Social Work Commons^™

Reducing Stress And Increasing Hope Among Typhoon Yolanda Survivors, Maria Victoria Del Fierro, Mary Elizabeth Huxster

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Hundreds of thousands of people are affected by natural disasters every year. Many of these people face mental and emotional consequences from the traumatic experience. Research indicates that the aftereffects of such experiences can result in social, familial, and educational impairments in children. The current study tested the efficacy of a brief cognitive behavioral intervention on elementary school aged children intended to alleviate the mental and emotional consequences following a natural disaster. The study applied quantitative methods through pre and post intervention assessments measuring stress and hope. The participants assessed included 18 Filipino children between the ages of 10-12 years, …

University Scholar Series: Ed Cohen, Edward Cohen

University Scholar Series

Mental Health and Cultural Context in Vietnam

On May 6, 2015, Dr. Ed Cohen spoke in the University Scholar Series hosted by Provost Andy Feinstein at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library. In this presentation, Dr. Cohen explored current research about mental illness and approaches to treatment in Vietnam, in addition to this country’s world view about illness, wellness and emotional health. Cohen is an Associate Professor in the School of Social Work and a Co-Investigator of SJSU's Social Work Education Enhancement Program in Vietnam.

Millennial Men: A Correlational Study Between Masculinity, Emotional Expression, And Mental Health, Kathryn L. Driscoll

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

This study aimed to explore the question: do American, millennial men that try to achieve masculine ideals have less ability to express themselves emotionally and do they have less positive mental health and well-being? The population sample gathered consisted of 44 American, male participants between the ages of 35 and 21. The data was measured via a survey that consisted of two questionnaires, the Gender Role Conflict Scale and the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale as well as several demographic questions consisting of a total of 55 questions for the survey. The survey was administered online via Qualtrics Survey Software. The …

Pastors As Gatekeepers: Congregational Encounters With Mental Health And Substance Abuse Issues, Curtis Vanderwaal, Andrea Opei, Edwin I. Hernandez

Faculty Publications

The vocation of a pastor is to care for the spiritual needs of a congregation and community. However, as many clergy know well, pastoral care is multifaceted and complex. For example, one of the hats that pastors frequently wear is that of pastoral counselor. Although pastors have traditionally offered support and pastoral care to congregants, they are beginning to spend more hours counseling both congregants and community members. One study indicated that pastors were spending time in pastoral counseling equivalent to that of marriage and family therapists in private practice.1 The same study showed that pastors are encountering persons and …

Practice Recommendations For Mental Health Professionals: Perspectives From Grandparents And Their Adolescent Grandchildren, Kendra A. O'Hora, Megan L. Dolbin-Macnab

GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy

Although grandfamilies are consumers of a variety of mental health services, less is known about what these families, particularly the grandchildren, want from practitioners. To gain insight into how practitioners can best meet the needs of grandfamilies, 40 custodial grandmothers and their adolescent grandchildren were interviewed. Results of a qualitative analysis indicated that grandmothers and grandchildren did not make clear distinctions between various types of services and service providers. Grandchildren, in particular, emphasized the need for mental health professionals to facilitate mentoring and to provide opportunities for grandchildren to socialize with other grandchildren who have been through similar circumstances. Grandmothers …

Grief And At-Risk Behavior: A Look At The Effectiveness Of Grief Counseling Groups For Adolescents In Public Schools, Kiana Battle

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

Brief Description: This presentation will explore the affects that grief has on adolescents, including at–risk behaviors, identity confusion, issues of self-worth, and many more. The presentation will illustrate the positive impact that grief counseling groups have among adolescents (with a special focus in the public school environment). Barriers that hinder the effective delivery of group counseling within the public school arena will also be addressed (such barriers are amount of time in the school day, student caseload, and administrative support). This presentation will also address the critical role that school social workers play, in effectively providing group counseling interventions to …

Some Secrets Should Be Shared: Implementing An Evidence-Based Suicide Prevention Program, Meghan W. Diamon

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

Youth suicide prevention is critical in schools and local communities. Participants will discuss published research on risk factors for youth suicide, how to implement an evidence-based prevention program, and how to tackle common obstacles encountered. Participants will be prepared to mobilize school staff, parents, and community members to address the critical issues of depression awareness and suicide prevention.

Metaphoric Generative Genograms: A Journey To Bring Genograms To Life Through Metaphorical Components, Elisa Garcia

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

The purpose of this dissertation is to offer a greater understanding of the potential of genograms through my clinical work from a Bowen Family Systems lens. I account for how I processed and effectively blended metaphorical components, by examining six cases from my two-year journal entries, of bringing genograms to life in sessions. I also explain how I created a useful tool, the Metaphoric Generative Genogram, that can benefit other clinicians working with children and families in the foster care community.

Clinical Encounters With Immigrants: What Matters For U.S. Psychiatrists., Carolina Hausmann-Stabile, Peter J. Guarnaccia

Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research Faculty Research and Scholarship

About 3.2 percent of the population across the globe are migrants. Today, unprecedented numbers of people are relocating in the U.S. and more than ever, psychiatrists find themselves caring for immigrant patients. International migration is a multilayered issue that often has implications for the mental health of migrants. Thus, there is an increasing interest in understanding how the different factors associated with migration processes affect the mental health outcomes of immigrants. We group these factors into three categories: immigrant process, clinical encounter, and mental health services. When possible, we incorporate a gendered and life span perspective and suggest avenues for …

Time-Limited Case Management For Homeless Mothers With Mental Health Problems: Effects On Caregiver Mental Health., Judith Samuels, Patrick J. Fowler, Andrea Ault-Brutus, Dein-In Tang, Katherine Marcal

Brown School Faculty Publications

Objective: In this study we test the effect of a time-limited case management model targeting homeless mothers who are experiencing mental health problems. Adapted from an empirically informed intervention to prevent recurrent homelessness among individuals, the Family Critical Time Intervention (FCTI) supports mothers with children for a 9-month period as they move from homeless shelters into affordable housing. The case management team uses a structured intervention to encourage mothers to create and maintain necessary connections in the community for key family supports. Method: We use a longitudinal randomized controlled trial (N = 210) to test whether homeless mothers referred to …

Clinical Social Work In A Digital Environment: Ethical And Risk-Management Challenges, Frederic G. Reamer

Faculty Publications

Clinical social workers’ use of digital and other technology to provide distance counseling services is proliferating. Increasing numbers of contemporary practitioners are using video counseling, email chat, social networking websites, text messaging, smartphone apps, avatar-based websites, self-guided web-based interventions, and other technology to provide clinical services to clients, some of whom they may never meet in person. The advent of this technology has produced a wide range of ethical challenges related to social workers’ application of traditional social work ethics concepts: client informed consent; client privacy and confidentiality; boundaries and dual relationships; conflicts of interest; practitioner competence; records and documentation; …