The concepts and procedures used in two skill development laboratories for college students are introduced. The materials describe the interviewing skills lab that teaches a variety of interpersonal skills used in one-on-one helping relationships, and the group skills lab that provides practical training in the basic skills of leading, conducting,…

Six programs demonstrating some of the ways colleges and universities are strengthening their advising programs to help students attain liberal educations are described, and an essay by Thomas J. Grites is presented. In "Academic Advising: An Atlas for Liberal Education," Grites defines academic advising as a decision-making process…

A Peer Group Counseling program, set up in accordance with the Summer Youth Employment Program during 1980-81 in Riverside, California, is presented as a model. The program objectives focus on improving enrollees' feelings of self-worth and self-confidence; enhancing learning skills; supplying job-seeking skills; and stimulating a desire for…

This description of the Partners in Encouragement (PIE) program and the methods used to implement the program provide a model for school counselors to combat teacher burnout and improve morale. A discussion of the preliminary planning needs focuses on ways to inform prospective participants of the program, and outlines the introduction to be…

A peer counseling program was instituted in a California high school to: (1) expand the guidance services of the school by utilizing trained students; (2) make school more meaningful for the peer counselors through personal growth and involvement; and (3) determine the feasibility of implementing peer counseling projects in other high schools in…

Recognizing that middle school students frequently have difficulty sharing their problems with adults, a program was initiated at Robinswood Middle School (Orlando, Florida) to bridge the gap between child and adult by asking older students, such as high school students, to serve as listeners for at-risk middle school students. The development of…

A study showed that the longer students have been at the University of California at Santa Barbara, the more negative their feelings about the available academic advising. Students felt intimidated by faculty, but also that advising services were inadequate. A new system making better use of peer advising is recommended. (MSE)

Reports on a study to: (1) design, implement, and evaluate an undergraduate peer-helping program curriculum with the major objective of facilitating cognitive/affective maturity and (2) test the effectiveness and practicality of using formative research in designing and evaluating the program. Discusses findings and implications. (AYC)

A project was developed in southern Tel-Aviv to intellectually foster gifted/socially disadvantaged adolescents. The program's components include mastery of mathematics and English, development of excellence in selected areas, peer group support, and critical thinking development. The paper describes problems encountered by the project and program…

Provides an overview of issues special services providers should consider as these providers review options for services. An array of factors affecting the planning and implementation of group interventions with school-aged children is reviewed. Available alternatives for group interventions and guidelines for selecting, implementing, and…

Case studies of focus groups as a useful educational research strategy for evaluating noninstructional interventions are described. Focus groups were used to evaluate the effectiveness of programs in the following Virginia school settings: (1) peer counseling programs in 4 high schools with 49 student counselors; (2) gifted programs in 7…

This manual on peer counseling in higher education describes the theory and techniques used for this practice. The first chapter, on academic peer counseling, uses V. Tinto's synthesis of the literature to illustrate the theory and stages of peer counseling based on academic and social integration models. The second chapter discusses the qualities…

This manual is designed to teach young people about planning a conference and to offer advice to the adults working with them on providing support. It is based on a successful sex education conference sponsored by the Youth Action Program (East Harlem, New York), which was planned and conducted by young people with minimal adult leadership. Part 1…

This document is a curriculum guide for a Peer Counseling course in the Orange County, Florida Public Schools system. The course, Peer Counseling, is an 18-week elective course for eighth graders which can be repeated as Peer Counseling II during the second semester of the year. The major emphasis of this course is to help students become more…

The Unitas Therapeutic Community is a mental health treatment and prevention program for Hispanic and Black children and teenagers in the South Bronx, New York City. Based on theories of therapeutic community and social psychology, Unitas stresses psychological methodologies that cultivate the healing potential present in all interpersonal…