CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE
A PROGRAM DESIGN FOR NON-RESIDENTIAL
COUNSELING OF RUNAWAYS
A graduate project submitted in partial satisfaction
of the requirements for the degree of
Master of Arts in
Education,
Educational Psychology,
Counseling and Guidance
by
Robin Jo Schwartz
January, 1984
The Graduate Project of Robin Jo Schwartz is approved:
California State University, Northridge
ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Special thanks and appreciation to Dr. Ken Jacobs without whose help and
direction in time of need, this project would never have been completed.
Much gratitude and thanks to Ron Frust, M.F.C.C. for his never ending
patience and support.
Last but not least, a very sincere thank-you to Marie Treichler whose
expert typing skills made this project a reality.
iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
iii
ABSTRACT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
v
Chapter
I
INTRODUCTION....... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1
Importance of the Problem • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
4
Objectives of the Program • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
7
Criteria for a Basic Program Design.. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
9
Limitations of the Project • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
12
Definitions of Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
14
Outline of the Remainder of the Project • • • • • • • • • . • • • • •
15
II
REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
16
Ill
FORMAT FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION AND SPECIFIC
FUNCTIONS OF THE PROJECT • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
22
Location and Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
22
Staffing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
23
Program Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
24
SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.....
30
REFERENCES . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
34
APPENDIX. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
35
IV
iv
ABSTRACT
A PROGRAM DESIGN FOR NON-RESIDENTIAL
COUNSELING OF RUNAWAYS
by
Robin J. Schwartz
Master of Arts
in
Education, Educational Psychology, Counseling and Guidance
F
lJtunning away has been a social phenomenon among teenagers for many
decades. In fact, it has probably been occurring thoroughout history due to the
-nature of the individuating adolescent]
0ough each runaway attributes his or her action to a specific situation,
the end result is that a minor (as defined by law, a person under the age of 18)
is without adult supervision and without financial support. Most of these minors
need somewhere that will help them meet their normal need;]
This project is the outcome of a combined teaching and therapy background with children and adolescents. That background has led me to see that
counseling for an adolescent in a crisis situation, such as running away, calls for
v
the most concrete of coping skills to be taught.
Previously, other programs have used "feeling" type therapies as the
counseling technique to teach those skills.
This program uses a more "cogni-
tive" approach to teaching coping skills. The program is also designed to allow
a study on the effect of the cognitive process of counseling by monitoring
recidivism among the programs participants.
vi
Chapter I
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this project is to design a model program for a nonresidential counseling center that deals with counseling teenage runaways.
Specifically, the program design is based on crisis intervention, short term,
cognitive type therapy that will supply the adolescent with enough coping skills
to prevent their returning to a runaway status.
The program draws upon my own experiences with teenagers in educational systems as well as in the residential psychiatric community to build a
foundation for interfacing with runaways.
The program design is also based
upon the success of other programs that have dealt with similar themes. These
different programs will be discussed in Chapter 2.
Also, basic to this program, is a philosophical approach. That philosophy
is that runaways are young people who have serious problems, and they may
perceive their problems as unbearable.
It may seem to an adult that the
problems faced by the teenager are not all.that big. All counselors and staff in
this program must respect and believe that the teenager feels just exactly the
things they say and do as proof of honest feelings.
G'oreover, the philosophy of this program insists that we as people are all
to be respected and held responsible for our words and actions. That thought is
supported by a group called Toughlo;J The introduction to their Manual states
some philosophical guidelines that fit with the aforementioned position in
regard to the teenager.
G'These young people may skip school, ·runaway from home,
abuse alcohol, dope, or other drugs, get in trouble with the law,
make all their own choices, get involved with others only on their
own terms, or act as if they are the only ones who should make
decisions about their lives, regardless of their limited information
1
2
and life experience. These young people need to become aware of
the reality of their choices by accepting the consequences of their
own actions, no matter how badly we feel about them 'taking their
~
medicine'."
(Toughlove Manual198~
Though much of the philosophy of the Toughlove program is consistent
with the philosophy of this project, there are differences in the implementation
of the philosophy with delinquent or runaway youths.
Toughlove is a program designed for parents. The parents meet weekly
and through peer group discussions learn to deal concretely with their acting
out teenager's behavior. They also learn to confront their feelings about the
crisis of having acting out teenagers. This program is conducted wholly without
help from funding sources and does not use referrals of any health or mental
health professionals.
This project shares the philosophy as stated above, but will accommodate
teenagers that have no contact with parents or guardians.
In essence, the counseling of teenage runaways in this program is to be
respectful, yet clearly based on societal and legal realities and the implications
those realities have on a runaway.
Statement of the Problem
Recidivism is one step after the reality of the overbearing problem of
teenage runaways. It seems an impossible task to do preventative counseling
for the problemed runaway. Possibly that is not as awesome a task as thought,
but this project will attempt to design a program for teenagers who have
already run away and who make contact with an agency specifically designed to
facilitate coping life skills for the unemancipated runaway teenager.
Ghere is a compound problem in dealing with runaways.
foremost, is the question of why the teenager left home.
First, and
This situation can
3
sometimes be handled through family
thera~ Often times family involvement
is not available for a number of reasons. The runaway may have left a foster
placement and the foster parents are no longer interested in working with the
teenager. The teenager may have traveled many miles and the family can not
attend sessions.
The family may truly be abusive and the teenager can not
return for fear of future punishment. There are many other implications and
reasons that a teenager may not find returning home a viable option.
(!_he second part of the runaway problem has been that teenagers have
been returned to their legal guardians after short term counseling and reconciliation processes. This is not the only avenue of placement for teenagers. They
often find themselves involved with the Juvenile Justice system and may be
placed in detention or rehabilitation facilities. For some teenagers, this may be
a better choice than returning home, but in many cases, the Juvenile Justice
system finds a 50 percent return rate of the teenagers processed through these
programs {Grinnell and Loftis,
1977)~
Very little statistical researclhas been done in the area of recidivism.
This is because there is such a huge population of runaways and that population
is growing every year. The research dealt with the psychology of the runaway
in terms of social class, drug and alcohol abuse, self attitude, and school
performance.
Most of the research is basically directed at why teenagers
initially run away.
This research is extremely important as a preventative
approach to the runaway phenomenon, but for the purposes of this project, it
provided little insight as to what specific types of counseling techniques would
best remediate the situation during and after the occurrence of running away.
This project proposes that a here and now approach is more useful than
examination of causal factors, in dealing with runaways.
The reality of the
4
runaway problem is that it is happening and growing.
The streets are full of
runaway teenagers looking for an option to lives that are unbearable and they
need crisis intervention and clear directions.
Importance of the Problem
A Historical Perspective of the Runaway as a Statistic
The masses of teenagers running a way has increased steadily since the
starting of documentation. Documented statistics of runaways date as early as
1930 ,{-T-r-eanor, and van Houten, 1976).
G e sixties became a decade of rampant runaways.
The thrust of
philosophy based an individual disillusionment within society and the nuclear
family provided the perfect backdrop for a seductive counter-culture seeped in
t'sharing, tolerance, love and
freedom~y
the summer of 1967 the Haight-
Ashbury district of San Francisco seemed to typify the quest for acceptance, a
new identity and escape from the hypocrisies of elders.
/
\, The seventies greeted a group of youths who had the sal!le gnawing
problems as the youths of the sixties had, yet the 'lFlower
gone and hope gave way to rejection and
Children~'
were long
hopelessne~~~
~is feeling of rejection and hopelessness did not change the needs of the
youths who ran away. They still suffered from neglect, physical abuse and some
deep-seated emotional problems (Treanor and Houten, 1976).
flight of youth has
Therefore, the
continu~~
Most of the documentation on runaways have come through the Justice
Department. Table I shows data for four years (1968-1971). There is a striking
increase in a very short time (-Howell, Emonsand-Frank;1973). Another source
shows the increase in runaways in Columbus, Ohio.
These documented cases
5
were categorized \"home truancy, school truancy, and incorrigibility."
~DtAngelo,
(There are six other categories in which runaways are frequently
19,74).
reported.) The three categories provided these statistics:
1969 = 1,574
1970 = 1,664
1971 = 1,912
1972 = 1,916
Table I
Youths Arrested as Runaways in the United States
10
11-12
13-14
15
16
17
Totals
Age Groups
4,929
7,983
44,173
37,525
35,005
17 2 637
136,252
.
