The family associate is a parent without professional mental health training who acts as a system guide to low-income families whose children have been referred to mental health services. Family associates in three counties in Oregon provide emotional support and information about mental health services and community resources and link them to…

Surveys of 2,401 university employees indicated that 81% felt that a wellness program should be offered, and 57% planned to participate. For the upper-income group, disparity between desire for the program and desire to participate was greater, perhaps because they felt less personal need for such services. (SLD)

Serious limitations exist in the delivery of mental health services to refugees throughout the resettlement process: fragmentation, instability, language barriers, culturally inappropriate treatment methods, and severe staff shortages. Suggested improvements for refugee mental health services emphasize outreach, prevention, treatment approaches,…

The Head Start community has recognized that the mental health program has been a weak spot in the program's comprehensive services strategy. A brief telephone survey of 101 programs identified the services most desired and resulted in recommendations for strengthening this aspect and making the program a laboratory for innovative practices. (SLD)

The use of case-control methodology as an applied policy/planning research tool in assessing the potential effectiveness of behavioral interventions is studied in connection with diarrhea control in Zaire. Results with 107 matched pairs of children demonstrate the importance of hygiene-related knowledge and the utility of the research approach.…

Social-historical lineages of adolescent alcohol and other drug use prevention programs are examined, tracing risk factor research from assumptions of deviance regarding the mentally ill and considering patterns that have inhibited advances in prevention. To achieve program success, protective factor and harm reduction approaches must be explored.…

Using epidemiologic survey data of elderly residents in six public housing developments, assesses the need for mental health care. Found that 37% of the predominantly African American sample needed mental health services. Males, older residents, those with no Medicare insurance, and those with daily living impairments were most at risk. (RJM)

Analysis of responses of 254 mental health workers in Kentucky to a questionnaire concerning therapeutic treatment in cases of physical child abuse found that the family was usually seen as the primary client, with the goal being provision of a safe environment for the child. Abused children received only 7 of the 23 sessions generally provided in…

States that the employment pool for respiratory workers in Virginia has declined, due to a reduction in the numbers of training programs available in local community colleges. Describes a pilot distance learning program in respiratory therapy at Virgina's J. Sargent Reynolds Community College (JSRCC). Reports that students in the pilot distance…

An intervention designed to address barriers to access to children's mental health services for low-income families was implemented in three Oregon counties. Paraprofessionals provided families with information, emotional support, and tangible assistance. Families in the intervention group (n=96) were significantly more likely to initiate…

Client-case manager matches (n=75) from the outpatient services of an urban mental health department were selected to examine case managers' perceived racial sensitivity and its effect on African American clients. Findings demonstrated that case managers were more likely to be perceived as sensitive if they were a minority, female, and a degreed…

Evaluation of demographic, behavioral, and mental health service utilization data on 662 children in foster care found that 56% had received mental health services. Children who experienced "active" types of maltreatment (such as sexual abuse) were more likely to receive mental health services even when severity of mental health problems…

During the implementation of a cross-agency, co-located service delivery system, the number of youths eligible for public mental health services in Santa Barbara County increased from 956 to 1,826 and the number of youths eligible for special education services for students with emotional/behavioral disorders increased from 101 to 204. (Contains…

This article reports factors associated with good versus poor outcomes for 173 young adults referred for mental health services. Participants with good outcomes differed in quality and stability of their living situations, full-time versus part-time employment, peer relationships, goal orientation, successful experiences, stressful experiences,…

This article describes the history of New York's efforts to create partnerships with families with children with emotional disturbances, articulates the stages of parent involvement in policymaking, and summarizes lessons learned and recommendations for effective and enduring families as policy allies. A case study is presented. (Contains…