Self-help books may be a useful resource to counselors in their work with counselees. They may contribute, however, to the development of psychological problems or prevent people from seeking help when needed. The utopia promised by self-help books may be a pathology in its own right. (Author)

Suggests innovative solutions for mutual benefits for self-help groups and the professionals. Through a derivative paradigm the role of the professional helper within self-help groups is presented. (Author/BL)

This article explores three primary steps involved in helping clients to control their own behavior change: self-observation, self-monitoring, and self-regulation atrategies. Self-regulation provides an affirmative answer to the question: Is the client a counselor?'' by promoting client responsibility and independence in the counseling process.…

Reviews the growth of self-help groups and the current status of the movement. Suggests ways in which counselors can draw upon such groups in their professional practicies. Includes suggestions for evaluating groups and resources on self-help groups. (Author/ABB)

After consciousness raising, what? Women who want to alter their socialized responses may learn the necessary skills from counselors. Teaching behavioral self-management principles in the context of women's sex role enculturation is a preventive as well as corrective approach to helping women develop increased personal effectiveness. (Author)

One strategy for helping clients develop their own self-development systems is educational intervention. The counselor assumes a teacher role to teach clients specific skills to better cope with problems of living. Presents a five-step counseling and self-help method to be learned by clients. (Author)

Describes the role of the counselor in self-help groups for the bereaved. Based on experience with the Compassionate Friends, a group of bereaved parents, the counselors' most useful role appears to be that of an intermediary, resource person, and facilitator of group processes and organization. (Author/JAC)

Both urine alarms and dry bed training (DBT) have been used in the treatment of enuresis. To investigate the acceptability of the most recent version of DBT and urine alarm training, two studies were conducted. In the first study, the evaluation of 42 parents, who had participated in an 8-week program of either DBT or urine alarm training, were…

Determined the extent to which social workers participate in self-help groups and examined their role in planning, developing, and supporting the groups continued existence. Results indicated that social workers perform important functions in supporting the growth and continued existence of self-help groups. (RC)

Counselors can teach clients to acquire competence in self- instruction. The skills, knowledge, and attitudes that define such competence constitute a legitimate curriculum for counseling. A model of self-instruction is described and the use of this model by counselors to assist clients to develop as self-instructors is discussed and illustrated.…

Trends and countertrends abound around the basic question, "Who can be a helper?" This article deals with the characteristics of effective helpers and draws together a broad range of recent thought on questions concerning professionalism, status, and counseling competencies. (Author)

This curriculum guide is designed to assist anyone involved in the organization of self-help mutual aid groups among older persons, based on the assumption that those to be affected must be involved. There are four major sections in the guide which speak to background issues; training of organizers in terms of their roles and functions; four…

Reviews contemporary financial counseling programs and their goals. A self-control approach involves the entire family and considers the possibility of other family problems. An intervention program aimed at modifying problem behavior may be developed and budgeting skills may be taught. (JAC)

Obesity is one of the most prevalent health concerns currently facing industrialized nations. Psychological, social and emotional problems result from excess weight, and those who fail in their weight-loss efforts become extremely depressed. The obsession to be thin, particularly in the United States, is a boon to weight-control programs, both…

Community psychology, as a profession, was born in 1965 and showed much promise. Unfortunately, it has been content to rest on its humanistic and systems-oriented perspective instead of using it as a foundation upon which to empirically build the necessary research, service, and training bases. Issues central to community psychology's evolving…