Social Work Commons^™

Breaking The Shackled Silence: Unheard Voices Of Women From Kandhamal, Saumya Uma

Dr. Saumya Uma

Who Needs Goals? An Analog Experiment Comparing Goal-Based Evaluation And Goal-Free Evaluation Utility, Alayna Zielinski, Brandon W. Youker Ph.D

Brandon W. Youker Ph.D

The poster highlights the results of an analog experiment that compared to approaches to program evaluation: goal-based evaluation and goal-free evaluation. Which approach had more utility per the evaluation client?

Flawed Analysis Of Prostitution In Rhode Island, Donna M. Hughes Dr., Margaret Brooks

Donna M. Hughes

Spirituality And Aging In Social Work: State Of The Art And Future Possibilities, Holly Nelson-Becker, Edward R. Canda

Holly Nelson-Becker

This article identifies the unique contributions social work has made to the study of spirituality and religion in relation to aging, based on respect for their diverse expressions. Definitions of religion and spirituality that particularly relate to late life are provided. The study of spirituality and aging is situated in four historical phases ranging from sectarian origins (1890s to 1920), to professionalization and secularization (1920s-1970s), to renewed interest (1980s to mid 1990s), to the current phase characterized by transcending boundaries. Interdisciplinary research by social workers is prevalent. Topics of study include a wide range of religious and nonreligious spiritual perspectives, …

Korean Older Intimate Partner Violence Survivors In North America: Cultural Considerations And Practice Recommendations, Woochan Shim, Holly Nelson-Becker

Holly Nelson-Becker

While literature on elder abuse has expanded, elder abuse by intimate partners has been less investigated. Even less is known about intimate partner violence among older Koreans living in North America. This article identifies important cultural considerations for individuals helping the Korean older adult community beginning with the definition of intimate partner violence in this community and barriers to leaving that include traditional views of the East Asian self. Current practice interventions are discussed and recommendations for future practice such as healing han, the accumulated suffering from years of abuse, are suggested. The ultimate goal of this paper is to …

Natural Mentoring Of Older Foster Care Youths: Behavioral Health Benefits, Johanna Greeson, Allison Thompson, Susan Kinnevy

Johanna K.P. Greeson, PhD, MSS, MLSP

Mentoring older youths can promote resiliency as they prepare to exit foster care.

Incongruence With Social Work Culture Among Evangelical Students: The Mediating Role Of Group-Based Dominance, N. Walls, Kristie Seelman

Kristie L Seelman

Teaching about religion in social work programs is viewed as a difficult topic fraught with tension and anxiety (Coholic, 2003), but when content about religion is not integrated into the curriculum, social work practitioners have little guidance on how to manage their own personal religious beliefs in the context of social work values in practice (Canda, Nakashima, & Furman, 2004). Given that religious values may influence how one perceives gender, ethnicity, sexuality, and even mental health (Duriez & Hutsebaut, 2000; Wilkinson, 2004) and play a role in the social worker’s ability to be authentic with a client and provide positive …

Medicalization Of Mental Disorders: 1970- To The Present, W. Joseph Wyatt

W. Joseph Wyatt

A thirty-five year escalation of emphasis on biological causation has rendered, for many, medications as the treatment of choice for mental disorders. Non-drug treatment may be cast aside, as a result.

The Relationship Between Community Investment In Permanent Supportive Housing And Chronic Homelessness, Thomas Byrne, Jamison Fargo, Ann Elizabeth Montgomery, Ellen Munley, Dennis P. Culhane

Dennis P. Culhane

Strength Or Struggle: Significance Of Spirituality For Adult Survivors Of Childhood Sexual Abuse, Brittany Wienholz

Brittany R Wienholz

This descriptive exploratory study utilized open-ended questions in interviews of adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) in order to increase understanding of the spiritual relationship specifically between survivors of CSA and their healing processes, from the survivors' perspective. Adult participants, with no gender specification, were recruited through flyers at the University of Wyoming, local social service and mental health agencies, faith communities, as well as newspaper advertisements in Laramie and Cheyenne, Wyoming. Further recruitment, as needed, expanded across the state of Wyoming, into Northern Colorado and Rapid City, SD. Eight to ten interviews were conducted utilizing audio recording and …

Toward A Client-Centered Benchmark For Self-Sufficiency: Evaluating The ‘Process’ Of Becoming Job Ready., Philip Young P. Hong

