needs of sexual minorities, along with therapeutic strategies that practitioners may use in facilitating a positive self-image among the lesbians, gay…

Examines how data generated from a planned intervention facilitated a redesign of work teams in one state's public welfare agency. Major results of the intervention show improved client services and higher staff morale. Concludes that students and practitioners preparing for careers in human services can benefit from a review of the strategies…

In the United Kingdom, the shift to competitive private-market models for early childhood education and day care services has created a chaotic system detrimental to young children's welfare. In contrast, many European countries, particularly Scandinavian countries, support a model based on entitlement for children and have expanded day care…

Offers a conceptual framework, based on E. H. Erikson's (1980) notion of identity formation, for understanding, assessing, and discussing spirituality and religion. Religion can play a significant role in the structure of identity. Religious identity status can provide direction and guidance for counselors who wish to integrate spirituality and…

Depicts the practical application of Helms's Racial Identity Development model in counseling. Case scenario involves an African-American college student who is struggling with issues of self-efficacy and self-esteem related to his racial identity development. Describes ways to conceptualize the psychological distress and interpersonal concerns of…

Data from therapists who were treating 26 patients when they committed suicide were utilized to identify warning signs. Problems in communication between patient and therapist were identified as factors interfering with crisis recognition. Evaluation of the identified affects and behaviors may help therapists recognize a suicide crisis. (BF)

The Human Service Education program at the University of Tennessee uses a prefield seminar to provide a foundation from which to facilitate field students learning and engage students as partners directing their own learning process. Benefits include a sense of universality; answers to their pressing field questions; and practice using…

The article focuses on the overall health of American Indians. Native people living on reservations and in urban areas face a broad array of health problems. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta is committed to improving the health of Native Americans. CDC is one of the agencies within the U.S. Department of Health and Human…

Because social policy making continues to devolve to the state level, social workers should understand how advocacy and policy making occur at that level. Interest groups active in the human services arena were surveyed and data were used to test a model of interest group effectiveness in four states. The independent variables were amount of…