Presents examination of peer helping in 19 colleges and universities. Summarizes research associated with peer helping. Notes educational institutions concerned about meeting the needs of their students, creating positive influences in their development and helping them to be productive in their academic lives can rely on peer programs to achieve…

Examines predictors of perceived and actual social support among adult siblings using data from the National Survey of Families and Households. Social support among siblings was higher for those with living sisters and for those without adult children. African Americans and respondents with lower education and income levels were less likely to be…

An advisory program at Wantagh Middle School in New York includes volunteers and almost every member of the staff. The goal is to provide an adult advocate for each child who will not only see each advisee each morning but will monitor progress and be the first line of communication between home and school. (MLF)

Qualitative study of 27 couples who experienced pregnancy loss and infant death explored emotional support that spouses give to partners. In most couples, support was described by both couples as mutual. Among all who provided mutual support, most perceived fairly even exchange. Couples who provided little support to each other were helped by peer…

This study of 72 elementary children with learning disabilities explored how children maintain a positive self-concept despite academic difficulties. Children with high global self-concept, compared to low global self-concept, perceived themselves as more intelligent, more competent in nonacademic domains, and receiving more social support.…

Describes a suburban Wisconsin high school's crisis-management plan as applied to the accidental deaths of four sophomore boys. The school community survived this crisis because the school had a plan, improvised appropriately, and communicated well with the community and each other; because outside support people acted effectively; and because…

Training mentors perform critical roles for cooperative education students: induction, performance evaluation, and career counseling. Mentors should be sincerely interested in working with students, understand co-op, be able to motivate, be competent, and have good interpersonal skills. (SK)

A review of nursing literature on empathy is presented to help clarify the concept, and an analysis is given concerning the relationship of empathy to recent findings on expert caring in nursing. Vignettes are presented as illustrations of the concepts discussed. (Author/MLW)

In some instances empathy may serve as a guide to conceptualizing the patient's situation. Empathy is a dangerous notion if it is thought to be mindless, experiential, existential connectedness. Not every nurse-patient encounter will benefit from empathy; some will require theory, applied experience, or even translation or consultation. (MLW)

Veteran teachers do not have to be official mentors to help their new colleagues. Experienced educators can be lifesavers for isolated novices by reaching out informally. The most practical opportunities occur through chance meetings in hallways and scheduled discussions during common preparation times. (MLH)

Adults who work with challenging youth sometimes feel that they have little impact on these young people's lives. However, the power of a caring adult to influence lives can sometimes be greater than that of family or peers. Includes student reports about adults whose specific actions had lasting positive (or negative) effects on them. (Author/GCP)

Study examines the self-reports of 11 adolescent males, attending school in Ireland, about their experiences in counseling to determine what they found helpful during the therapeutic process. Findings suggest that the experiences of adolescent males were similar to reported experiences of adults, and that they found the emotional support and…

Interviews with six nursing students and their clinical preceptors revealed an enabling process through which preceptors foster critical thinking. Key factors were climate and the process of "bringing about," which involved incidental (role modeling, facilitating, guiding, prioritizing) and purposive (questioning) practices. (Contains 81…

Presents the story of an adolescent dying from Ducheenne muscular dystrophy. A transformation in the helping relationship occurs just as the caregiver becomes overwhelmed with the youth's anger and despair. The caregiver uses his insights from battling substance abuse and pain to help transform the youth's attitude of despair to one of living each…

Examined integrating religion and spirituality with marriage and family counseling. Explored potential obstacles and negative consequences for this integration, as well as clinical implications. The positive impact of incorporating a religious or spiritual perspective into clinical practice is discussed. Ethical considerations, techniques, and…