In the context of this paper, social pedagogy concerns how a person trained in social pedagogy can take up the role of a trusted and caring adult to help, support and empower troubled and vulnerable pupils to meet the demands they face in their lives so that they are better able to lead fulfilling and satisfying lives and can, in their turn,…

Describes an intergenerational service program designed to use the skills of each generation to meet the needs of the other. Reviews screening, training, and a variety of placements for the teenage and older adult participants and discusses ongoing program benefits. (Author/NRB)

Training people in warmth, empathy, and genuineness might fulfill a specific helping role and increase their general social comfort for others. By using conceptual and response-oriented approaches, authors show that training individuals to be effective counselors also helped them be more interpersonally effective. (Author/BEF)

This paper reviews family therapy with chronically dysfunctional families including the development of family therapy and current trends which appear to give little guidance toward working with severely dysfunctional families. A theoretical stance based upon the systems approach to family functioning and pathology is presented which suggests: (1)…

The author describes his "Target Approach" to counseling depressed and/or suicidal patients. By tailoring a technique to selected characteristics ("targets") of the depression as well as to the personality of the patient, more effective counseling is achieved. This target approach involves 3 steps: (1) breaking the problem of…

Describes a hypothetical program called the Helper Bank, which uses time instead of money as the medium of exchange for services. The reciprocal relationship allows older persons to volunteer to help others as well as provide for future needs such as shopping, transportation or housekeeping. (JAC)

Describes the implementation of Student Assistance Program (SAP) support groups in one middle school and one elementary school. The Health Education department administers the program and licensed school counselors serve in local schools as program counselors. Discusses support group offerings, the procedures used in SAP support groups, and…

Describes the circle group, a highly structured approach used to explore a theme for problem solving, personal growth, and teaching a specific personal growth system. The circle group is recommended for people who are basically mentally healthy. It may include group chanting, sharing of concerns and feedback. (JAC)

Describes a kindergarten class project in which five-year-old children became community helpers by producing joke books and distributing these joke books to waiting rooms of medical facilities to be used by child patients. (BB)

The relational-cultural model of psychotherapy has been evolving for the past 20 years. Within this model, difficult group dynamics are conceptualized as the playing out of the central relational paradox. This paradox recognizes that an individual may yearn for connection but, out of a sense of fear, simultaneously employ strategies that restrict…

"Helping Hand" programs involve the physical identification of stores, homes, restaurants and other establishments to which children on their way to and from school may go for assistance and/or safety. Identification cards are placed in windows of cooperating establishments and homes. In some communities home owners "watch the…

The paper examines the surrogate parent program at Forest Haven, the District of Columbia's institution for the mentally retarded. The program provides seven major services among which are its function as an advocate for educational, court, and other personal programing and as a monitor of the educational placement of clients. Problems in the…

An experimental program is described which was designed to train non-urban housewives for paid employment as paraprofessional peer counselors. A flow chart traces the origin of the project back to 1969, when the future project director recognized the mental health needs of a variety of non-urban housewives of all ages. The resulting peer counselor…

Describes the use of peer counselor programs for adolescents. Discusses several methods of peer counseling training including training manuals and curriculum guides. Examples of several specific programs are presented. (JAC)

Little attention has been given to the severely handicapped older person. A group of disabled elderly men participating as unpaid volunteers in a bi-weekly sheltered workshop indicated that being able to help others, getting out of the house, and sociability were important reasons for their interest and participation. (Author)