CEte present
/'
projectio~
to 2,000,000 youths a
/
'
1968
5,402
10,153
47,545
40,973
37,319
18 2 076
159,468
1969
5,189
11' 075
53,966
46,618
42,175
20 2 050
179,073
1970
5,702
12,639
64,220
53,664
47,418
20 2 901
204,544
(Howell, Emmons and Frank, 1973)
of incidence of running away ranges from 500,000
ye~Treanor
and Houten, 1976; Focus, 1973; Rader,
c
1982).(~ that number, only 44,000 youths were seen in the combined runaway
shelters in 1981 (Rader, 1982).
Another 150,000 youths disappear each yea;J
(Rader, 1982)•
.;.:.
~ 1981,
because of the lack of political clout of the runaways and the
disinterest of parents/guardians, the Federal Government allocated only $10.4
million, that figures to about $8.00 per child per year (Rader, 198;LJ
Without government or private sector support, there exists little choice
for runaways.
Yet, they continue to run.
The reasons, as put forth in the
Congressional hearings in the last part of 1982, presented overwhelming reasons
for running.
~out
35 percent of
rUI1~~e
home because of incest, 53
percent because of physical neglect. The rest are 'throwaways,' children kicked
p '
6
out or simply abandoned by parents who move away" (Rader, 19821.:_]
The failure of many systems is at work here.
Not only is the Federal
Government failing to acknowledge and help the very serious problem of
runaways, but more clearly, the communities that make up this country are also
failing.
The communities that the runaway problem reaches is nationwide.
The
thought is that runaways may be helped by their communities. Therefore, we
find failings in provisions for low cost facility therapy or counseling and failing
within the school systems (D'Angelo, 197 4).
Because of the inability of the different systems to deal with the crisis of
runaways, the youths often are brought to the attention. of the Juvenile Justice
System.
As these runaways are passed through this court system, they often
are labeled (in a number of different ways), as doing a criminal behavior
(Howell, Emmons, Frank, 1973). This has been a problem for many years.
~alternative to the Juvenile Justice System or a runaway shelter is to
stay on the street. If a runaway remains on the street for more than a month,
they will usually end up as a prostitute (Raqer, 1982).
national ''buy a kid" rings in which a customer
There are local and
c~npurchase
a runaway child for
a night or permanently (Rader, 1982,0
~
problem is real and overwhelming.
For those children who are
"caught" and returned to their homes, the problem continues.
Again, the
community of school is still unprepared to help the child move back into a
"normal" world or help deal with the problems that precipitated
flig~
The findings are even more grim once the runaway has reached the
Juvenile Justice Department.
There are three types of dispositions that can
take place. First, the child may be counseled and released at the intake level.
7
The second disposition is that they may be referred to another social agency.
The last choice is that they are placed on probation (Grinnell and Loftis, 1977).
An empirically based study exploring the relationship between recidivism
rate of runaways and these three different types of disposition found that
"regardless of the type of disposition the youths received, they had approximately a 50 percent chance of returning to the Probation Department for a
subsequent offense" (Grinnell and Loftis, 1977).
Apparently, something is not working for the benefit of the runaway.
Therefore, a program that can relieve some immediate emotional stress, as well
as integrate a teaching of survival skills, may help a community that is failing
to offer alternatives to its adolescents in crisis.
Objectives of the Program
This project has two-fold expected consequences. First, the specific type
of counseling technique is used to relieve immediate crisis of the runaway.
Secondly, the long range effects of the counseling are to help the teenager
make better choices around the option of running away in the future.
The project intends for the results of counseling to be measured by
analysis of eleven internal psychological factors.
follows:
1.
Impulse control.
2.
Emotional tone.
3.
Body and self-image.
4.
Social attitude.
5.
Morals.
6.
Sexual attitude.
7.
Family relations.
Those eleven areas are as
8
8.
External mastery.
9.
Vocational and educational goals.
10.
Psycopathology.
11.
Superior adjustment.
These eleven areas are the make-up of the Offer Self-image Questionnaire for adolescents. The areas are based on theoretical propositions, clinical
experience and a review of empirical findings with other scales and intrustments (Howard and Offer, 1972).
The choice of the Offer Self-Image Questionnaire for Adolescents as the
tool of diagnoses and measurement is based on other studies and the traits that
they found characteristic of runaways.
In a major study by Rocco D'Angelo, the focus of the study was on home
life, religion, school adjustment, and self-concept. Each area was broken down
into 5 to 7 more specific descriptions (Treanor and van Houten 1976).
The findings of that study indicated that runaways share, significantly,
home situations and views of their world.
Another study, developed to describe the typology of the runaway found
the following characteristics of all runaway youth:
Home and family conditions of runaways a much poorer situation
than non-runaways.
Runaways have a lower self-concept in general than other youth
and, with the exception of one-time runners have lower self-esteem
(Treanor and van Houten 1976).
The Offer Questionnaire is an experimental self-descriptive personality
test of adjustment. The questionnaire has been used in several studies and been
administered to over 3,000 teenagers. The results of the usage of this test in
9
different cultures, English speaking, was consistent and reliable (Offer and
Howard, 1972).
Based on traits studied in previous research and the eleven areas of the
Offer Questionnaire, that measure psychological well-being and adjustment,
this tool will supply a description of the attitudes and internal make-up of the
runaway participant in this project.
Again, the Offer Questionnaire is to be used in a double capacity. First,
it will be used as part of the data compiled in reference to recidivism and the
emotional make-up of a runaway.
Secondly, it will be used as a diagnosing
instrument for psychopathology in the participant runaway. The exact usage of
this tool will be mentioned in greater detail in Chapter 3.
Criteria for a Basic Program Design
Although the program design for this project is very specific, other
recommendations on a broader scale are necessary to complete the basic
groundwork for a functioning social program.
A solid program design must have a working implementation. This means
that the program is based on a philosophy ("Doing
It," 1970). In this case, the
philosophy encompasses the runaways as people to be taken very seriously. The
staff must be cohesively working for the teenagers. All counselors must have a
background (experiential is preferred) in dealing with teenagers. This means if
a counselor is unprepared to deal with a teenager who is a prostitute, in kiddie
porn, on drugs, or pregnant, they are not acceptable for a runaway program.
This is an important aspect of working with runaways. The staff must be able
to decipher whether the teenager is suffering from normal individuation process
and could be reinstated with their family or the teenager is suffering from more
severe problems (Gang, 1973). Training for the counselors would cover crisis
10
intervention, intake and exit interview procedures and guidelines for decision
making in referral situations.
Counselors or interns, to be discussed in greater detail, will be indoctrinated for this specific program. In essence, no matter what their background, all
will be trained and values set with group input from the entire staff.
The program itself needs to have a clear cut pattern for dealing with
teenagers in crisis. How to handle every situation from a crisis phone call to
getting the teenager in for a session should be very clear. In this aspect of the
program, there may be some discrepancies with the philosophical approach and
the legal responsibilities of the program.
Also included in the program design must be the financial support.
program can run without a central location, phones and counselors.
No
The
necessities mentioned are really the skeleton of a functioning program. Many
ongoing expenses are necessary and finances are an integral part of what the
program design need realize in functioning within a community.
The next major development of an effective program is its availability to
the teenager. For more than a reported million runaways in 1982, only 44,000
teenagers were seen at all the runaway shelters combined nationwide (Rader,
1982).
The program must have 24 hour telephone accessibility. The teenagers
need to make contact when they have reached the decision to ask for help. Of
course, even if they make phone contact, they may be calling from a distance
because so few runaway shelters exist.
Outreach is another important aspect of availability. The runaways have
to be aware that there is a program in existence and that they can make
contact when necessary ("Doing It," 1978). Outreach can be done in many ways.
11
The Huckleberry House in San Francisco trained a group of street workers to
pass out paper fliers that had information about the program, (Gold, 1973).
Marin County's C.C. Riders used a van to travel about the county. They
urged youths to seek help before running away.
They also made use of the
media, service sheets and a youth directory. The youth directory explained
where teenagers and their families might seek help ("Doing It," 1978).
Much of the outreach is directed at preventing the crisis before it occurs.
In the case of the program being proposed in this paper, preventing a crisis
would apply to saving a life.
Much of the literature suggests that a drop-in group can be very effective
in terms of appealing to the runaway and having them make initial contact with
the program. This seems to be logical because there is no commitment and no
information taken from the runaway. Hopefully, they will find that they have
nothing to fear and the program may provide some options to street living
(Focus, 1973).
To have a fully functioning program, there are in house services that have
had very positive effects with runaways.
Group counseling was mentioned
above as one aspect of in house services. Others that are equally important are
provisions for room and board. This can be handled in a number of ways from
on premise facilities to foster parents (11 Doing It," 1978).
