In humanitarian settings, mental health and psychosocial support services (MHPSS) are often delivered in group-based formats. Group interventions enable providers to reach more individuals when resources and technical expertise are limited. Group-based programs also foster social support, empathy, and collective problem-solving among the…

Describes problem-solving training provided by the Discovery Program, a series of structured group discussions about common personal and social problems and how to cope with them. Discusses the program's advantages over other methods of teaching problem-solving skills. (SV)

Alcohol abuse is a serious problem affecting not only the individual abuser, but also family, friends and society. The effectiveness of contracts as positive tools in the treatment of alcohol abuse was investigated for 15 current abusers randomly assigned to individual therapy sessions. Each subject completed a Personal History Questionnaire, the…

This document addresses the problem faced by stress management programs in their attempts to increase self-awareness of stress response patterns and sources of stress. Drawbacks to the techniques of daily diaries and stress logs are noted and the use of computer-analyzed stress episode cards as a self-awareness feedback technique is explained. The…

A 5-week, 12-hour course given to the community emphasized understanding and coping with stress. At the beginning of the course several inventories were administered to the students, who also completed the instruments in a follow-up procedure 10-12 weeks after the end of the seminar. The course focused on recognition of stress signals and the…

This paper describes a program providing support, education, and skill-building within a self-help format for the children of aged parents. The selection of the 18 initial program members, each with relatives living either in their homes, in a nearby location, or in nursing homes is reviewed. The 90-minute group sessions which met weekly for 8…

An overview of the most recent ideas on managerial stress is presented along with worksheets and exercises for a program to help educational administrators, their staffs, and secretaries cope with and reduce organizational and personal stress. Research cited includes the author's survey of 1,200 Oregon school administrators and over 200…

The development of a program of self-help support groups for teachers experiencing stress in Chicago public schools is described. These support groups attempted to alleviate stress-related illness by reducing teacher isolation and by enabling teachers to help each other cope with problems and fears. The support groups were led by teachers who…

The application of stress management techniques to highly specialized populations and disorders has become an increasingly important clinical endeavor in recent years. Curiously, however, individuals undergoing one of the most stress-laden experiences, graduate school, have rarely been the focus of such efforts. There are three major forms of…

A guide for community leaders, extension staff, and community or rural development practitioners outlines the evolution of a regional training model for community-based problem solving in rural areas experiencing economic decline. The paper discusses the model's underlying concepts and implementation process and includes descriptions of four…