Social Work Commons^™

Needs Assessment For Animal-Assisted Interventions: Factors Influencing Implementation Of Dogs As Judiciary Aids In Criminal Justice Processes In Cps Cases, Maureen Macnamara

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The study presents findings from a needs assessment exploring the critical features or core elements that bear on professionals regarding the inclusion of dogs as judiciary aides in the investigation and prosecution of child maltreatment cases. Specifically, the objectives of the current needs assessment were examined through the following questions: (1) What are the perceived benefits of implementing programs with dogs as judiciary aids throughout criminal justice? (2) What specific roles do professionals identify for dogs within criminal justice, (3) What are potential barriers to the implementation of dogs as judiciary aids programs, and (4) How are the needs and …

Perceptions Of Social Work And Collaboration With Clinical Social Workers: Clergy Perspectives, Susan C. Amann

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

Social workers provide services to meet the needs of individuals, communities and society. Due to limited funding and high need, social workers may need to collaborate with other professionals to meet the needs. The clergy are one such group of professionals. They encounter a variety of needs presented by their parishioners and the communities to which they belong. This qualitative research study sought to identify clergy persons’ perceptions of social workers and perspectives on collaborating with social workers. Individual interviews were held with eight Protestant clergy persons holding a Master of Divinity degree and serving in suburban parishes. The major …

Risks And Supportive Factors Of Burnout Among School Social Workers In Early Childhood Special Education Setting, Veronica Vazquez Freeberg

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

This qualitative study examined the risk and supportive factors of burnout among school social workers in the Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) setting. Data was collected through semi-structured standardized interviews with 7 licensed school social workers currently working in this area. Theme coding methods were used to inductively analyze codes in the data and to find common themes from the interviews. Themes that emerged were separated into six categories: personal, organizational, and job structural risks factors, and personal, organizational, and job structural supportive factors. The majority of the findings of this study were consistent with previous research. Other themes that …

Working With Family Caregivers: Case Managers’ Perspectives, Kelsey Myers

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

The purpose of this study was to explore from the case managers’ perspective how they work with family caregivers. Eighteen social workers from 5 community based case management agencies completed an online survey about their work family caregivers. Case managers indicated involvement with family caregivers in the areas of assessment, creating a care plan, education, making referrals, advocacy and assistance with problem solving. Case managers indicated that they typically complete the assessment with a caregiver present and invite the caregiver to participate in creating the care plan. Respondents indicated they provide updates less than once a month and use email …

Why We Do What We Do: A Psychosocial Development Perspective On Factors That Influence Decision To Pursue A Career In Social Work, Hugh Armstrong

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

No abstract provided.

Addressing Physical Health In Social Work Practice, Kristin K. Huskamp

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

The current base of literature highlights the importance of physical health and it’s impact on an individual’s mental health and overall well-being. The purpose of this research is to examine how often social workers target physical health in practice with clients and if there is an underutilization of the research regarding the impact of physical health on psychological health in practice with clients. The research specifically examines how physical health is incorporated into assessment, diagnosis, and over the course of treatment in clinical social work practice. This study used qualitative research, which includes data collection, data analysis, and using grounded …

Use Of Research Among Social Work Clinicians, Justin Jeffrey

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

This study used a quantitative research design to examine the extent to which clinical social workers (LICSW’s) stay abreast of clinical social work research. This study also examined whether social workers who use different therapeutic approaches differ at all in their research behaviors. Participants responded to an online survey administered using Surveymonkey (n=80).

The study found that clinical social workers engage in a variety of research behaviors, and that these behaviors closely mirror the findings of a recent study on this same topic. Nearly a quarter of licensed social workers report that they never or rarely read scholarly journal articles …

Early Onset Of Social Work Burnout, Dayse L.M. Koski

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

The issue of social worker burnout impacts the growth and sustainability of the social work industry. The purpose of this project was to determine if there is a connection between the amount of time as a social worker and level of burnout. Mailing addresses for 150 Minnesota social workers were randomly selected and mailed a survey. The survey included the Burnout Measurement Short (BMS) questionnaire, an established self-administered burnout assessment tool, and other pertinent burnout related questions. Data from 43 completed surveys were entered into a spreadsheet. The data was organized and analyzed using Minitab to perform ANOVA calculations. The …

Focused Practice: Exploring The Relationship Between Mindfulness And Empathy Among Clinical Social Workers, Shannon Savageau

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

This research project explores the impact of mindfulness on the practice of clinical social work as it pertains to building the skill of empathy. Mindfulness, in practice, varies from clinician to clinician; however, mindfulness in general involves having an expanded sense of awareness and attunement to the greater experience of the client. As such, current research (as discussed in the literature review) supports that those clinicians who practice mindfulness develop an increased compassion for self and others and thus are more empathic than those who do not practice mindfulness. This research is important to the field of clinical social work …

Adapting To Change: "Provider Perspectives On The Transition To Long Term Care", Paige Elise Sorenson

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

This study investigated the transition from independent living to long-term care settings from the perspective of social workers currently in the field. This study was carried out using qualitative interviews with semi-structured questions. The sample was made up of five participants. The primary purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the transitional process from independent living to long-term care from the perspective of social workers who are professionally-involved in this process. The secondary purpose of this study was to understand the dynamic issues faced by long-term care social workers and to better understand how their unique …

Emergency Department Staff Perception Of The Role Of Social Work And The Social Worker In The Emergency Department, Natasha M. Stepka

