Cultural competency in the delivery of mental health services has gained considerable momentum. This momentum has been accompanied by questions about the meaning, usefulness, and precision of cultural competency. The author argues that cultural competency is composed of general processes (scientific mindedness, dynamic sizing, and culture-specific…

The authors examined changes in mental health services and violence prevention strategies in public high schools since the shootings at Columbine High School. Surveys were mailed to school mental health professionals at public high schools in Colorado. Respondents included school counselors, school psychologists, school social workers, principals,…

There is increasing evidence that the application of knowledge in developing countries is failing. One reason is the woeful shortage of health workers, but as this is redressed, it is also crucial that we have an evidence base of what works to minimize the "know-do gap." The World Health Organization and other international organizations are…

In the Screening Older Minority Women project, the authors applied a community capacity-enhancement approach to promoting breast and cervical cancer screening among older women of color. Members of informal support networks were recruited for this health promotion intervention to empower Latina and African American women to engage in positive…

As researchers continue to analyze the role of parenting both in the development of childhood overweight and in obesity prevention, studies of child nutrition and growth are detailing the ways in which parents affect their children's development of food- and activity-related behaviors. Ana Lindsay, Katarina Sussner, Juhee Kim, and Steven Gortmaker…

Mentally ill offenders represent a substantial proportion of jail and prison inmates. Despite the fact that confining mentally ill offenders can and often will exacerbate their mental illness, the quality of mental health services available to them remains poor and insufficient. Up to date, only a few cities and counties have considered a more…

Children and families impacted by severe mental illness (SMI) have multiple strains that effect family functioning, child safety, and parental rights. Traditional services for children and families struggling with severe mental illness have not achieved success in improving family functioning and keeping families intact. Wraparound is a philosophy…

The article by Fantuzzo, McWayne, and Bulotsky (2003), presenting their conceptualization of a paradigm for conducting applied research in children's mental health, is an intriguing fusion of key principles and recommendations. Their model comes close to meeting the profile of a new research paradigm in children's mental health. The author…

Ringeisen, Henderson, and Hoagwood (2003) present a compelling case that: (a) there is a gap between mental health research and the delivery of mental health services in school settings; (b) in order to bridge this gap, mental health professionals must consider contextual factors at the individual, organization, and state/federal policy levels;…

The demand for mental health services in higher education settings continues to increase and places more pressure on staff, highlighting further the importance of good staff morale in these agencies. This task of bolstering staff morale is often placed primarily on the shoulders of counseling center directors. The present article outlines several…

This study compared the delivery of psychological services at a university counseling center after an interval of almost 40 years in a partial replication of an earlier study at the same center. The results indicate that the changes that have occurred in service delivery reflect more the transitions in the culture of the university than trends in…

The Review of Mental Health and Learning Disability, Northern Ireland commissioned the present consultation to support the work of its Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMH) subgroup. The investigation employed a two-stage qualitative approach to explore views and opinions held by users and carers about CAMH services. Nineteen services…

The overall aim of the two school-based pilot studies was to evaluate whether an approach to prevention that focused on changing child impulse control, decision making, and social competence can be effective in changing attitudes toward food intake and physical activity as risk factors for obesity. The strategy used was to translate specific…

Pastoral care embodies the idea that schools should not limit their activities to the transmission of knowledge but should educate the whole child. This paper outlines five "pastoral tasks", casework, preventive work, pastoral curriculum, community building and management, and considers how each might contribute to the five desired…

The School Health Policies and Programs Study (SHPPS) is a national survey periodically conducted to assess school health policies and programs at the state, district, school, and classroom levels. This brief reports study results in the area of violence prevention, covering the following topics: (1) Health Education; (2) Health Services and…