LEVY, ANN; PHD

                        CALIFORNIA SCHOOL OF PROFESSIONAL PSYCHOLOGY - BERKELEY/ALAMEDA, 1991

                        PSYCHOLOGY, GENERAL (0621); PSYCHOLOGY, CLINICAL (0622); PSYCHOLOGY, SOCIAL (0451)
 

                         This study investigates the efficacy of a peer counseling training program for homeless adults. The study
                         focuses on the peer counseling trainees' self-esteem, social networks, and the assumptions they hold
                         regarding the laws that govern events in the world. It was hypothesized that participation in the study
                         would result in an increase in self-esteem and in the size and quality of the subjects' social networks. It
                         was further hypothesized that participation in the program would result in positive changes in the
                         assumptions the subjects held regarding the way in which events are distributed in the world. The
                         subjects were the nine men and two women who participated in the peer counseling training program.
                         They ranged in age from 27 to 49, and had been homeless for periods of time ranging from a few months
                         to 20 years. Three self-report questionnaires, the World Assumptions Scale, the Social Network
                         Questionnaire, and a modified version of the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory, were administered pre
                         and posttraining. Following the training, structured individual interviews were also conducted. The three
                         questionnaires failed to yield statistically significant results. However, there was some evidence of
                         change in the participants' social networks. Although individual scores on the two scales derived from the
                         Social Network Questionnaire did not show a consistent increase, the group means increased on both
                         scales. Interview data supported this finding, as well as containing evidence of a number of other
                         changes. Five of the eleven subjects reported an increase in self-esteem, which they felt to be related to
                         their participation in the program. Some of the other changes reported were an increase in their ability to
                         communicate with others, increased ability to make responsible decisions and plans, and a new-found
                         feeling of hope for the future. The findings, while not conclusive, were encouraging. Peer counseling
                         training may be an effective method for connecting homeless individuals with a support system. For
                         those who are in need of counseling, such a program may also be a non-threatening way to involve them
                         in the mental health system.

Social Systems Simulation Group P.O. Box 6904 San Diego, CA  92166-0904 Roland Werner, Principal Phone/FAX  (619) 660-1603