Discusses recent successes with innovative training program for staff working with chronically mentally ill. Describes program development, program structure, program content, and funding issues. Emphasizes value of collaboration between academia and mental health service agencies. (Author/TES)

Examines both the methods and the reasons for ensuring that rural populations of elderly mentally retarded citizens receive modern psychiatric assistance and community support. Provides an overview of the models currently available for providing rural delivery of services to the elderly mentally retarded. (Author/TE)

Primary prevention interventions used to reduce the incidence of new cases of a disorder occurring in the general population are discussed, as are the means by which such services can be provided in schools. Examples of the types of programs that can be implemented are provided. (SLD)

A cooperative program of Louisiana State University' social work school and a federal court evolved into a meaningful program to enhance prison inmates' mental health. As a result, the court was better informed, correctional personnel experienced enhanced sensitivity, community awareness improved, and the school benefited in a number of ways. (MSE)

Alternative sentencing becomes increasingly important as prisons become overcrowded, public monies become less available, and the positive influence of incarceration on recidivism cannot be demonstrated. A survey of 42 Wyoming probation officers examined the practices and problems involved in the utilization of mental health services as a form of…

Issues involved in applying the needs assessment model of the Colorado Social Health Survey to planning and management in Massachusetts are reviewed. The methodology in this special issue provides a new paradigm for mental health needs assessment in general and will be valuable in the Massachusetts plan specifically. (SLD)

This article presents findings from a report on educational services for students with emotional and behavioral disturbances. It describes problematic findings related to curriculum, behavior management, and mental health services and considers alternatives to prevailing current practices. (Author/DB)

A state-sponsored and county-sponsored program in Hennepin County (Minnesota) provides preventive and crisis intervention services in three schools serving severely emotionally disturbed students. The program utilizes a county social worker in the schools to coordinate services, intervene in crisis situations, and facilitate appropriate treatment…

Compares rural and urban child and adolescent partial hospital mental health programs in Pennsylvania. Rural areas were much smaller, more exclusively served adolescents, had stronger financial and administrative links to local community health centers and special education authorities, and had more deficient educational facilities. (KS)

Results of a national survey on mental health services for adults with mild mental retardation, completed by 156 directors of psychological services at community health centers, indicated that adults with mild mental retardation were not frequent consumers of community mental health services and received differential treatment when provided with…

Describes how a 16-year-old African-American male, Tyrone, excelled in a mental-health day-treatment facility in which he was enrolled. Tyrone used the skills taught within the replacement-skills curriculum at the facility to compose a rap song that reminded him and his classmates how to react when faced with a difficult situation. (MKA)

Explores how the lack of awareness of human diversity can adversely affect the mental health care of nondominant ethnic groups. Proposes a three-dimensional cultural-interface model for assessing and treating mental health problems. (SLD)

Relations among instruments used in community mental-health services for people with developmental disabilities were explored with 284 individuals. Correlation coefficients were evaluated for statistical significance and effect size for subtests of the Reiss Screen for Maladaptive Behavior, the Aberrant Behavior Checklist, and the Adaptive…

Demonstrates how a school-based mental health program helps create a caring alternative high school, based on data gathered by shadowing students; interviewing students, teachers, staff, and counselors; reviewing documents; and observing group-counseling sessions. Findings indicate that counseling allows students to experience caring, when…

Cluster analysis was conducted to examine clinical characteristics of 1,961 boys and 1,320 girls (ages 10-19) with serious emotional disturbances entering systems of care funded by the Center for Mental Health Services. Combining functional and behavioral characteristics of participants indicate that symptom measures alone could not adequately…