This particular project will not have on premise facilities, but will work in
conjunction with a room and board facility.
A runaway program also needs to have a referral source for medical
assistance.
ment.
This means emergency medical care, as well as follow-up treat-
12
The numbers and statistics of runaways reported in the literature is
basically unsubstantiated. The reasons cited for the lack of solid documentation is that many guardians never report a missing child (Rader, 1982). The
program needs to have the ability to initially contact the guardians. In essence,
phones need to be part of the equipment involved in the in house services.
Another in house situation should include the ability of the program to see
the family as a whole.
This is a much stressed fact in all of the literature.
There is a lack of supporting statistical studies about family therapy indicating
it as a necessity for runaways making a positive social adjustment ("Doing It",
1978). I believe in family therapy as an alternative to one-on-one therapy, but
not as the one and only answer.
For family therapy to really be functional there must exist a family.
Many runaways are, in essence, throwaways. Their family, basically, does not
exist. There is no communication and the parents or guardians have no interest
in functioning as a family. This project's intention is to offer counseling for the
runaway, whether or not the family is available.
Limitations of the Project
There are a number of realities that serve as boundaries or limits to this
specific project. They are listed and discussed shortly on the following pages.
Financial Limits
Due to the necessity of funds initially needed to get a program of this
type started and to keep it functioning, finances become the greatest limit as
to what a program can do in reference to the following areas.
Geography
This program will limit itself to the community of the mid-San Fernando
Q '
13
Valley.
This area will cover Van Nuys, Sherman Oaks, Studio City and North
Hollywood. In essence, the community outreach of the program will operate in
the areas.
Age Group
The concept of runaways may cover a very large chronological age group.
For the purposes of this program, the participants will be limited to, and
including, the ages of ten through seventeen years of age.
Population
Based on the limits of geography and age grouping, the population will
most likely limit itself to an 80% white middle- to lower-class adolescent. This
is the balance of the inhabitants within the above mentioned areas. There will
be some transient population that will assimilate within the existing population.
The other 20% will be made up of mostly Hispanic and Asian people. (Although
the incidence of runaways within those cultures is very low.)
Therapy /Counseling Technique
The counseling techniques under observation in this program are of a
verbal type.
The counselor talks with or teaches in the sessions.
The
intake/exit form is a self-descriptive personality test of adjustment for teenage
boys and girls between the ages of 13 and 19 (Offer, 1972).
This is limited
because the first assumption is that all of the participants (runaways) understand English.
Second, the assumption is that the items are conceptually
understood by the participant. In essence, ethnicity and learning disabilities in
the runaways provide some limitations. This can be overcome with appropriate
translation and staff trained to administer the tests specifically for children
with learning disabilities. (These are a few of the many variables involved in
14
the study of the program.)
Participant Capacity
The program is designed to serve the runaways using intern counselors.
The number of these interns and staff will lend itself to a natural limit in the
number of runaways that can be seen.
The program will function to its maximum capacity in reference to the
amount of participants involved based on its ability to provide counselors and
appropriate staff to facilitate quality counseling and referrals.
Definition of Terms
Runaways
Children under the age of 18 who leave home without the express consent
of their legal guardians and do not return home within 24 hours. This does not
define an abducted child.
Social Program
In this paper, this terms refers to an agency or agencies that help or offer
asylum and counseling to runaways and their families.
Counseling
A verbal interaction between a trained professional or intern and runaway
or their family.
The counseling interaction is intended to help the runaway
return to their home.
With the family, the counseling process is intended to
provide skills in communication so as to eliminate further serious problems with
the runaway.
Interns
Counseling student enrolled in either an undergraduate or graduate
15
program that has some relationship to counseling children.
Personality Disorders
This refers to persons who are not able to stay in touch with reality. They
may be delusional, hallucinating, paranoid or any combination ot" the above
mentioned.
Non-residential
A counseling site that has a homey office type residence, but does not
have sleeping or eating facilities.
Outline of the Remainder of the Project
Chapter II:
Review of the Literature.
Chapter III:
Format for the Implementation and Functions of the Project.
Chapter IV:
Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations.
Reference list.
Appendix
Chapter II
REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
This chapter reviews the literature in the field of runaway adolescents.
The literature will show delineations between delinquent and non-delinquent
adolescents.
This chapter is organized by first describing the categories in which
runaways might fall.
Next is a discussion of the possibilities of placement or
disposition of the runaways. The last part of the chapter will cover how other
programs have utilized counseling to help the runaway.
There are many articles written about delinquent or runaway youths. For
the purpose of this study, the literature will be directed at making a decisive
line between delinquent and runaway type behaviors and the counseling of
runaway youths.
California laws lump "habitually disobedient children, curfew violators,
runaways, truants and children beyond parental control" together (Rein, Ely,
Charlap-Hyman, 1983).
These children are called status offenders, Welfare and Institutions Code
601. They are breaking the law and an officer may take into custody any child
he believes a status offender.
601 children will not be placed in a Juvenile
Detention Center and will be kept segregated from 602 delinquents (Rein, Ely,
Charlap-Hyman, 1983).
In an article by Howell, Emmons, and Frank (1973) a discussion about the
way runaways are generally categorized, is an important factor to recognize in
developing a basis for an approach to the problem of runaways. The approach
by the juvenile justice system has been to lump runaways together with
delinquents as "disturbed or delinquent or both" (Howell, Emmons and Frank,
16
17
1973).
Support of the last articles' findings are specifically cited data discussing
that certain states have changed their laws so that the major heading of
'juvenile delinquent' is separate from runaways and other status offenders.
Status offenders are defined as those persons who are in violation of the law,
passed by the state or local legislative body, in the state in which the census of
monitoring is to take place, which would not be a crime if committed by an
adult, and which is specifically applicable to youth because of their minority
(Grimell and Loftis, 1977).
The outcome of the above mentioned change in description of the runaway
is the titles of Person in Need of Supervision (PINS) or a Child Whose Conduct is
in Need of Supervision (CffiNS, CINS) (Grinnell and Loftis, 1977).
Unfortunately, a label change was not followed up with an attitude change
by the juvenile authorities. Runaways are still referred to the juvenile justice
system and face three possible disposition situations: 1) being counseled and
released at the intake level with no further action, 2) possible referral to
another social agency separate from the juvenile justice system, 3) referral to
the juvenile justice court system for adjudication and probation (Grinnell and
Loftis, 1977).
Of those three types of dispositions, the probation group had an average
recidivism rate of over 1. 7 times the other two groups.
Although this group,
apparently, ran away more often after contact with the juvenile justice
department, they did not have a statistically significant increase in subsequent
offenses, whereas the other two groups did (Grinnell and Loftis, 1977).
The final word from the Grinnell and Loftis report was that there is a 50%
chance for all three categories to return to the juvenile justice system for some
18
subsequent offense.
Both articles suggest that, statistically, the modes of intervention now in
practice are basically not meeting the needs of a sub-group of our population
that is increasing in number by the day.
The juvenile justice system, as of yet, is not handling the situations now
so as to circumvent the future "delinquency" of non-criminal adolescents that
have passed through that system.
In a far reaching and quite definitive study done by Treanon and van
Houten (1976) findings were that many issues and variables are involved in the
motivation of a
runa~ay. {!:rst
--
and foremost was the heavily weighted finding
that the major reason for running away reported by the adolescents were family
problems.
Family problems are broken down into a number of different area~
~,.&
and for this project, will be lumped together as simply 'family problems'.
CJ:.tte second major area of conflict reported by the adolescents was school.
The academic standing as perceived by the adolescent was much below average
when compared to a control group of non-runaways. To back up this perception,
as a reality, the runaways have a much higher failure rate in
scho~Treanor
t-~----
and van Houten, 1976).
~other
.
major factor found to be a contributor in runaways'
leaving home was their view of themselves.
rea~?ons
for
On a standard attitude scale,
runaways measured a much lower degree of self acceptance than their nonrunaway counterparts (Treanor and van Houten, 197:9
A number of articles state that no empirically validated research had
been done on the relationship of counseling (and/or other diversion tactics) to
recidivising so that conclusions about how to intercede in the phenomenon of
the runaways has been a "gut" approach to a very serious social problem
19
(Grinnell and Loftis, 1977).
What the literature did reveal was one study done on the effects of three
types of dispositions available on the runaway that has reached the probation
department.
This study was done in an "average size county" in the south-
western region of the country (Texas) (Grinnell and Loftis, 1977).
The researchers followed 239 juveniles who had committed a runaway
offense and were chosen from 3,103, based on a content analysis appropriate for
this study (Grinnell and Loftis, 1977).
