Investigates the health status of 310 homeless and marginally housed people to determine the usefulness of mental health self-help agencies (SHAs) in addressing their physical health needs. Findings indicated that frequencies of health problems among respondents were similar to those of other homeless or marginally housed groups and that the study…

Discusses obstacles involved in the routine clinical practice for type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, a disease associated with serious complications and co-morbidity. States that educating patients to take an active role in their care by changing their diet and habits is a challenge to health care educators. Lists tools patients will need to learn to help…

Discusses analysis of how members of self-help groups perceived professional involvement and dimensions of such involvement. Three categories were identified according to their main focus: groups dealing with health issues, groups dealing with alternative lifestyles, and groups based on the 12-step model. Analysis yielded two conceptually…

In the 1908s and 1990s African societies responded to reduced state educational capacity by expanding the reach of civil society--non-state societal organizations that sought to organize individuals and mobilize local resources for education and development. In this paper, I argue that rural African families were differentially prepared to respond…

Self-help groups (SHGs) have emerged as an effective mechanism of empowerment and development of women as well as being on efficient mode of promoting group action and technology dissemination. Initiatives were undertaken at the Central Institute of Post-Harvest Engineering and Technology (CIPHET), Ludhiana to facilitate the formation of women's…

Self-help initiatives stand as a classic context for organizational studies in community psychology. Behavior setting theory stands as a classic conception of organizations and the environment. This study explores both, applying behavior setting theory to consumer-run organizations (CROs). Analysis of multiple data sets from all CROs in Kansas…

During its trip to India in 2006, the ASCD Board of Directors visited the Katha School, which is located in a high-poverty section of Delhi. The Katha School began in 1989 with five students. It now houses 1,450 students, with hundreds on a list waiting to get in. Part of the Kalpavriksham Centre for Sustainable Learning, the school is the main…

This journal theme issue focuses on Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty in Appalachia, launched in 1964. Articles discuss the War on Poverty, the people involved, how it succeeded, and how it ultimately failed. One article examines the role of the Council of the Southern Mountains, established in 1913. Federal officials used the council's reputation…

Five papers from a 1980 conference on normalization reflect contemporary thinking about the principle's implication for mental retardation. G. Dybwad begins with "Normalization and Its Impact on Social and Public Policy," in which he cites progress in the popular attitude towards individuals with retardation. A panel discussion by S. Kaplan, V.…

Describes the history of Women Attentive to Children's Happiness (WATCH), a self-help organization of family day care mothers which has developed an effective method of producing developmental programs for children and families. (ED)

This document notes that, as health care costs continue to rise, the elderly are monitoring themselves as a means of cost containment, and as a way of enhancing their sense of well-being and their ability to lead active lives. It points out that more and more organizations are sponsoring health programs that promote the concept of self-care and…

This guide provides a detailed summary of the information, techniques, and examples offered in an audiotape developed to help students teach themselves physical skills. After section I introduces the topic and the objectives of the tape, section II provides concrete examples of adults learning motor skills. Section III presents and discusses nine…

This guide provides an outline of the information and techniques covered on an audiotape developed to help students lower their test anxiety. First, a rationale for the development of the test anxiety materials is provided and the use of these materials at Lane Community College is discussed. Next, a detailed outline of the material is provided,…

This paper describes the Self-Help Information Service (SIS), and summarizes data evaluating the program. Associated with a generally focused information and referral service (I&R), SIS was designed to facilitate research on self-help groups. Its specific goals were to develop and maintain a telephone referral service disseminating self-help…

In recent years, mutual help groups have been formed to address problems in substance abuse, chronic physical illness, mental illness, marital disruption, and child abuse. Despite the proliferation of these groups, little research has been conducted to assess their efficacy or what happens in them. The nature of mutual help groups (N=32) was…