Storybooks to facilitate children's communication following parental suicide: paraprofessional counselors' perceptions.

Children often have difficulty talking openly about a parent's suicide. Bibliotherapy can help, but no bibliotherapy studies address parental suicide. We gave a focus group (5 paraprofessionals) 15 children's books addressing grief, parental suicide, and emotional expression, asking them which books were most helpful. They emphasized individualizing treatment to fit the child, recommending the books that honestly portrayed suicide, showed a way forward, provided hope, and assured children that they are not alone. The most highly recommend books were Bart Speaks Out: Breaking the Silence on Suicide and After a Suicide Death: A Workbook for Grieving Kids.

The influence of group values and behavior on adolescent male perceptions of and use of homophobic language.

INTRODUCTION: The pervasive and derogatory use of homophobic language is a threat to safe, respectful, and inclusive school environments. Group membership has been shown to influence how students use homophobic language. Previous qualitative studies have largely approached the use of this language from the theoretical framework of hegemonic masculinity. In contrast, the current study actively challenged all assumptions about the use of this language. METHOD: This study was conducted in a public high school located in a rural conservative Christian community in the Intermountain West (USA). Using hermeneutic qualitative methodology to assess individual perceptions of homophobic language, 20 randomly selected 12th-grade male students (17-18 years of age) were individually interviewed. RESULTS: Three distinct groups emerged during our interviews: students on the debate team, students who strongly identified with a conservative religion, and students on popular athletic teams. Membership in specific peer groups influenced how students participated in or abstained from using homophobic language. Contrary to the prevailing research that pairs religiosity with negatively biased attitudes toward LGBTQIA, in this study, participants' religious beliefs appeared to be associated with respecting others' feelings and a decreased likelihood of using homophobic language. CONCLUSIONS: After summarizing this study's findings, we conclude with implications for practice. To more effectively deter the use of homophobic language, we encourage school-based interventions that target specific groups of adolescents and consider the social context in which homophobic language occurs.

Exploring interactions of improvers and deteriorators in the group therapy process: a qualitative analysis.

This study examined the interactions of individuals who showed symptom improvement and those who showed deterioration during the course of short-term group psychotherapy. A qualitative hermeneutic analysis was used to identify and describe themes from the group interactions. Both broad group themes, as well as themes specific to improvers and deteriorators, were found. Findings suggest that the differences in group behavior between those who get worse and those who improve are subtle and thus difficult for group leaders to detect. Although the differences were not immediately apparent, a deeper examination of group process did reveal distinct patterns for deteriorators that were different from those of improvers. These patterns of interaction are discussed as well as variables related to client, leader, and group as a whole that may have contributed to the outcome of group members.