PROMOTING POSITIVE AND HEALTHY BEHAVIORS IN CHILDREN

The 1998 topic for our symposium is a bit different from previ-ous symposia. This year, we decided to focus on somethingpositive that addressed children, so our topic is Promoting Posi-tive and Healthy Behaviors in Children. Our intent is to direct attention to the need for fostering positive and healthy behaviors in children, which then can increase the likelihood of their developing into well-adjusted young people and decrease the chances of problem behaviors later in life. All of us in the mental health field recognize that if we give children a good start in life, they have a much better chance of growing up healthy, both physically and mentally. Today, there is great concern about the healthy development of children. With so many unfortunate, often severe, incidents involving children, we are beginning to think more about not only trying to prevent and treat problems, but about pro-moting behaviors, skills, and characteristics that equip children to cope more effectively with life’s challenges. Why do some young people emerge from high-risk situations with their self-esteem intact, blessed with the capacity to work well, play well