The objectives of a university training program for rural social workers are to develop insights into cultural and stereotypical attitudes of social workers and to increase worker cultural sensitivity and awareness of value differences. The focus of the training is on the process by which workers evaluate extrinsic and intrinsic factors related to clients and clients' social situation. The model evolved is similar to those used in cross-cultural training, and requires workers to examine their own emotions, values, and self-esteem, and to be open to becoming involved and changed. The goal of training is to help workers gather information in a situation where facts are often less important than perceptions and attitudes. Major concepts are the historical context of today's rural family, human service workers as agents of the rural service delivery system, and the family as a social learning system. For each major concept, the paper lists important related concepts, and title, author, and publication date for resources (14, 11, and 10 resources, respectively) from various disciplines. Six related journals are also listed, with availability information. (MH)