Community-engaged approaches to addressing mental health concerns have reduced health inequities experienced by refugee communities. Problem Management Plus (PM+)--a brief psychological intervention developed by the World Health Organization--has shown effectiveness in improving mental health and well-being of adults experiencing distress. This…

The need for evaluation capacity building (ECB) in military psychological health is apparent in light of the proliferation of newly developed, yet untested programs coupled with the lack of internal evaluation expertise. This study addresses these deficiencies by utilizing Preskill and Boyle's multidisciplinary ECB model within a post-traumatic…

A wealth of research and experience after 9/11 has led to the development of evidence-based and evidence-informed guidelines and strategies to support the design and implementation of public mental health programs after terrorism and disaster. This article reviews advances that have been made in a variety of areas, including development of…

Within a system, change affects stakeholders differently. Consequently, when making changes in the mental health system, mental health agencies should expect varied reactions from staff, community members, consumers, and families. Since misunderstandings can stymie efforts to implement evidence-based and promising practices, it is important to…

The main needs can be summarized as how to get adequate communication with consumers of all ages so that there can be an early impact on health-related behavior. Current Health Education Programs are reviewed and evaluated for effectiveness. (Author/MA)

Presents a descriptive analysis of 13 nationally available smoking cessation programs. To gather data, researchers used a review form that measured program setup, duration, cost, techniques, success rate, availability, and discussion of issues involved with smoking cessation. Researchers also examined program manuals and interviewed program…

Suggestions for enhancing use of evaluation studies (i.e., state-level mental health programs) are presented. Steps for maximizing evaluation utilization include marketing, planning, and conducting the evaluation; developing/focusing policy questions; translating findings; and making people pay attention to the results. These are processes for…

The authors discuss the need for alternative techniques in mental health programs in the schools in both prevention and intervention, review findings on the effectiveness of preschool programs, and present a rationale for school-based prevention programs using non-professional personnel and a multi-disciplinary approach. (IM)

This paper describes the development of a consumer-based program in rural Essex County (New York) for families with children with emotional disorders. Initially, in-depth, in-home interviews were held with 24 families who had children with serious emotional disturbances concerning their service needs and desires. The following needs were expressed…

The design and testing of a simulation of the planning evaluation process for use in training is presented and its use in a five-day professional workshop is described. Comments are made on this trial run and on the task of evaluation training in general. (MH)

A literature review describes evaluation activities in mental health services in financial, programmatic/clinical, and new constituency areas. Expanding reimbursement for alternative mental health services is offered as a way of developing a formal structure to ensure better utilization of evaluation results. (SLD)

This publication was developed to provide guidelines for persons conducting continuing education programs for community mental health caregivers. (This would include persons primarily involved in the delivery of health, educational, and social welfare services who also are involved in the psychosocial functioning of their clients.) Following a…

Use of client records and census data as a research methodology can provide mental health planners with information on community needs as well as the adequacy of existing programs. Three ways of analyzing client records in conjunction with census data are: (1) tract by tract, comparing client geographic distribution with census characteristics;…

This guide presents the recommendations of a task force from Southern state and local mental health agencies, which was convened to design minimum standards for use in the development of prevention/promotion programs. Prevention/Promotion-Oriented Services are defined according to the areas of prevention, promotion, and protection services.…

This first volume of the 1981 Report of the Select Panel for the Promotion of Child Health presents the panel's major findings and recommendations in several areas of maternal and child health. Section I, the Introduction, addresses five major concerns related to health care that were identified by the panel. These concerns were (1) that programs…