The subjects were tracked for one year (1974-1975) and, in 1976, the
recidivism occurrences for the previous year were totaled (Grinnell and Loftis,
1977).
The juveniles were placed into major groupings based on their final
disposition.
1.
Settled at intake.
2.
Referred to another social agency.
3.
Placed on probation.
Of the 239 juveniles, 56% were settled at intake, 38% were referred to
another agency, and 6% were placed on probation (Grinnell & Loftes, 1977).
The statistical findings, summed up, show that regardless of the type of
disposition the juveniles received, they all had about a 50% chance of returning
to the probation department for some offense (Grinnell and Loftis, 1977).
Another study done on the "experience" of running away was conducted as
an open-response, fixed schedule phone interview (Howell, Emmons and Frank,
1973).
The research was limited to 41 juveniles that had passed through a
program called Project Place in Boston in 1970. The study looked for factors
20
leading to running away and the quality of life during and after the experience
of running away (Howell, Emmons and Frank, 1973).
The question of what type and length of therapy could most benefit
runaways is raised in this study.
The researchers state that a majority of
juveniles interviewed felt that their lives were going better now than before
they ran away and all had received short-term counseling at Project Place
(Howell, Emmons and Frank, 1973).
Both articles conclude that more research is needed to investigate all
aspects of interventions with runaways.
Drawing from an article on a program called "Focus" (Gang, 1973), an
article titled "Counseling the Potential Runaway" (Kelly, 1973) and personal
experience, a more goal oriented, short term, crisis intervention type of
counseling would be the most effective in helping get the runaways off the
streets and help supply them with a process of living skills that could be used to
keep them off the streets.
The findings of James P. Carmauy, past Director of Clark County
Juvenile Court Services claim that the interest of his department was not only
in relieving the work load of his staff by making use of the Las Vegas based
project 'Focus', but the dollars the placement saved his department was in the
area of $98,000.00 projected annually (Gang, 1973). This savings was seen in
the cut of intake level court cases. These were cut in half. That intake costs
$54.00 per child for a warning and release. If the child is processed further, the
cost rises to $870.00 per year probation per child (Gang, 1973).
The Focus project only used a haphazard follow-up system of mailing
questionnaires, so the claim to keeping the juveniles from returning to the
streets has been through hearsay and undocumented details.
The one set of
21
facts that is solid is the fact that of three hundred juveniles to have arrived at
the front door of Focus, all but three chose to remain (Gang, 1973).
The Focus method of counseling is based on a Synonon model with some
modifications around the concept of peer feedback.
Basically, Focus has a
much more humane approach to respectful confrontation.
This approach is
founded on the premise that a runaway has choices in the responsibility of their
life.
The juveniles, if they choose to stay at Focus, will learn about "coping
with situations, coping under stress and not shooting dope or getting loaded"
(Gang, 1973).
Summary
The empirical studies concluded in their findings that a more defined
study of families of runaways and personal characteristics of runaways are
needed to provide a prescription of helping sources for these juveniles (Howell,
Emmons and Frank, 1973).
Therefore, at least we can assume that some kind of intervention needs to
be offered juveniles who are not in a supervised situation.
These juveniles, as the literature describes, came from all over the
country and from all different types of families.
The main theme throughout the literature is that no matter what the
differences in background, belief or economical status, teenagers who runaway
need a different approach than what is presented by the justice department and
to have access to more programs like Focus and Huckleberry House.
The literature also reflects that the lack of research in all areas in the
phenomenon of running away is clear. To best remediate the problem, we must
define the roots of the issue by pursuing the illusive juvenile unrest.
Chapter III
FORMAT FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION AND SPECIFIC
FUNCTIONS OF THE PROJECT
This chapter will deal with the specifics of a functional program.
The
design plan will dictate the setting and physical location of the program as well
as outlining specifics as to the size and qualifications of the staff, how the
program will work from the indoctrination and training of the staff, to the
actual day-to-day functions.
This project is intended to provide short term therapy /counseling that can
significantly prevent recidivism in adolescent runaways.
The problem being
addressed here is that there is a large number of youths who choose to leave
home, and find themselves without shelter or food and no options other than
prostitution, kiddy porn or drug sales, as an income.
direction and very specific life support necessities.
They are in need of
These youths are to be
treated for their current needs, as well as, preventing the adolescent from
returning to the same way of life prior to treatment.
Location and Setting
The project will be based in the Van Nuys area of the San Fernando Valley
in Los Angeles, California, a long-developed neighborhood.
The area of Van Nuys not only supports many businesses, but also includes
residential sections ranging from low income residents to upper income
residents. This large cross section of business and residents supports a series of
bus routes that make the downtown area of Van Nuys easily accessible.
In following with the easy accessibility is the transient traffic, including
runaways.
Therefore, a site placement in this area would be the most
22
23
advantageous for the full functioning of the project.
The downtown section of Van Nuys provides many possibilities for a
counseling setting.
The first and most preferred is a suite of offices with a
waiting room, a kitchen, and bathroom facilities. The offices would be used for
intake and counseling. The waiting rooms would seat the receptionist/secretary
and, of course, accommodate waiting participants.
The waiting room would
also be used for large staff meetings.
The kitchen will serve the staff as a staff room for breaks in scheduling,
small staff meetings and limited nourishment for the walk-in runaways.
The suite would be located at a ground level set of offices and have the
front door right on the street. Future projections would include expansion of
floor space.
All appropriate furniture will be included.
The furniture in the waiting room will consist of a few large couches and
a few chairs.
The room will also contain a desk, chair and typewriter.
The
typewriter is to have a portable table and will be removed and locked up when
the receptionist leaves for the day.
Lamps and small tables will also be necessary for night use.
The counseling and interview rooms will be limited to a couch and two
chairs, a lamp and table.
Due to small size of the rooms, the furniture and
decorations will be kept to a minimum.
Staffing
Staff will include 1) one professional, full-time secretary /receptionist
(Monday-Friday, paid), 2) twelve marriage, family and child counselor or social
worker interns. An intern is a person who has successfully completed a masters
degree and met the Board of Behavioral Sciences criteria for a licensed
24
internship in their particular category 3) four licensed mental health professionals (MFCC or MSW). They will alternate as co-directors (paid position) 4)
one director with ability to disseminate information, create policy and supervise the four co-directors (paid position).
Program Operation
The director will interview and hire the four licensed mental health codirectors. Together, the five will interview and train the interns.
Pre-opening workshops/briefings
The following will be presented by the director to the entire staff, in a
series of two hour workshops spread over a two week period.
1.
Interfacing with the juveniles upon walk-in. This session will include
details on handling extremely acting-out juveniles or juveniles
exhibiting clearly bizarre behavior. Referral sources for appropriate placement in regard to these juveniles will be made available to
all staff, including the secretary.
2.
Briefing on the administering of the Offer Self-Image Questionnaire
for Adolescents as an intake instrument that will help qualify the
juvenile as a participant and also help diagnose a personality
disorder.
The questionnaire found the difference between popula-
tions labeled as disturbed and the "normal" population to be
dramatic. There are only three out of the ten scales in the male and
one out of ten scales in the females where the differences between
the disturbed and the normal population are not statistically significant.
The other scales are in the right direction, but have not
reached significance (Offer and Howard, 1972).
The program is
25
directed at facilitating "normal" runaways.
When a diagnoses of
personality disorder comes up, the child will be referred. The basis
for this action is that the kinds of verbal counseling offered are not
sufficient to help a runaway with a personality disorder return to
their home or adjust to a reasonable lifestyle.
3.
Briefing on using the DSM III in diagnosing personality disorders in
adolescents.
4.
Overview of the basic counseling technique and design for a seven
session format, including the information as follows:
The counseling technique to be used is conducted as a verbal interaction.
This interaction will be a 50-60 minute session directed a.t teaching concrete,
linear thinking patterns used in the formation of problem solving.
Due to the type of counseling, adolescents who exhibit an inability to
comprehend, learn and function within a verbal interaction will be unable to
benefit from this project. This population will be referred for therapy that will
best remediate their problems.
The discussion of feelings will be held to a minimum. The feelings of the
teenager will be acknowledged and not denied.
I think that in crisis, such as
running away, the sense of being overwhelmed blocks logic and the ability to
cope seems unreachable. When thinking becomes the controlling aspect of the
person, then they can choose when and how much "feeling to deal with.
The intent of this counseing technique is to offer some guidelines for
having some emotional control and making some honest and thoughtful decisions
about running away.
