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Surveys attitudes of 147 Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCs) in 2 southeastern states concerning spirituality in the therapeutic process. Findings indicated that LPCs recognize the importance of being aware of their own spiritual beliefs. Respondents believe that men and women do not experience spirituality differently. LPCs reported that clients' perceptions of the aging process impacts their spiritual search. Author/JDM)

Creativity is universal and not limited by age. Creative acts help in understanding the meaning of life and aging; they contribute to well-being and life satisfaction. Programs such as Elderhostel and California's Creative Aging Workshops nurture creativity in older adults. (SK)

Describes experiences of children and adolescents in South Africa who have been subjected to the violence of the apartheid state. Discusses detention of children and torture and assault of detained children. Against this backdrop, explores the effects of violence on children, psychological trauma, counseling interventions, and applications of interventions with South African children and adolescents. (NB)

Examines prevailing cultural attitudes toward sexual activity and procreation in sub-Saharan African or Black Africa that create obstacles to the prevention of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Concludes that use of indigenous healers may be beneficial in offering unique opportunities in prevention and treatment aspects of AIDS in Africa. (NB)

This article on the integral nature of guidance and counseling among services provided to gifted students focuses on: curriculum modification to promote self-realization; use of parent education programs and group counseling; and discussion of gifted females, culturally diverse gifted children, and gifted children with disabilities. (Author/JDD)

During the past two decades, colleges and universities have used best practices from corporate management such as total quality management, strategic planning, management by objectives, benchmarking, data warehousing, and performance indicators. Many institutions of higher learning now have adopted comprehensive and multifaceted approaches to institutional planning, performance assessment, and accountability. In addition, appropriate data to improve institutional performance, especially direct measures of student learning, are now required by regional accrediting bodies. In this context, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) now requires all of its member institutions to create a quality enhancement plan (QEP) as part of the accreditation process. Key elements of the QEP established by SACS include the following: (1) Focus; (2) Institutional capability and the initiation and continuation of the plan; (3) Assessment of the plan; and (4) Broad-based community involvement. This article describes the development of the QEP at Columbus State University. Through its focus on engendering a culture of assessment, the university's QEP promises several important benefits. Through its recommendation that the administration establish an Office of Institutional Effectiveness, the plan encourages a university-wide focus on assessment. (Contains 1 figure.)

Examined Rotter's Internal-External locus of control concept in relation to life satisfaction and death anxiety in aged population (N=122). Found strong gender and locus of control effect for life satisfaction. For death anxiety, found strong gender effect and significant interaction between locus of control and age. Suggests need for life span developmental perspective in locus of control literature. (Author/NB)

Interviewed approximately 25 street children in Johannesburg, South Africa, and social services and educational personnel providing services to these children. Street children had experienced stress within their family, school, and society. Many came from structurally disadvantaged homes. Approximately 90 percent were identified as learning disabled in some way. Presents counseling intervention model for working with South African street children. (NB)

Many faculty development programs do not live up to expectations because of a missing accountability connection. Few reports are completed, few follow-ups are done and few activities, reflecting data driven decision making, are adjusted as needed during implementation. Accordingly, the institution's overall organizational performance cannot shift to a higher level of planning processes do not include the utilization of assessment data. To remedy some of these problematic issues a quality enhancement plan (QEP), with assessment as its centerpiece, was developed. The plan engages and responds to stakeholders, who voiced the need to enhance student expertise in writing skills. The QEP product is called "Writing the Solution: Steps Toward Developing Competent and Professional Student Writers." It incorporates elements from writing-across- the-curriculum and writing-in-the disciplines models. A distinctive value of the model resides in its clear and definitive assessment measures and reporting requirements for faculty receiving support through the QEP. The model explicitly links, through clearly defined performance indicators, faculty development activities with the fulfillment of institutional goals and student learning outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on how school counselors can include a student's primary social network and family, in treatment planning, suggesting how counselors can recognize the importance of family dynamics. What researchers believe is the cause of educational difficulty; How family interactional patterns influence the behavioral adjustment of adolescents and children.

The substantial dropout rate of pupils in one of the most difficult problems that faces any country. This paper describes the complexity of the school dropout problem and an intervention program that was designed to remediate the problem by building student self-esteem through experiencing of success in the classroom. The investigators used four primary sources of data to measure the impact of the program upon the students and middle-and-high-school faculty. While the analyses of data produced a number of potentially important findings the present paper examines the 1990-91 end-of-the-year status of the "STAR" students of interest, i.e., those promoted to and entering the 9th grade high school level.