The author reports an account of the method of self-therapy that he haltingly evolved over the years when faced with sensory disabilities. It presents a personal account of the tortuous routes in the evolution of this method and his confrontation with religion, work, self, middle age, death, others, marriage, and image of old age. The self-therapy…

Argues that use of self-help audiocassette tapes in psychological counseling can accelerate the introduction of therapeutic ideas, promote continuity of counseling between sessions, and reinforce behavioral and attitudinal changes. Discussed rationale and description of a program in which this approach is used in brief counseling of college…

Parent study groups have the potential to reach a large segment of the parent population. These self-help groups do not require a substantial number of professionals to provide help for parents. Parents quickly accept study groups because they can readily see the results of their efforts with their children. (Author)

A community water supply project in Cameroon illustrates the following constraints on community participation in development: paternalistic authorities, prescriptive role of the state, selective participation, bias toward "hard" issues, inattention to negative results, group conflicts, gatekeeping, pressure for immediate results,…

Describes a self-help information and referral center for college students that provides pamphlets, files, books, audiocassettes, videotapes, and computer programs on more than 100 topics related to health, personal growth, and academic skills. Discusses development of the center, its current status, and its future. (Author/ABL)

Describes the self-help movement in Britain among parents and relatives of children in public care and considers the achievements, problems, and hopes of local groups. (RJC)

Describes peer support program for women in prison for the death of a child. Explains how group has helped participants reduce their isolation, mourn their loss, identify their responsibility in the death, and change destructive patterns of feelings and behavior. Follow-up of women who have been paroled is discussed which indicated their positive…

Discusses Tennessee's Highlander Folk School. Reports that the school helped organize labor unions and played a role in the civil rights movement of the 1950s. Explains that Highlander sought to bring about southern integration. Argues that successful civic education draws out the experiences and interests of participants and nurtures respect and…

This paper describes methods for teaching content analysis as part of the Research sequence in social work education. Teaching content analysis is used to develop research skills as well as to promote students' knowledge and critical thinking and about new information technology resources that are being increasingly used by the general public. The…

This paper describes the Self-Help Information Service (SIS), and summarizes data evaluating the program. Associated with a generally focused information and referral service (I&R), SIS was designed to facilitate research on self-help groups. Its specific goals were to develop and maintain a telephone referral service disseminating self-help…

The unity and sisterhood of women in South Africa is analyzed. The struggle for liberation from apartheid has resulted in the death of many children. Women have organized self-help groups in the memory of these children. The groups make handicrafts, give aid to the poor, and encourage educational pursuits. (VM)

The self-help movement currently sweeping the country has implications for health educators, school nurses, and counselors in particular. Despite the availability and reported success of self-help groups in assisting individuals with almost every imaginable condition, the referral value of this resource remains largely unrecognized and untapped by…

Discusses a model for social work intervention with a self-help group in a hospital setting, designed to reach out and support new parents of premature infants in a neonatal intensive care nursery. Social workers serve as family advocates, instructors, consultants, and facilitators for volunteer veteran parents groups. (ABB)

Describes a program, both rehabilitative and preventive, which provides individual, family, group, and community work for Holocaust survivors and their children. Six group experiences are offered: awareness, self-help, long-term therapy, mixed, multiple-family, and intergenerational. (Author/DB)

Outlines the development of a self-directed manual to aid in building portfolios, and reports on the evaluation of portfolios' effectiveness in presenting competencies. A portfolio of volunteer/unpaid administrative experiences has demonstrated validity and reliability in presenting skills to prospective employers. (Author)