A study of 34 lesbian women in an informal helping network in a rural community found that nearly half were uninvolved in heterosexual social networks. For help with personal problems, respondents turned to other lesbian women and nongay friends who knew of their affectional status. (JHZ)

The effect of experience in counseling cancer patients and their families on third-year medical students' attitudes toward cancer was studied at the Medical College of Pennsylvania. Using the Cancer Attitude Scale, assessment included attitudes toward patients' inner resources, attitudes about early diagnosis and aggressive treatment, and…

Plain Doctoring, an elective, preclinical seminar on the phenomenology of the patient and the physician at Harvard Medical School, is described. Home visits serve as the major text for examining the patient's experience of illness and treatment. Readings in the humanities complement the house calls. (Author/MLW)

An analysis of the counseling process and the various clients a counselor might serve has yielded a structural model for identifying the knowledge and skills required of the counselor. The model specifies skill domain, targets of skill, and attained skill level. (Author)

The author outlines problems that immigrant children confront in attempting to adjust to conflicting multicultural demands. They are often caught between cultural expectations of their parents and those of their peers. Aware counselors are needed in local school settings. (NWS)

Witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event affects everyone mentally and emotionally. Each person has a different way of responding emotionally, and this is a normal part of the healing process. This document discusses some of the ways people respond to trauma and how to deal with it. It lists ways to cope with depression, how to help others…

This feature issue focuses on strategies to support parents who have cognitive limitations to be successful in raising their children. Articles include: (1) "Encounters with Entropy: Marge's Journey from System to System" (John Franz and Pat Miles) that tells a fictional story of a mother with disabilities to illustrate the tendency of human…

This Spanish language information brief describes the Parent to Parent Program, which provides information and one-to-one emotional support to parents of children with special needs. The program trains experienced parents in the program and matches them with similar parents new to the program. Benefits of the program include: (1) providing parents…

This book aims to provide counselors with the theoretical and technical basis needed for designing interventions that enhance relationships between children and teachers. It draws on research in social development and relationships-systems theory to describe the role of child-adult relationships in the development of social and academic…

Describes ways in which a family-oriented psychologist contributed to a reconceptualization of the appropriate role for the physical therapist in patient care. A primary shift involved changing focus to the patient in the context of his/her family. Briefly describes appropriate psychological training for physical therapists. (Author/JAC)

Describes the role of the adult children of the elderly who are "sandwiched" between their aging parents and their own maturing children, thus subjected to a great deal of stress. Suggests this group, as a major support for the elderly, has a special need for social services. (Author/JAC)

Two concerns of liberal education reported in this essay are "alienation" and "fragmentation." Social work has a value base that addresses both issues. Social work education deals with technical problems and cultural puzzles and can provide a direction for liberal arts as it attempts to clarify and resolve value conflicts.…

With the emphasis on consumer involvement in the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, changes in the counseling relationship must occur. This article discusses new interaction patterns for consumer and counselor. (Author)

Today's world is vastly technological, and counselors need to keep abreast of advances in computer science, biofeedback, and other technical systems. Counseling and technology from a larger perspective define technology as concepts and methods as well as hardware. (Author)

The counselor must learn to work with the total community, possible roles include helping to assess community needs, coordinating community resources, acting as client advocates, and helping community members develop their individual skills and talents. (Author/HLM)