SOCIAL SUPPORT AS AN INTERVENTION WITH BEREAVED COLLEGE-STUDENTS

The authors report on a social support group intervention to assist bereaved college students. Based on the Moos (1986) model of coping with life crises, the social support intervention was the chief component in a 2-year research project funded by the Prevention Research Branch of the National Institute of Mental Health. Each support group was facilitated by a graduate student in marriage and family therapy. Support groups wt eight times over a course of 4 weeks. The authors discuss the structure of the social support intervention in detail and provide extended glimpses into four issues that emerged: (a) individual functioning and group process, (b) leader tolerance for emotional intensity, (c) managing ethical conflicts due to multiple roles, and (d) integrating didactic material in a support group setting oriented toward open expression of thoughts, feelings, and experiences.