26
Walk-in or Phone in
The design following will be utilized for the juveniles that fail, who either
cannot reconcile with their parents/guardians or cannot make contact with any
relative or guardian that may provide an option to running away.
This
information will be taken upon the first contact, then, further investigated in
the intake session.
The intake session is also a time to look for diagnostic criteria that might
define personality disorders. If the adolescent is displaying clear signals of a
disorder, the counselor will make a referral to an appropriate mental health
facility within the area. If the adolescent is not clearly diagnosed immediately,
then the next session should be the referral session and that should be scheduled
the day following intake.
Other referrals at the time of intake will possibly include general health
care, room and board.
Intake
Thirty minute interview.
Try to contact parent or guardian.
Possible
referral made. Schedule 1st schedule.
1st Session
Meeting, establishing a relationship, statement of ground rules.
Discus-
sion of juvenile's feelings and counselors statement of expectations.
2nd Session
Contract of juvenile's statement of responsibility in the counseling
process and in the world. (This is created by the juvenile and their counselors.)
Clear list of issues/problems the juvenile is facing.
27
3rd Session
Prioritizing the issues and problem solving for solutions to the main
problems.
4th Session
How to put to use the information found in problem solving and start to
use the solutions in reality.
5th Session
Continuation of realizing the solutions in daily life (practice).
6th Session .
Evaluation of the effectiveness of the solutions.
Renegotiation of
ineffective solutions. Discussion of termination.
7th Session
Exit interview. Offer Questionnaire is given again. Discussion of feelings
about termination.
Hours of Operation
The offices will be open seven days a week, twelve hours a day. The hours
will be from 11:00 A.M. to 12:00 midnight.
The office will function in six hour shifts. There will be an hour closedown from 5:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. The secretary will handle the phone calls at
this time. (The secretary will work eight hours a day, due to the fact that the
position only functions Monday through Friday.)
Within these hours, there will be three interns and a mental health
professional on duty, per shift. Each person will work four days on and three
days off. During the days off, one day will be covering the calls corning in after
28
hours.
All scheduling is involving a rotation of weekends off and rotation of
telephone service.
Staff Meetings and Training
Staff meetings will be held weekly with the director, during the hour
close-down.
In-house training will consist of information pertaining to the legal and
academic material as it applies to the program. The training will be scheduled
as time allows, in three hour workshops.
That information will be provided by professionals within the community.
Possibly attorneys that have contact with the Juvenile Court system will
provide periodic updates on the status of the law as it pertains to 601 Status
Offenders. Other possibilities are speakers from other agencies and networks
to keep the staff informed of the services wtihin the community and referrals
sources.
Another area of consideration would be workships directed at the issue of
burn-out and self-exploration within the staff.
All workshop leaders will be used on a voluntary basis, in essence, they
will lecture for no pay.
Relations With Other Agencies
This program's main concern is to serve the runaway. In order to most
fully offer a help, in a wholistic sense, the program will be dependent upon
referrals to other agencies. .
Therefore, open communication with all agencies and hospitals involved
with community work is of the utmost importance.
The dream is to have an
established and closely knit network within the community.
29
Follow-Up
The follow-up will consist of making contact, either by form letter or
phone, with the participant one year after finishing the counseling process. The
only information needed would be about any further incidence of running away.
Evaluation of Program
The information from the questionnaire and the recidivism rate will give a
nice profile of a runaway. The information on recidivism rate will be compared
to other programs and their recidivism rate.
Summary
The program suggested in this chapter is based in the San Fernando Valley
and its office type setting will be a ground floor operation.
The main intent of the program is to service the needs of runaways in
emotional crisis. This will best be accomplished by staffing the program with
professionals equipped to deal with problems specific to adolescent runaways.
These professionals will function in a very specific capacity of interviewer and counselor. They will perform these duties within the context of a
non-residential counseling center.
Their schedules are interdependent with
other staff and scheduling will be done on a rotation basis with burn-out kept in
mind.
All aspects of research, in terms of identifying specific modes of
counseling as most effective wtih runaways, will be incorporated into the actual
functioning of the program schedule.
Any major decisions will be made with all the staff included, but final
judgment is with the director.
Chapter IV
SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Summary
Teenagers running away from home has long been a problem. The problem
is that once the teenager has left home, there are very few alternatives for
survival.
Teenagers are not able to sign contracts, work an 8-hour day job, or even
rent an apartment on their own.
"On their own" means without the express
consent and signature of an acting guardian.
This being the case, teenagers are len with a number of choices if their
home life becomes unbearable.
One choice in a foster placement. This is a difficult choice and a more
difficult adjustment, but if the child wants a change and the foster family is
really interested, then the placement will work.
Another choice may be a
residential placement, where the teenager would live in a dormatory-type
situation.
Of course, if a teenager has an extended family, there may be the
choice of living with relatives.
The outcome of being involved with the juvenile justice system would
force another set of options. The adolescent maybe put in a residential setting,
as mentioned above, or if apprehended with breaking a law, may be placed in a
detention setting.
All of the choices mentioned suggest that the teenager is willing to
accept some helpful options to an otherwise horrendous family life.
Many
teenagers finding themselves in a family situation that is either abusive or
unliveable, have not developed thinking or coping skills that would allow them
to see any options other than running away.
30
31
The program suggested in this paper is directed at just such teenagers.
Hoping to meet the needs of a teenager on the run and in crisis is a difficult
task. As the literature has made clear, there is little empirical support about
specific counseling techniques being more effective than others in counseling
runaways.
The literature that does address the concept of technique suggests that a
combination of honesty, respect and reality are a good combination to base a
counseling program. This project will keep those concepts as the foundation for
the working model in counseling runaways.
With the philosophical groundwork stated above, a seven session, problem
solving counseling program can be outlined.
This program would be most functional in an area that draws a lot of
runaways. This project proposes that the Van Nuys area of the San Fernando
Valley, would be a community fitting that description.
The program would function as a community service, with other agencies
as a referral and support.
This would provide the teenager the maximum
amount of resources in one physical location.
With the community service of counseling runaways, this project is set up
to accommodate a study designed to test the effectiveness of the problem
solving technique by looking at recidivism rate of the teenagers using the
service.
Much of this project will make use of non-paid staff and community
professionals. The financial support will be supplied by funding sources.
Conclusions
The research I have done pointedly reveals a real lack of information
about counseling technique effectiveness with runaways.
I believe that
32
indicates two things. The first is that the runaway has been less acknowledged
than a delinquent for the obvious reason.
That reason is that a delinquent
commits crimes against society, in essence, their demand for attention is much
louder than the runaways demand.
The second reason rests on the first reason, in that very little money is
allotted for helping runaways.
In fact, there is very little the police
department does about a runaway.
In a recent phone conversation with an officer in the juvenile section of
the Van Nuys Police Department, I was told that even if someone reports a
runaway, there is little to be done, except to file a report. Their departments
are overwhelmed and tend to look for teenagers who are creating a disturbance.
All of this information is disheartening, but certainly shows a real need
for the type of program this project proposes.
The need is there for more counseling and referral agencies to service this
quietly desperate population.
Because of the lack of governmental funding,
there is little information on this population in terms of how best to help.
Therefore, this project could well make great inroads in a largely overlooked
problem area in our society.
Recommendations
For the program proposed in this project to function in its full capacity,
funding is a necessary evil. I believe that little government financial support is
available due to the state of the economy and also due to the population to be
serviced.
I suggest that funding sources be found in private corporations that may
participate in supporting community programs. I also suggest that some support
may come from the community itself; small businesses and individuals.
,,
33
Further recommendations consider that the program can be functional in
any community that can supply the population to be served and the professionals and interns to staff the program. Therefore, a well trafficed physical
setting, near colleges or universities would be the ideal situation.
The last recommendation is more insight and warning rather than a
suggestion. This information is based on my own experience as a supervisor and
counselor in a non-profit agency, and my work with hospitalized adolescents.
Both running a non-profit agency and working with teenagers is an
extremely difficult job. Both take patience and a belief that something is being
accomplished. Therefore, before opening the doors of a program like the one
proposed in this paper, one needs a good grasp on reality and their goals and a
very supportive staff.
'
REFERENCES
D'Angelo, R., Families of sand. School of Social Work, college of Administrative Science. The Ohio State University, 197 4.
Educational Systems Corporation. "Doing It", DHEW Pub. # (OHDS) 78-26653.
Gang, B. An adjustment to get a clear image: Focus-Runaway Hostel. Office
of Juvenile Delinquency and Youth Development, Washington, D.C., 1973
(ERIC Document Reproduction No. ED 095 459).
