In 1999, the Youth Violence Reduction Partnership (YVRP) was launched by a group of key stakeholders in Philadelphia--including the district attorney's office, adult and juvenile parole, other city agencies and community organizations. Its goal is to steer young people, ages 14 to 24 and at greatest risk of killing or being killed, away from…

This guide presents techniques to assist others in coping with the loss of a loved one. Using the language of 9 layperson, the book contains more than 100 tips for caregivers or loved ones. A simple step is presented on each page, followed by reasons and instructions for each step. Chapters include: "What to Say"; "Helpful Things to Do"; "Dealing…

Encourages counselors to write for publication. Provides guidelines for developing a writers' support group to provide encouragement and understanding for personal and professional growth in writing. Includes group tasks for helping members submit work for publication. (ABB)

Intended for volunteers or prospective volunteers in the "Volunteers in Corrections" project, this manual provides data and discussion directly applicable to working with incarcerated offenders in Alaska. Background information is provided on the project, including history and objectives, reasons to volunteer, and services correctional…

This book is designed to take caregivers through the basics of patient care and to give them the information needed to guide them through the medical, legal, and financial issues that accompany Alzheimer's disease. The seven chapters of the book cover the following topics: understanding Alzheimer's; caring for a caregiver; medical update; finances…

Those responsible for the care of another human being, such as a child, an elderly parent, or an ailing spouse, often need help and support. Carepooling is the act of caregivers exchanging day-to-day help and support. This book offers simple, effective, practical ways to exchange help and share support with friends, neighbors, and co-workers.…

Conflict generally exists in relationships between families of disabled individuals and care agencies, with the amount of conflict depending on the condition and age of the handicapped person, sociocultural level of the family, and characteristics of the agencies. A model is proposed for improved dialogue between families and professional teams.…

The development and continuing functioning of a hospital-based parent support group are described, illustrating the dynamics of parents sharing their experiences with having hospitalized children. The paper discusses the group's focus on the family rather than the disease, commonalities shared by families, and this approach's contribution to…

This guide is intended to assist groups of special educators to plan, design, and implement mutual professional support activities. The first section, on the nature of professional support groups, presents a definition and discussion of activity focus, format, permanence of focus, and structure. The second section looks specifically at the role of…

This manual is concerned with helping already-established support groups maintain themselves over an extended period of time. It helps facilitators apply principles for addressing such problems as dissension within the group, poor attendance, losing sight of the group's purpose, and overdependence on a leader. The manual contains questionnaires to…

This book was written to help educators to deal more effectively with pregnant and parenting students by working with both the students and their kinship networks to assure the well-being of teenage parents and their infants and by developing ideas, policies, and procedures to reduce the incidence of unwanted student pregnancies. The six chapters…

Support groups for parents of hearing-impaired students, led by a team of school personnel and mental health professionals, can effectively provide parents with information, support, and a forum for open discussion of concerns. Suggestions are offered on getting organized and conducting the first meeting. Potential discussion topics are outlined.…

Parents (n=33) of children with disabilities, who were leaders in parent organizations, were questioned about their experiences in being mentored and in mentoring others. Seven themes are identified relative to effective mentoring of parents of children with disabilities. Specific mentoring activities are suggested and barriers to mentoring are…

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…