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

Changes to the healthcare system such as a decrease in resources, combined roles of emergency department personnel, and delivery of mental health treatment in emergency departments has necessitated further investigation of the role of social workers in the emergency department. Using a qualitative research design, eight participants from rural emergency departments were surveyed regarding how they perceived mental health emergencies and mental health crises within the emergency department, and their perceptions of the social work role. Findings of this study suggest that a social worker is a valuable addition to the interdisciplinary team in the emergency department. Additionally it indicated …

The Impact Of Attention And Interpretation Therapy On The Practitioner: Beneficial For Helping Professionals?, Brady R. Voigt

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

The topic of this research project is Attention and Interpretation Therapy (AIT), a mindfulness-based approach to stress reduction and increased resilience developed in 2009 by Dr. Amit Sood. The research question was: What is the impact of AIT on helping professionals? Eight qualitative interviews were conducted with licensed clinical social workers, counselors, and psychologists who have participated in six-month AIT courses. Grounded theory methodology and constant comparative analysis were used to analyze transcribed qualitative data. Seven major themes emerged, including gratitude, compassion, and acceptance; AIT principles; AIT and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT); client impacts; practitioner use; less stress, burnout, and …

Women In The Criminal Justice System, Nickole L. Stein-Fisher

Senior Honors Theses and Projects - Social Work

In this paper, seven counties were investigated in Northern Michigan (Otsego, Cheboygan, Emmet, Alpena, Charlevoix, Mackinaw, and Sault St. Marie and compared to Washtenaw County. What was specifically investigated and compared was the criminal rulings that were given to women who have committed a criminal sexual conduct crime. They were compared by their location, race, and formal educational level to see if this had any influence on their court rulings.

The research method used is convenient sampling, of court rulings in two different areas of Michigan. To make the comparison, twenty five women that are on the Michigan State Sex …

An Examination Of The Motivations Of Attendees At Cal Poly's "Change The Status Quo" Conference, James Statton

Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration

The social activism community exists to address the collective responsibility of meeting needs and fighting for the rights of the disadvantaged and/or marginalized populations. The Change the Status Quo conference aims to educate, motivate, and activate attendees. The purpose of this study was to measure the motivations of attendees at the Change the Status Quo conference at Cal Poly to become involved in social activism. The study was conducted through a questionnaire distributed and collected during the final workshop of the conference. The findings from 72 participants indicated that most were female and college students. Most were also frequently involved …

Interventions That Help The Helpers: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis Of Interventions Targeting Compassion Fatigue, Secondary Traumatic Stress And Vicarious Traumatization In Mental Health Workers, Melissa Lynn Bercier

Dissertations

Compassion fatigue, secondary traumatic stress and vicarious traumatization have received widespread attention in the literature due to an increased awareness of negative effects mental health workers experience when working with people who have been traumatized. Mental health workers become more vulnerable to significant stress when they work with trauma victims, which can lead to many negative consequences that can affect their own health as well as their treatment of their clients. While there is much that we are learning about the causes and outcomes of mental health workers' exposure to their clients' trauma, there has been less focus on effectiveness …

Best Practices For Teachers And Providers: A Cross Systems Training To Support Gender-Variant Youth, Kathyrn Kemp Chociej

MSW Capstones

Transgender youth are at increased risk for low self-esteem, depression, suicide, substance abuse, school problems, family rejection and discord, running away, homelessness, and prostitution. It is important for social workers to understand the barriers transgender individuals face when accessing healthcare, to provide context for the clinical experience, and because mental health care providers play a significant gatekeeping role for this population. According to Section 6.04 of the NASW Social Work Cultural Standards, social workers should promote conditions that encourage respect for diversity, and social workers should promote policies and practices that demonstrate respect for difference, and promote policies that safeguard …

A Mixed Methods Examination Of Structural Bigenderism And The Consequences For Transgender And Gender Variant People, Kristie Lynn Seelman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For years, transgender activists and their allies have spoken out about the oppression that transgender and gender non-conforming people experience in relation to societal systems and institutions, due to policies and practices that do not acknowledge non-binary experiences of gender, that do not recognize that one's gender may change over time or may not match cultural expectations for gender expression, and that punish and discriminate against trans people (Gilbert, 2009; Lombardi & Davis, 2006; Markman, 2011; Spade, 2006; WWRC, 2010). Scholars have called for human services professionals and researchers to critique the failures of institutions in society (and the people …

Identity Making Process Of Individuals With Mild Intellectual Disabilities, Carolee Kamlager

Theses and Dissertations--Social Work

The shadow of stigma theory typically surrounds the research investigation of the lives of individuals with mild intellectual disabilities. McAdams’ life story theory and methodology provide a human development framework as an alternative to the prevailing framework in the field of disability. This study moves out of the shadow of otherness and examines the personal identity making process of twelve individuals with mild intellectual disabilities in the light of human development theory. Findings dispel the assumption that individuals with mild intellectual disabilities construct their lives solely through their disability. Rather, the identity making process includes the influences of socio-cultural events, …

Evidence-Based Marketing Strategies To Increase Student Membership In A Professional Association, Laura Aldrich

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Membership acquisition and attrition is vital to the survival and growth of a voluntary professional association. The percentage of social work students who are members of social work voluntary professional associations is low (Attinson & Glassberg, 1983). The purpose of this project is to understand the acquisition and attrition of students in order to develop marketing strategies to increase student membership. Voluntary professional associations value student members because they are the future of the profession and the association (NASW, 2013). Student membership in a voluntary professional association is important for students as this participation provides students with opportunities for socialization …