Encounters, defined as contacts between a social worker and client that have not been regularly scheduled, represent an alternative to the classic casework method. Presents a consumer-oriented strategy based on clinical experience in a public community mental health center in a large urban area. (Author)

Conversation analysis was used to investigate a conversational partner's strategies when assisting with the word searches of an aphasic person. Analysis of 38 authentic videotaped conversation sequences identified four conversation strategies systematically and collaboratively used: guessing, alternative guessing, completion, and closing…

Human communication is a complex process. For individuals from different regional, ethnic, or racial backgrounds, communication may be difficult. Focuses on some common ways individuals fail to communicate clearly and the significance of this failure for social work practice. (Author)

Evaluates effect of the counselor's level of anxiety on students taking part in test anxiety desensitization workshops. Results indicate the number of sessions attended by students is inversely related to the counselor's level of anxiety. Implications for counselor screening in desensitization work are mentioned. (Author)

A person's actions are caused by the interaction of external environmental forces and internal personal forces. Attributing actions to one or the other set of forces is a distorted view of cause. In therapy, attributing actions to external forces, particularly past events, relieves the client of guilt and makes sense out of his actions.…

Study participants applied for vocational services at various agencies. Process summaries and interaction logs yielded themes including, among others (1) power and status implications in the helping interaction, (2) ritual role delineation, (3) the apathetic norm, and (4) options of the helper to supersede the focus of helping. (Author/CH)

Review of the literature suggests that hair color influences the quality of interpersonal interactions. Results of a factorially designed study show that while women helped confederates equally regardless of their gender, men helped women more than they helped men. Hair color of confederates was not shown to affect helping behavior. (Author/ABB)

Supports the hypothesis that preschool children produce more private speech during problem solving after they have interacted with a collaborative adult (experienced by them as a competent helper) than after they have interacted with a non-collaborative adult. Conceptualizes private speech both as a reaction to the task and as an indirect appeal…

Presents the various stages of the group process in terms of developmental tasks that pinpoint the relationship between process and structure. The tasks provide a conceptual foundation for use of group techniques by identifying specific purposes in group development. (Author)