Social support is a significant component of mental health; yet, it has not been examined extensively among black Americans. This paper is a critical review of the research literature on informal social support. The review identifies how social support is conceptualized and defined, the importance of social support for mental health, and the…

Potential helpers often fail to recognize indicators which provide clues to men who were molested as children; male sexual abuse remains underreported. Group counseling can help men overcome their resistance to disclosure and remove other impediments to healing. Discusses group goals and organization, leader characteristics and research…

Discusses clinical concerns of sex offenders such as personal losses and external pressures during treatment; ongoing interface with the mental health, legal and child protection systems; and changes in both the offender's interpersonal system and sexuality. Therapists working with this population require broad-based clinical skills. (RJM)

The concept of social representations, which was developed by Moscovici in 1984, suggests new ways of understanding the social processes that underlie communication between individuals. A social representation is a set of concepts, statements, and explanations originating in daily life in the course of inter-individual communication. The purpose…