The authors examine the dimensions of effective psychotherapy in an attempt to determine common variables of theoretic models which seem successful. Three such variables are discussed at length--concreteness, intensity and intimacy, and ambiguity. Assuming that one is not born with good therapist skills, one must learn them. Research and its…

An assertiveness training program was adapted for elementary school children. Five girls were trained to overcome their passiveness. An evaluation of their behavior before and after the training showed a significant increase in their assertive behavior due to the training. (SE)

In three articles about homosexuality, the first author argues that homosexuals should be helped to accept their sexual situation; the second author categorically opposes this approach and proposes instead to help homosexuals change to heterosexuality. The third author assumes a more flexible position on the question. (SE)

This report on the Michigan Youth Services Boys Camping Program suggests substantial attitudinal and behavioral improvement for all groups of participants: achievers, predelinquents, expelled/suspended, and delinquent wards of the court. Some suggestions are included for those attempting to evaluate the effectiveness of youth programs. (Author/SJL)

This research attempted to develop a job skills training package suited to the needs of offenders and to document its utility by using a research design that remedies some of the inadequacies often found in skill training research. (Author/RK)

Traditional roles of the school psychologist have not included the use of the family system for the intervention of school-related behavior problems. Because the child's symptom serves as a vital part of the family equilibrium, assessment and intervention must be considered within this context. (Author)

The present study developed a timeout procedure that did not require removal of the misbehaver from the learning environment and applied the procedure to the disruptive behaviors of five severely retarded children (8 to 18 years old). (Author/SBH)

Examines the effect of school desegregation upon the process of students' status attainment by comparing high school students in segregated and desegregated schools. Few differences were found in levels of educational and occupational aspirations or educational attainment. However, marked differences were found in the process of attitude…

Treatment and control groups were used to test the effectiveness of a written instructional program in basic and integrated process skills. Findings revealed that the treatment group achieved higher than the control group on six of eight process measures following the experiment. In addition, subjects from the treatment group asked fewer closed…

This paper argues that many problematic aspects of family therapy have been neglected by the behavioral family intervention focus on treatment technology, with the resulting expense of ignoring critical aspects of family interaction and the idiographic characteristics of therapists as agents of service delivery. (Author)

Spatial distribution of activity in a second-third grade open classroom was observed before and after a change in the physical design, to test the hypothesis that minor changes in the physical setting would produce predictable, desirable changes in student behavior. In most cases the desired behavior changes were produced. (Author/MV)

A 9-year-old impulsive boy was treated with a combination of verbal self-instructions and response cost. The program was sequentially applied to inappropriate "switches" in each of three target behaviors (topics, games, rules) according to a multiple baseline design. Positive change in all of the target behaviors was evident at posttreatment.…

The major concern of this study is changes in self-acceptance as related to different college classroom models. The specific research hypothesis is that self-acceptance increases as a function of the encounter classroom model. This was confirmed. Increased self-acceptance also appeared stable over time. (NG)