Members of nuclear families look to one another for support in times of stress. Relationships between spouses and between parents and children contain the conditions required for effective counselling and helping. This paper presents the results of two tests of the hypothesis that such helping relationships in families act as moderators between…

There has been much work on social networks and interpersonal worlds, but until recently little discussion of the unique aspects of women's networks. To examine the factors that constrain or facilitate such female bonding, 43 low-income urban mothers were interviewed. For these respondents, female bonding was a significant aspect of their lives.…

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…

Studies conducted in specifically age-segregated housing for older persons suggest that such age-homogeneous settings encourage networks of friendships and mutual assistance. Since patterns of age segregation exist within communities, such segregation may result in similar social benefits. Interviews (N=1,185) assessing social networks were…

An inservice program for teachers involves a peer group strategy for helping them set goals and experiment with new teaching behaviors. This supportive inservice model proceeds from the premise that meaningful change occurs when the individual perceives a need for change. The major component of this program is a support group of tenured teachers…

The Summer Institute in Counseling Girls and Women, a training model offered by the Graduate School of Education's Psychology in Education Program at the University of Pennsylvania, is described. The Summer Institute integrates the three curricular areas of the psychology of women, counseling of women, and organizational and program development to…

Reports on a research project conducted on selected variables affecting the relationship between student teachers and their cooperating teachers in field experiences are presented. Following an outline of the status and future of the study, the professional and personal aspects of the relationship between student teachers and supervisors are…

This paper presents a needs assessment project developed to establish drug-related services in a small black community. A literature review reveals the influence of social issues relevant to the population on research methodology, program planning, and social action. The convergent analysis approach used in the needs assessment is explained and…

The major components of collegial interaction of college and university faculty and of faculty in different disciplinary groupings were studied, and the way that these components differ among four-year college and university faculty were addressed. Faculty at a Ph.D.-granting university and two liberal arts colleges were studied. Pilot interviews…

Organizational consultants should attend to several issues when consulting as change agents for organizations. The client will have explicit ideas about the need for help and implicit expectations and fears about the role of the consultant. The consultant must probe, understand, and often change the client's preconceptions and expectations about…

This article describes the Child Development and Parenting Program (CDP), a preventative child abuse program that assists single women who are pregnant or have preschool children to cope constructively with the problems of single parenting. The short-term goals of the program, i.e., providing education in child development and parenting skills and…

This paper presents a training model for the acquisition of helping skills, which stresses that participants be themselves and develop a personal facilitative style of helping. The model, originally designed for a master's- level counseling pre-practicum, utilizes a continuous flow of feedback among participants, their peers and instructors. The…

A family system is intimately affected by the presence of an alcoholic within the system. One symptom of alcoholism is the development of elaborate defenses. In response to the defense of the alcoholic, each family member develops individual well established and unique defenses. The diagnosis of the defenses is essential in determining the nature…

This guide is developed for individuals, organizations, and communities interested in helping runaway youth. The first four sections discuss the numbers and types of runaways and illustrate the problems presented by youth using buses and trains to run away from home. Specific characteristics and behavior of runaways are outlined to assist in the…

This training manual explains the process of rating client openness from a short sample of dyadic help-intended interactions. The overview of client openness includes a discussion of the 10-week undergraduate program which teaches students to assess client openness based on behavioral ratings from the Group Assessment of Interpersonal Traits…