Gold, H.
What do they really say at Huckleberrry's?
Human Needs, March
1973, !_(9), 10-14.
Gordon, J.S. The Runaway Center as a Community Mental Health Center.
American Journal of Psychiatry, August 1978, 135, 932-935.
Grinnell, R.M., &: Loftis, M. The Runaway Youth.
Social Welfare, September 1977, _!(7), 1122-1131.
Journal of Sociology and
Howell, M.C., Emmons, E.B., &: Frank, D.A. Reminiscences of Runaway
Adolescents. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, October 1973, 43(5),
840-853.
Kelley, G.F. Counseling the potential runaway. Impact; The Magazine for
Innovation and Change in the Helping Professions. July 1973, !(6), 15-18.
(ERIC Document Reproduction No. ED 083 531).
Offer, D. &: Howard, K. An empirical analysis of the Offer Self-Image
Questionnaire for Adolescents. Archives of General Psychiatry, October
972, 27(4), 529-533.
Rader, D. Who will help the children? Parade, Daily News, September 1982,
~
4-7.
Rein, S., Ely, D. F., Charlap-Hyman, A., an Erikson, J. T. A practical guide to
California youth laws. California: Harcourt Brace Javanovich, Publisher,
1983.
Treanor, W. &: van Houten, T. A study of alcohol abuse among runaway youth
and their families. Survey of alcohol related problems among runaway youth
seen in runaway centers. Washington, D.C.: National Youth Alternatives
Project, Inc., March 1976. (ERIC Document Reproduction No. ED 13:l 481).
York, D. and York, ·p. Toughlove: A self help manual for parents troubled by
teenage behavior. Pennsylvania: Community Service Foundation, Publisher,
1980.
34
APPENDIX
The Offer Self-Image Questionnaire for Adolescents explores eleven
different areas of adolescent psychological life.
Those eleven areas or scales are broken into five separate aspects of the
self-system, based on results of use with the questionnaire.
The five self
categories and the corresponding scales and test item numbers are as follows:
Psychological Self
Impulse Control (1, 8, 17, 34, 50, 59, 69, 81, 123)
Emotional Tone (12, 23, 32, 38, 44, 54, 66, 68, 100, 130)
Body and Self-Image (6, 27, 42, 57, 72, 82, 90, 94, 99)
Social Self
Social Relationships (13, 52, 65, 62, 75, 86, 88, 113, 124)
Morals (5, 30, 40, 48, 67, 74, 83, 92, 116, 120)
Vocational-Educational Goals (14, 20, 37, 46, 58, 63, 70, 79, 104, 115)
Sexual Self
Sexual Attitudes (10, 16, 28, 77, 80, 91, 97, 117, 119, 122)
Familial Self
Family Relationships (4, 9, 15, 21, 24, 26, 51, 55, 60, 64, 71, 73, 85, 87, 95,
102, 106, 112, 118)
Coping Self
Mastery of the External World (3, 19, 35, 41, 76, 103, 105, 109, 128, 129)
Psychopathology (2, 22, 29, 31, 36, 45,
tn, 78, 93, 96, 108, 111, 126, 127)
Superior Adjustment (11, 25, 39, 43, 49, 53, 56, 84, 89, 107, 110, 114, 121,
125)
36
37
There are six items in the OSIQ that are not included it;t any scale score.
From time to time the authors have substituted experimental items for these
six items.
The newest edition of the OSIQ (Second Edition) contains the following
experimental (idealism) scale:
Idealism Scale (7, 18, 33, 47, 98, 101)
38
Name ________________________________
Age - - - - - - - - - - - -
Sex ----------FATHER'S OCCUPATION
MOTHER'S OCCUPATION - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
OFFER SELF-IMAGE QUESTIONNAIRE ANSWER SHEET
I.
2
3
4
6
23.
2
3
4
6
45.
2
3
4
6
24.
2
4
6
46.
2
3
4
5
6
6
25.
2
3
4
5
6
47.
2
3
4
5
6
6
2
3
4
2
3
4
5
6
26.
2
3
4
5
6
48.
2
3
4
5.
2
3
4
5
6
27.
2
3
4
5
6
49.
2
3
4
5
6
6.
2
4
5
6
28.
2
4
5
6
50.
2
3
4
5
6
7.
2
3
4
5
6
29.
2
3
4
5
6
51.
2
3
4
5
6
8.
2
3
4
6
30.
2
3
4
6
52.
2
3
4
5
6
9.
2
3
4
5
6
31.
2
3
4
6
53.
2
3
4
5
6
10.
2
3
4
5
6
32.
2
3
4
6
54.
2
3
4
6
11.
2
3
4
5
6
33.
2
3
4
5
6
55.
12.
2
3
4
·5
6
34.
2
3
4
5
6
56.
2
3
4
6
13.
2
3
4
6
35.
2
3
4
5
6
57.
2
3
4
5
6
14.
2
3
4
6
36.
2
3
4
6
58.
2
4
5
6
15.
2
3
4
6
37.
2
6
59.
2
3
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5
6
16.
2
6
38.
2
3
4
6
60.
2
3
4
5
6
6
39.
2
3
4
6
. 61.
2
3
4
5
6
6
40.
2
3
4
6
62.
2
3
4
5
6
6
41.
2
4
6
63.
2
3.
4
5
4
17.
18.
5
1
4
5
5
5
19.
2
20.
2
3
4
6
42.
2
4
6
64.
2
21.
2
3
4
6
43.
2
4
6
1\5.
2
22.
2
4
6
44.
2
4
3
4
5
6
6
4
6
3
4
6
3
4
6
PLEASE TURN ANSWER
SHEET OVER.
DO NOT WRITE IN TillS SPACE
66-69 ____ 70_ 71-72 __ 731.. 74_ 751. 76-80-----
39
OFFER SELF-IMAGE QUESTIONNAIRE ANSWER SHEET
-------------------------------------------------------------------66.
2
3
4
5
6
88.
2
3
4
5
6
110.
67.
2
3
4
5
6
89.
2
3
4-
5
6
111.
6&..
2
3
4
5
6
90.
2
3
4
5
6
69.
2
3
4
5
6
91.
2
3
4
5
70.
2
3
.4-
5
6
92.
2
3
4
71.
2
3
4-
5
6
93.
2
3
72.
2
3
4
5
6
94.
2
73.
2.
3 • 4
5
6
95.
74.
2
3
4
5
6
75.
2
3
4
5
76.
2
3
4-
77.
2
3
78.
2
79.
2
3
4
5
6
2
3
4-
5
6
112.
2
3
4
5
6
6
113.
2
3
4
5
6
5
6
114.
2
r
4
5
6
4
5
6
115.
2
3
4
5
6
3
4
5
6
11&.
2
3
4-
5
6
1
3
4
5
6
117.
2
3
4
5
6
96.
2
3
4
5
6
118.
2
3
4-
5
6
6
97,
1
3
4-
5
&
119.
2
3
4
5
6-
5
6
98.
2
3
4
5
6
120.
2
3
4-
5.
6-
4
5
6
99.
2
3
4
5
6
121.
2
3'
4-
5
6
3
4
5
6
100.
1
3
4
5
6
122..
2.
3
4
5
6
2
3
4
5
6
101.
2
3
4
5
6
123.
2
3
4
5
6
80.
2
3
4
5
6.
102.
2
3
4
5
6
124.
2
3
4--
5
6
81.
2
3
4
5
6
103.
2
3
4
5
6
125.
2
3
4
5
6
82.
2
3
4
5
6
104.
2
3
4
5
6
126.
2
3
4
5
6
83.
2
3
4
5
6
105.
2
3
4
5
6
127.
2
3
4
5
6
84.
2
3
4
5
6
106.
2
3
4
5
6.
128.
2
3
4
5
6
85.
2
3
4
5
6
107.
2
3
4
5
6
129.
2
4
5
6
86.
2
3
4
5
6
108.
2
-~
5
6
130.
2
4
5
6
87.
2
3
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109.
2
4
5
6
3
1'
3
DO NOT WRITE IN THIS SPACE.
66-69---70_ 71-72-- 731.. 74- 751... 7 6 - 8 0 - - - -
~1
40
INTRODUCTION
TO THE
OFFER SELF • IMAGE QUESTIONNAIRE
THIS QUESTIONNAIRE IS USED FOR SCIENTIFIC PURPOSES. THERE ARE NO RIGHT OR
WRONG ANSWERS.
