Thesis (D. Ed. Min.)--Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 110-117, 139).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 1993. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 216-233).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 1993. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 102-106).

M.A. / A Peer Counseling Program was implemented at a High school in Pretoria. The program was run over a thirteen-month period. During this period two groups of peer counselors were trained. In the first year 15 pupils were selected, and in the second year 16 pupils were selected. Both of the groups were put throUgh the following: answering of a questionnaire, a personal interview, and the training process. Ongoing supervision was provided in the form of group discussions and individual supervision over this thirteen-month period. On completion of the thirteen-month program eqch peer counselor completed a Peer Facilitators Effectiveness Inventory Questionnaire. The findings of this questionnaire indicated that both of the groups had found this experience to be positive, although the second group found the experience to be more positive. The reasons for this were that the second group were selected earlier in the year, they received more support and one might speculate the: there had been a culture of helping established in the school. This study has shown that peer counseling is an effective means of making use of the resources available in the community, decreasing the size of the gap between adult counselor and adolescent, as well as reaching a wider population where help is needed. This study creates an opportunity for the implementation of peer counseling programs in more schools in South Africa.

Self-help groups have emerged as a system of care for groups of people sharing a common problem or condition. Most of the interest in research came from professionals in mental health and social services. Educators have traditionally viewed self-help groups as outside their domain. The focus of this study is the phenomenon of personal change within self-help groups. This is viewed as “learning with peers.” The subject of the study was HOPE Cancer Health Centre, a non-profit community based self-help organization in Vancouver, B.C. Appropriate to the study of phenomena in their natural surroundings, data collection methods were qualitative in nature. Fourteen in-depth interviews were carried out with members and leaders of the self-help group. Two introductory workshops were attended for participant observation and several pertinent documents were reviewed. A full description of HOPE Cancer Health Centre as a self-help group and as a context for adult learning was developed. To clarify the description of HOPE, a framework of characteristics of self-help groups was developed. It was used to organize data collection and analysis. Compilation and analysis of the findings created a description of HOPE that adds to the understanding of self-help groups as organizations in a larger system of care provision. It also adds to the understanding of HOPE as an organization with the purpose to assist cancer patients who are interested in actively participating in their cancer treatment and recovery. In order to enhance understanding of adult learning in the context of a selfhelp group, three perspectives from the literature on adult learning were selected for their potential to organize and explain the resulting data. Four important themes emerged from the data on the learning experiences of the members of HOPE. First, the ideology of HOPE, “self as participant in healing,” is the framework of learning and within that frame there are four forms of learning, the forms of transformative learning being the most significant. Second, for the learners of HOPE, the basis of knowledge is their personal experience; therefore, processes of experiential learning are important as well as those of perspective transformation. Third, the affective dimension of the experiential learning process was found to be integral in the process of learning. The fourth theme is “learning with peers,” the innate characteristic of self-help groups. All members interviewed placed high value on their experiences of learning with peers and of learning at HOPE. Meaningful interpretation of the data resulted from application of concepts and theoretical propositions from three perspectives on adult learning: experiential learning, transformative learning and situated learning. / Education, Faculty of / Educational Studies (EDST), Department of / Graduate

This study investigates the relationship between peer group facilitation and the changes in self-concept, interpersonal relations and school interest of secondary students in an alternative school. To carry out the study, a peer group facilitation program was incorporated into the curriculum of an alternative high school.

No description available.

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which family therapy students used their spiritual and/or religious beliefs as a resource for preventing clinical burnout and in their self-care practices. Additionally, this study sought to explore the specific ways or strategies that students used their spiritual beliefs in their personal and professional lives. Participants were master’s and doctoral students from programs accredited by the Commission on the Accreditation of Marriage and Family Therapy (COAMFTE). A total of 341 students participated in the study. The results demonstrated that the majority of students reported that they used their spiritual and/or religious beliefs as an important resource for preventing burnout and for self-care. Additionally, thematic analysis revealed several different themes regarding the specific spiritual practices participants used within their personal and professional lives.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a peer counseling program in improving undergraduate students' academic adjustment. Six upperclassmen were carefully selected and systematically trained in the use of a study skills instruction program and certain supportive, therapeutic techniques. These six served as peer counselors. The peer counseling program provided individualized study skills instruction, informal personal/motivational counseling, and general educational information and advising for volunteer students in academic difficulty. Twenty-one volunteer students each completed a minimum of four sessions with a peer counselor. The first objective of the study was to determine if the students who participated in the peer counseling program improved in their study skills and attitudes. A t-test for correlated means was used to analyze differences in the pretest and posttest means of the Survey of Study Habits and Attitudes and the Effective Study Test. The second objective of the study was to determine if students who participated in the peer counseling program made a better academic adjustment to college than a matched group of students who did not participate in the program. Three measures of academic adjustment were examined. First, grade point average for the quarter following participation for the treatment and control groups was compared using a t-test for correlated means. Secondly, the proportion of students who dropped in academic standing during the quarter following participation in the treatment group was compared with the proportion of students who dropped in academic standing in the control group by means of the sign test. Finally, the proportion of students who dropped out of school the quarter following participation and two quarters after participation in the treatment group was compared with the proportion of students in the control group who dropped out of school at corresponding times by utilizing the Cochran Q test. The peer counseling program was effective in improving the study skills and attitudes of students in academic difficulty. The 21 students showed a mean improvement of approximately one standard deviation from the pretest to the posttest on the Survey of Study Habits and Attitudes and on the Effective Study Test. No significant difference was found between students who participated in the program and a matched group who did not participate on grade point average, academic standing, or dropout rate. It was recommended that further research utilize a experimental design with random assignment of students to the two groups and examine the impact that the program has on the individual peer counselors.

Peer counseling programs benefit peer-to-peer relationships in schools through students providing active support for one another. Literature shows that peer counseling programs are effective with adolescents, especially in school-based settings. Bowen family systems theory is a model that focuses on the importance of emotional and relationship systems. Differentiation of self, a key concept in Bowen systems theory, is described as the balance between emotional and intellectual functioning; the higher the level of differentiation, the less likely one is to experience emotional and social difficulties. This dissertation I explored the potential for training high school senior counselors from a Bowenian perspective. A project called the Archimedean peer counseling program trained 32 high school senior peer counselors in Bowen family systems theory. This study used a mixed methods approach to understand the following research question: To what extent did participation in the Archimedean peer counseling program increase overall differentiation of self among high school senior counselors, as measured by pre- and posttest scores on the differentiation of self-inventory (DSI), an instrument used to measure fusion between emotional and intellectual functioning. In addition, scores for the DSI subscales (emotional reactivity, taking an I position, reactive distancing, and fusion with parents), and archival quantitative data were examined. Paired samples t-tests were conducted to assess mean differences in baseline and posttest DSI scores. A thematic analysis of qualitative data in the form of student reflection papers, journal entries, and personal communications with school administrators was also conducted. Results from this study help to illustrate the utility of Bowen family systems theory training in the context of an adolescent peer counseling program.