Fourteen wilderness and adventure therapy programs in England, Scotland, the United States, and New Zealand were studied to explore critical issues of practice. In view of differences in terminology among countries, various terms and assumptions are defined at length: adventure therapy; wilderness therapy; wilderness-adventure therapy; the…

These symposium papers describe various aspects of the Camp Logan, South Carolina, program, a therapeutic summer residential program for children, ages 8-14, who have significant behavior problems. The philosophy and advantages of the therapeutic camping model are discussed, e.g., structure during the summer, controlled though informal…

This paper describes the program and research related to the "Making It" series of 18 multi-media divorce workshops co-sponsored by a community mental health center (CMHC) and a chapter of Parents without Partners (PWP). An introductory section discusses the rationale for larger scale community intervention and epidemiological research. The…

In an effort to evaluate the effectiveness of the Georgia Life Skills for Mental Health Leader's Guides, a panel of 13 teachers who had used the materials was assembled. The panel members filled out extensive questionnaires assessing the educational value, communicability, motivational value, utility and format of the Guides, whose purpose is to…

This report of the National Council on Disability (NCD) examines root causes of the crisis in mental health, specifically the dysfunction of fragmented public systems charged with providing mental health services and supports for children, youth, adults, and senior citizens diagnosed with mental illnesses. Following an introductory chapter,…

This document provides guidelines for fulfilling the requirements of the annual report for 2000-01 and 2001-02 of the Student Health Partnership, a program in Alberta, Canada, designed to provide health services to students with special health needs. The guidelines explain each of the annual report's required components, including: (1) a statement…

This paper presents principles that should be considered in planning and interpreting studies of outcomes of interventions with children receiving mental health services. Principles to consider when planning outcome studies include recognizing that "outcome" refers to multiple rather than single domains and choosing outcome domains that…

This report discusses the outcomes of a study that investigated whether a self-contained (SC) or pull-out (PO) intervention model was the most effective and most supportive of children's behavioral gains over the course of the entire 1996/1997 year. Data were collected by reviewing the clinical records of children (ages 6-14) who participated in…

Proposes a framework for assessing how human service delivery systems function. Identifies factors that influence the ability of agencies to operate as a unified system. Provides an accurate picture of how services are delivered to target populations, and why various systems function as they do. (Author/JAC)

Describes the design, implementation, and evaluation of a training program in the primary prevention of childhood mental disorders for caregivers, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health. Cites the program's positive impact, as measured by increases in participants' knowledge and skills. (Author/MJL)

The outcomes of deinstitutionalization programs for criminals and the mentally ill have not matched expectations. Community alternatives have become extensions of the penal system. For the chronically mentally ill, granting the negative right of freedom from organized interference has often meant denial of the right to care and attention.…

The effects of a set of behavioral and educational interventions provided in a middle-school-based mental health program on the behavior and academic performance of 7 students diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were studied. The treatments included educational, social skills and family interventions designed to target…

Conventional monitoring and evaluation (M&E) textbooks rarely address the various political influences exerted on M&E of public health programs. Policymakers are often the largest consumers of M&E information; indeed, the genesis of many public health program evaluation efforts is a need to inform public policy. People define "political…

Background: As society continues to focus on the importance of academic achievement, the physical environment of schools should be addressed as 1 of the critical factors that influence academic outcomes. The School Health Policies and Programs Study (SHPPS) 2006 provides, for the first time, a comprehensive look at the extent to which schools have…

Traditional mental health service systems are examined in terms of factors limiting their effectiveness, theoretical biases that have shaped them, and their assumptions. Alternative community-oriented approaches are then presented and analyzed. Finally, a new mental health role, the Liaison Specialist, is described. The Liaison Specialist attempts…