AFTER CAREFULLY READING EACH OF THE STATEMENTS ON THE FOLLOWING PAGES;
PLEASE CIRCLE THE NUMBER ON· THE ANSWER SHEET THAT INDICATES HOW WELL THE
ITEM DESCRIBES YOU: THE NUMBERS CORRESPOND WITH CATEGORIES THAT RANGE
FROM "DESCRIBES ME VERY WELL" (1) TO "DOES NOT DESCRIBE ME AT ALL" (6). PLEASE CIRCLE
ONLY ONE CHOICE FOR EACH STATEMENT.
EXAMPLE
STATEMENT:
I AM AN ADOLESCENT.
. CHOICE OF ANSWERS:
1-DESCRIBES ME VERY WELl
3-DESCRIBES ME FAIRlY WELL
2-DESCRIBES ME WELL
4--DOES NOT QUITE DESCRIBE ME 6-DOES NOT DESCRIBE MEAT ALL
RESPONSE:
Q)2
3
4
5
5-DOES NOT REALLY DESCRIBE ME
6
PLEASE RESPOND TO ALL ITEMS.
THANK YOU
COPYRIGHT: 1977 ©
DANIEL OFFER, M.D.
'
41 ..
1-DESCRIBES ME VERY WELL
3-DESCRIBES ME FAIRLY WELL
5-DOES NOT REALLY DESCRIBE Ml
2-DESCRIBES ME WELL
4-DOES NOT QUITE DESCRIBE ME
6--DOES NOT DESCRIBE. MEAT ALL
1.
I CARRY MANY GRUDGES.
2..
WHEN I AM WITH PEOPLE I AM AFRAID THAT SOMEONE WILL MAKE FUN OF ME.
3.
MOST OF THE TIME I THINK THAT THE WORLD IS AN EXCITING PLACE TO LIVE IN.
3_
4.
I THINK THAT I WILL BE A SOURCE OF PRIDE TO MY PARENTS IN THE FUTURE.
4_
5.
I WOULD NOT HURT SOMEONE JUST FOR THE "HECK OF IT."
s_
6.
THE RECENT CHANGES IN MY BODY HAVE GIVEN ME SOME SATISFACTION.
6_
7.
I AM GOING TO DEVOTE MY LIFE TO HELPING OTHERs.
7_
8.
I "LOSE MY HEAD" EASILY.
8_
9.
MY PARENTS ARE ALMOST ALWAYS ON THE SIDE OF SOMEONE ELSE, e.g. MY BROTHER
OR SISTER.
THE OPPOSITE SEX FINDS ME A BORE.
9_
10.
11.
1-
r WOULD
11_
12.
IF I WOULD BE SEPARATED FROM ALL THE PEOPLE I KNOW, I FEEL THAT
BE ABLE TO MAKE A GO OF IT.
I FEEL TENSE MOST OF THE TIME.
13.
I USUALLY FEEL OUT OF PLACE AT PICNICS AND PARTIES.
13_
14.
I FEEL THAT WORKING IS TOO MUCH RESPONSIBILITY FOR. ME.
14_
15.
MY PARENTS WILL BE DISAPPOINTED IN ME IN THE FUTURE.
15_
16.
IT IS VERY HARD FOR A TEENAGER TO KNOW HOW TO HANDLE SEX IN A RIGHTWA Y.
16_
17.
_AT TIMES I HAVE FITS OF CRYING AND(OR LAUGHING THAT I SEEM UNABLE TO
CONTROL.
I AM GOING TO DEVOTE MY LIFE TO MAKING AS MUCH MONEY AS I CAN.
17_
18.
NOT
-10_
12_
18_
19.
IF I PUT MY MIND TO IT, I CAN LEARN ALMOST ANYTHING.
19_
20:
ONLY STUPID PEOPLE WORK.
20_
21.
VERY OFTEN I FEEL THAT MY FATHER IS NO GOOD.
21_
22.
I AM CONFUSED MOST OF THE TIME.
22_
42
1-DESCRIBES ME VERY WELL
3-DESCRIBES ME FAIRLY WELL
5-DOES NOT REALLY DESCRIBE ME
2-DESCRIBES ME WELL
4-DOES NOT QUITE DESCRIBE ME
6-DOES NOT DESCRIBE ME AT ALL
---------------------------------------------------------~-!
23.
I FEEL INFERIOR TO MOST PEOPLE I KNOW.
23 _ _:
24.
UNDERSTANDING MY PARENTS IS BEYOND ME.
24 _ _i,
25.
I DO NOT LIKE TO PUT THINGS IN ORo'ER. AND MAKE SENSE OF THEM.
25_1
26.
I CAN COUNT ON MY PAREKTS MOST OF THE TIME.
26 _ _:
2T.
IN THE PAST YEAR I HAVE BEEN VERY WORRIED ABOUT MY HEALTH.
27_j
28.
DIRTY JOKES ARE FUN AT TIMES.
29.
I OFTEN BLAME MYSELF EVEN WHEN I AM NOT AT FAULT.
30.
I WOULD NOT STOP AT ANYTHING IF I FELT I WAS DONE WRONG.
31.
THE SIZE OF MY SEX ORGANS IS NORMAL
32.
MOST OF THE TIME I AM HAPPY.
33.
I AM GOINGTO DEVOTE MYSELF TO MAKING THE WORLD A BEITER PLAa
TO LIVE IN
.
34.
I CAN TAKE CRITICISM WITHOUT RESENTMENT.
35.
MY WORK, IN GENERAL,
36.
37.
SOMETIMES I FEEL SO ASHAMED OF MYSELF THAT I JUST WANT TO HIDE IN A CORNER
AND CRY.
I AM SURE THAT I WILL BE PROUD ABOUT MY FUTURE PROFESSION.
38.
MY FEELINGS ARE EASILY HURT.
39.
WHEN A TRAGEDY OCCURS TO ONE OF MY FRIENDS, I FEEL SAD TOO.
I
IS AT LEAST AS GOOD AS THE WORK OF THE GUY NEXT TO ME.
40 • . !.BLAME OTHERS EVEN WHEN I KNOW THAT I AM ATFAULTTOO.
41.
WHEN I WANT SOMETHING, I JUST SIT AROUND WISHING I COULD HAVE IT:
42.
THE PICTURE I HAVE OF MYSELF IN THE FUTURE SATISFIES ME.
43.
I.AM A SUPERIOR STUDENT IN So-lOOL.
44.
I FEEL RELAXED UNDER NORMAL CIRCUMSTANCES;
43
1-DESCRIB£5 ME VERY WELL
}'-DESCRIBES ME FAIRLY WELL
5-DOES NOT REALLY DESCRIBE ME.
2-DESCRIBES ME WELL
4-DOES NOT QUITE DESCRIBE. ME
6-DOES NOT DESCRIBE ME AT ALL
45..
I FEEL EMPTY EMOTIONALLY MOST OF THE TIME.
45 _ _
46. · I WOULD RATHER SIT AROUND AND LOAF THAN WORK •.
46 _ _
.47.
EVEN IF IT WERE DANGEROUS, I WOULD HELP SOMEONE WHO IS IN TROUBLE.
47 _ _
48.
TELLING THE TRUTH MEANS NOTHING TO ME.
48 _ _
<19.
OUR SOCIETY IS A COMPETITIVE ONE AND I AM NOT AFRAID OF rT.
49 _ _
50.
I GET VIOLENT IF I DON'T GET MY WAY.
so_ _
51.
MOST OF THE TIME MY PARENTS GET ALONG WELL WITH EACH OTHER.
51 _ _
52.
I THINK THAT OTHER PEOPLE jUST DO NOT LIKE ME..
5L_
53..
I FINO IT VERY 01 FFICULT TO ESTABLISH NEW FRIENDSHIPS.
53 _ _
54.
I AM SO VERY ANXIOUS.
54 _ _
55..
WHEN MY PARENTS ARE STRICT, I FEEL THAT THEY ARE RIGHT, EVEN IF I GET ANGRY ..
55 _ _
56.
WORKING CLOSELY WITH ANOTHER FELLOW NEVER GtVES ME PLEASURE.
56 _ _
57.
I AM PROUD OF MY BODY.
57_ _
58.
AT TIM£$ I THINK ABOUT WHAT KIND OF WORK I WILL DO IN THE FUTURE.
58 _ _
59.
EVEN UNDER PRESSURE I MANAGE TO REMAIN CALM.
59 _ _
60.
60 _ _
61.
WHEN I GROW UP AND HAVE A FAMILY, IT WILL BE IN AT LEAST A FEW WAYS SIMILAR TO
MY OWN.
I OFTEN FEEL THAT I WOULD RATHER DIE, THAN GO ON LIVING.
62.
