Lawrence M. Brammer

Coping with life transitions

Life transitions are sharp discontinuities with the previous life events. They have identifiable beginnings, turning points, and endings. Coping skills learned earlier are mobilized during the transition to help the person manage the transition process. A process conception of transitions includes a series of stages from entry through final resolution and growth. The primary dynamic is the process of letting go of the old value, relationship, or belief to taking hold of a new one. Coping skills consisting of support networking, cognitive restructuring, problem solving, and stress management are key mediating variables that determine the course and emotional intensity of the transition. Attitudes that influence the process are extent of perceived control of the event, perceptions of challenge, and commitment to change. perceiving the change event as a normal part of living helps to alleviate much of the distress of the transition. Transition theory offers a kind of map that helps counsellors and their clients to conceptualize what is happening to them during intensive life changes.

Organizational and Political Issues in Counseling Psychology Recommendations for Change

The Organizational and Political Issues Group focused on managerial, structural, and political issues in counseling psychology. Papers were presented by 11 counseling psychologists on 13 basic issues that had been identified by the planning

Counseling services in the Peoples Republic of China

The principal vehicles for counseling in the Peoples Republic of China are the neighborhood council and the extended family. In addition to providing access to many services, the local council offers informal counseling to families and individuals in the neighborhood through peer helpers. This council is also the first level in a three-tiered health care delivery system. Informal counseling is sup-plemented with counseling from paraprofessional health care providers in the neighborhood clinics. Severe problems are referred to the second level — the district hospital — which usually has a psychiatric unit with medical psychologists able to deal with problems on both inpatient and outpatient bases. The third level of assistance is provided through specialized institutes that take a few severe psychological problems for treatment, research, and teaching purposes. Schools refer special behavior problems through the health care or political systems, but care for minor behavior and educational problems is provided through the teacher working with the family in the educational setting. While most counseling services are conducted informally through family and neighborhood council members, the disadvantage is the close linkage of counseling regulatory tasks with functions monitoring behavior and enforcing political policy. On balance, however, it appears that the array of services offered through local councils with a caring neighborly attitude outweighs the disadvantages of loss of privacy and pressures to conform to local behavioral expectations and political demands.

The Coming Revolt of High School Students

High school students as well as their collegiate elders seem certain to become more activist in their orientation to the adult world around them. A professor of psychology suggests how we as adults may help young people who, in their search for involvement and relevance, behave in ways that to us often look like inex cusable rebellion.