Psychological trauma and social healing in Croatia.

A school-based pilot project is described which was designed to promote trauma healing, non-violent conflict resolution, peaceful living, human rights, and reduction of ethnic bias in Croatian children affected by war. A manual was written to guide teachers, who presented the curriculum over a four-month period. The subjects were 250 Fourth and Fifth grade children, divided into an intervention and two control groups. Pre- and post-testing revealed a small but significant reduction in ethnic bias and a reduction in post-traumatic stress symptoms in the intervention group. Follow-up testing showed that these benefits continued. There was a high level of acceptance of the programme by participants. The programme was extended in the subsequent year to 1200 students.

The Foster Care Research Project: clinical impressions.

A two-year prospective study compared individual and group models of support for foster parents. Results showed greater foster parent satisfaction with the group model. An independent critique identified methodological flaws that would preclude further differentiation of the models and suggested that clinical impressions and trends in favor of the group model be given credibility. Operation of the group model is described, and reasons for the differences between clinical and experimental findings are discussed.

The Foster Care Research Project: summary and analysis.

This paper analyzes and summarizes five more detailed papers describing the Foster Care Research Project (F.C.R.P.). This compared two (individual and group) models of foster care as to their effects on foster parent satisfaction, placement breakdowns and several indices of children's adjustment in care. The group model is described and contrasted with other "extended family" models, and the results of the project, which were mixed, are summarized. A critique of the experimental design suggests why clinical gains noted in the children were not borne out experimentally. Following a clinician's analysis of the process by which the group model operated (illustrated by clinical vignettes), the paper ends by describing the content and process of two support groups for the natural children of the foster parents.

Employee assistance programs: an alternative resource for mental health service delivery.

The purpose of this article is to provide a very brief introduction to employee assistance programs (EAPs) and their role in the mental health delivery system. In addition, some consideration will be given to the opportunity these programs offer for making a significant impact on both the mental health of Canadians and the productivity of Canadian business.

The Process Model of Family Functioning.

The Process Model of Family Functioning differs from the McMaster Model of Family Functioning and their common source, the Family Categories Schema, by its increased emphasis on the dynamic interaction between the major dimensions of family functioning, and by its stress on the interface between intrapsychic subsystems and the interpersonal dimensions of the family system. A model of family process rather than family structure, it defines six universal criteria of family functioning. It describes the processes involved in each along with the content components and the critical aspects of each. A self-report test developed from the model (FAM-III) is being widely used both as a research tool and as a clinical adjunct. Tests to define its validity and reliability continue.

Client, treatment, and therapist variables related to outcome in brief, systems-oriented family therapy.

Client, therapist, and treatment characteristics were examined with respect to how much of the variance they could account for in a variety of outcome measures. Multiple regression analyses were used to examine relationships among each of the client, therapist, and treatment characteristics studied and the various outcome measures. For the 219 families that were treated with brief family therapy, only a relatively low amount of variance in any of the outcome measures could be accounted for. The amount of explained variance, however, varied considerably from one outcome measure to the other. When the more homogeneous groups of clients (single parents or adolescent identified patients) were considered, the amount of explained variance generally showed an increase. Different sets of client, therapist, and treatment variables accounted for the variance in these outcome measures across client groups, demonstrating both the complexities of the relationships and the relative independence of various outcome measures. New variables are suggested for future research.

Aspects of consumer satisfaction with brief family therapy.

In an evaluative study of brief family therapy, 279 families were administered a Family Satisfaction Questionnaire in their own homes, six months after treatment terminated. This questionnaire was designed to assess several aspects of the families' satisfaction with services received. The identified patient in all families was a child with academic and/or behavioral problems at school. A variety of outcome measures were also obtained both at treatment termination and at the six-month follow-up. Families were generally satisfied with the overall services received but expressed widely varying degrees of satisfaction with various aspects of treatment. Very little dissatisfaction was expressed regarding the availability of services (less than 7 per cent), but a sizeable proportion of families (45 per cent) did not feel that the services provided were comprehensive and adequate. Despite concerns regarding comprehensiveness and adequacy of the service, the majority of families were functioning well at the time of follow-up as assessed by a number of independent measures. Global satisfaction should not be regarded as the only index of treatment effectiveness, as many families who were dissatisfied experienced successful treatment outcomes.

The role of goal attainment scaling in evaluating family therapy outcome.

The role of an individualized goal attainment procedure as an outcome measure for brief family therapy is described. Establishment of a scale and assessment of goal attainment at six-month follow-up are reported in a study of some 270 families. Results support the procedure as being a reliable and valid means of examining the outcome status of treated families.