I FINO IT EXTREMELY HARD TO MAKE FRIENDS.
62_
63.
I WOULD RATHER BE SUPPORTED FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE THAN WORK.
63 _ _
64.
I FEEL THAT I HAVE A PART IN MAKING FAMILY DECISIONS.
64_ _
65.
I DO NOT MIND BEING CORRECTED, SINCiO I CAN LEARN FROM IT.
65 _ _
61 _ _
·-------------~-------------------------------------------------------
FOR COMPUTER USE ONLY
66-69 _ _ _ 70_ 71-72_ 73.2... 74_ 751.. 76-80 _ _ _ _
44
1-DESCRIBES ME VERY WELL
3-DESCRIBES ME FAIRLY WELL
5-DOES NOT REALLY DESCRIBE ME
2-DESCRIBES ME WELL
~DOES
6--DOES NOT DESCRIBE ME AT ALL
NOT QUITE DESCRIBE ME
66.
IFEELSOVERYLONELY.
66....---
67.
I DO NOT CARE HOW MY ACTIONS AFFECT OTHERS AS LONG AS I GAIN SOMETHING.
67_ _
68.
I ENJOY LIFE.
68...--
69.
I KEEP AN EVEN TEMPER MOST OF THE TIME.
69--
70.
A JOB WELL DONE GIVES ME PLEASURE.
70--
71.
MY PARENTS ARE USUALLY PATIENT WITH ME.
71--
72.
I SEEM TO BE FORCED TO IMITATE THE PEOPLE I LIKE.
73.
74.
VERY OFTEN PARENTS DO NOT UNDERSTAND A PERSON BECAUSE THEY HAD AN UNHAPPY
CHILDHOOD.
FOR ME GOOD SPORTSMANSHIP IN SCHOOL IS AS IMPORTANT AS WINNING A GAME.
74--
75.
I PREFER BEING ALONE THAN WITH KIDS MY AGE_
75---
76.
WHEN I DECIDE TO DO SOMETHING, I DO IT.
7~
@
I THINK THAT GIRtiFIND ME ATTRACTIVE.
77--
78.
OTHER PEOPLE ARE NOT AFTER ME TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ME.
78:----
79.
I FEEL THAT THERE IS PLENTY I CAN LEARN FROM OTHERS.
79--
80.
I DO NOT ATTEND SEXY SHOWS.
80--
81.
I FEAR SOMETHING CONSTANTLY.
81--
82.
VERY OFTEN I THINK THAT I AM NOT AT ALL THE PERSON I WOULD LIKE TO BE.
82--
83.
I Ll KETO HELP A FRIEND WHENEVER I CAN.
83--
'60'/S
84.
IF I KNOW THAT I WILL HAVE TO FACE A NEW SITUATION, I WILL TRY I.N ADVANCE TO
FIND OUT AS MUCH AS IS POSSIBLE ABOUT IT.
85 .. USUALLY I FEEL THAT I AM A BOTHER AT HOME.
85.--
86.
IF OTHERS DISAPPROVE OF ME I GET TERRIBLY UPSET.
8~
87.
I LIKE ONE OF MY PARENTS MUCH BETTER THAN THE OTHER.
87--
45
1-DESCRIB£5 ME. VERY WELL
3-DESCRIBES ME FAIRLY WELL
5-D0£5 NOT REALLY DESCRIBE ME
2-DESCRIBES ME WELL
4--DOES NOT QUITE. DESCRIBE ME.
6-DOES NOT DESCRIBE
MEATAL~
·~----------------------------------------------------------~-----·
88.
BEING TOGETHER WITH OTHER PEOPLE GIVES ME A GOOD FEELING.
89.
90.
WHENEVER I FAIL IN SOMETHING, I TRY TO FINO OUT WHAT I CAN DO IN ORDER TO AVOID
ANOTHER FAILURE.
·
I FREQUENTLY FEEL UGLY AND UNATTRACTIVE.
91.
SEXUALLY I AM WAY BEHIND.
92._
IF YOU CONFIDE IN OTHERS YOU ASK FOR TROUBLE-
92..__
93".
EVEN THOUGH I AM CONTINUOUSLY ON THE GO. I SEEM UNABLE TO GET THINGS DONE.
93:_
94.
WHEN OTHERS LOOK ATME THEY MUST THINK THAT I AM POORLY DEVELOPED.
94_ _
95.
MY. PARENTS ARE ASHAMED OF ME.
95_.-
96.
I BELIEVE 1 CAN TELL THE REAL FROM THE FANTASTIC..
96.__
97.
THINKING OR TALKING ABOUT SEX FRIGHTENS ME.
97.__
98.
I AM AGAINST GMNG SO MUCH MONEY TO THE POOR.
98_
99.
I FEEL STRONG AND HEALTHY..
99_._
8990_
.91 __
100.
EVEN WHEN I AM SAO I CAN ENJOY A GOOD JOKL
100_·-
101.
THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH PUTTING ONESELF BEFORE OTHERS.
101_.-
102..
I TRY TO STAY AWAY FROM HOME MOST OF THE TIME.
102__
103.
I FINO LIFE AN ENDLESS SERIES OF PROBLEMS-WITHOUT SOLUTION IN srGHT.
103 __ .
104.
1~-
105.
AT TIMES I FEEL LIKE A LEADER AND FEEL THAT OTHER KIDS CAN LEARN SOMETHING
FROM ME.
I FEEL THAT I AM ABLE TO MAKE DECISIONS.
105__
106.
I HAVE BEEN CARRYING A GRUDGE AGAINST MY PARENTS FOR YEARS.
106_
107.
107_
108.
I AM CERTAIN THAT I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ASSUME RESPONSIBILITIES FOR MYSELF IN
THE FUTURE.
WHEN I ENTER A NEW ROOM I HAVE A STRANGE AND FUNNY FEELING.
108_
109.
I FEEL THAT I HAVE NO TALENT WHATSOEVER. ·
109 __
46
1-DESCRIBESMEYERYWELL
3-DESCRIBESMEFAIRLYWELL.
5-DOES NOT REALLY DESCRIBE ME
2-DESCRIBES ME WELL
4-DOES NOT QUITE DESCRIBE ME.
6-DOES NOT DESCRIBE MEAT ALL
110.
I DO NOT REHEARSE HOW I MIGHT DEAL WITH A REAL COMING EVENT.
11o__
111.
WHEN I AM. WITH PEOPLE I AM BOTHERED BY HEARING STRANGE NOISES.
111_ _
112_
MOST OF THE TIME MY PARENTS ARE. SATISFIED WITH ME.
112.___.
113.
I DO NOT HAVE A PARTICULARLY DIFFICULT TIME IN MAKING FRIENDS.
113_ _
114.
I DO NOT ENJOY SOLVING DIFFICULT PROBLEMS.
114_ _
its.
SCHOOL AND STUDYING MEAN VERY LITTLE TO ME_
115_ _
116.
EYE FOR: AN EYE AND TOOTH FOR A TOOTH DOES NOT APPLY FOR OUR SOCIETY.
116_ _
117.
SEXUAL EXPERIENCES GIVE ME PLEASURE-
117_.- -
118.
VERY OFTEN I FEEL THAT MY MOTHER IS NO GOOD.
118 _ _ .
119 _ _
120.
HAVING A GIRLFRIENOIS IMPORTANT TO ME.
~'I'~..D
I WOULD NOT LIKE TO BE. ASSOCIATED WITH THOSE KIDS WHO "HITBELOWTHEBELT.:r
121.
WORRYING A LITfLE ABOUT ONE'S FUTURE HElPS TO MAKE IT WORK OUT BEITER.
121 _ _
122..
I OFTEN THINK ABOUT SEX.
122
123.
USUALLY I CONTROL MYSELF.
123":_ _
124.
I ENJOY MOST PARTIES! GO TO.
124_ _
125.
DEALING WITH NE.W INTELLECTUAL SUBJECTS IS A CHALLENGE FOR ME.
125 _ _
126.
I DO NOT HAVE MANY FEARS WHICH I CANNOT UNDERSTAND.
126.__
127.
NO ONE CAN HARM ME JUST BY NOT LIKING ME.
127_ _
128.
I AM FEARFUL OF GROWING UP.
128__
129.
I REPEAT THINGS CONTINUOUSLY TO BE SURE THAT I AM RIGHT.
129_ _
130.
I FREQUENTLY FEEL SAD.
130_ _
@)
120_ _
FOR COMPUTER USE ONLY
6&-69 _ _ _ 70_ 71-72-- 732. 74_ 751.. 7&-80 _ _ __