Philip Hong

The purpose of this study is to evaluate how service providers, clients, and graduates of a job training program define the term self-sufficiency (SS). This community-engaged, mixed method study qualitatively analyzes focus group data from each group and quantitatively examines survey data obtained from participants of the program. Findings reveal that psychological transformation as a ‘process’ represents the emic definition of SS—psychological SS—but each dimension of the concept is reflected in varying degrees by group. Provider and participant views are vastly different from the outcome-driven policy and funder definitions. Implications for benchmarking psychological SS as an empowerment-based ‘process’ measure of …

A Bottom-Up Definition Of Self-Sufficiency: Voices From Low-Income Jobseekers., Philip Young P. Hong, Vamadu A. Sheriff, Sandra R. Naeger

Philip Hong

Self-sufficiency (SS) is the epitome of America’s ‘reluctant’welfare state. It is generally accepted in social welfare policycircles as a concept related to independence and financialstability. Nevertheless, SS is not a term agreed upon inpractice by policymakers, researchers, or service providersand is frequently used without a clear common definition.In this sense, the purpose of this study is to explore the extentto which the top-down definition of ‘economic’ SS as thesocial policy goal is consistent with how the clients of job training programs perceive the term. Using a groundedtheory approach, a bottom-up definition of SS was derivedfrom a focus group of low-income …

The Employment Hope Scale: Measuring An Empowerment Pathway To Employment Success, Philip Young P. Hong, Sangmi Choi

Philip Hong

This chapter presents findings on revalidation of the Short Employment Hope Scale (EHS- 14) using a recently collected independent sample of 661 low-income jobseekers. This client- centered measure captures an aspect of multi-dimensional psychological self-sufficiency (SS) as a process-driven assessment tool. The original employment hope metric was constructed as a 24-item six-factor structure from its earlier conceptualization resulting from client focus group interviews. The EHS measure was initially validated using an exploratory factor analysis (EFA), resulting in a 14-item two-factor structure with Factor 1 representing ‘psychological empowerment’ and Factor 2 representing ‘goal-oriented pathways’. In the following revalidation process using a …

Validation Of The Employment Hope Scale: Measuring Psychological Self-Sufficiency Among Low-Income Jobseekers, Philip Young P. Hong, Joshua R. Polanin, Terri D. Pigott

Philip Hong

The Employment Hope scale (EHS) was designed to measure the empowerment-based self-sufficiency (SS) outcome among low-income job-seeking clients. This measure captures the psychological SS dimension as opposed to the more commonly used economic SS in workforce development and employment support practice. The study validates the EHS and reports its psychometric properties. Method: An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted using an agency data from the Cara Program in Chicago, United States. The principal axis factor extraction process was employed to identify the factor structure. Results: EFA resulted in a 13-item two-factor structure with Factor 1 representing “Psychological Empowerment” and Factor …

The Consequences Of Malnutrition Following Discharge From Rehabilitation To The Community: A Systematic Review Of Current Evidence In Older Adults, Skye Marshall, Judith Bauer, Elisabeth Isenring

Skye Marshall

Transgender Individuals' Access To College Housing And Bathrooms: Findings From The National Transgender Discrimination Survey, Kristie Seelman

Kristie L Seelman

Within higher education settings, transgender people are at risk for discrimination and harassment within housing and bathrooms. Yet, few have examined this topic using quantitative data or compared the experiences of subgroups of transgender individuals to predict denial of access to these spaces. The current study utilizes the National Transgender Discrimination Survey to research this issue. Findings indicate that being transgender and having another marginalized identity matters for students’ access to housing and bathrooms. Trans women are at greater risk than gender non-conforming people for being denied access to school housing and bathrooms. Implications for practice and research are detailed.

Impact And Performance Of The Supportive Services For Veteran Families (Ssvf) Program: Results From The Fy 2013 Program Year, Thomas Byrne, John Kuhn, Dennis P. Culhane, Susan Kane, Vincent Kane

Dennis P. Culhane

Journeys After Childhood Sexual Abuse: A Phenomenological Study In A Frontier Region, Brittany Wienholz

Brittany R Wienholz

About 10% of the U.S population will experience child sexual abuse. This paper presentation will review the literature regarding survivors’ healing journeys and a qualitative research study design that utilizes feminist theory in order to promote justice for oppressed groups. Preliminary findings from the study will be presented.

Journeys After Childhood Sexual Abuse: A Phenomenological Study In A Frontier Region, Brittany R. Wienholz

Brittany R Wienholz

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a pervasive form of interpersonal trauma affecting about 10% of the U.S. population. Like other forms of interpersonal trauma, sexual abuse during childhood has been associated with detrimental effects on survivors’ well being. This exploratory phenomenological study utilized open-ended interviews with nine adults, ages 21 and older, to gain a deeper understanding of survivors’ journeys after CSA in a western frontier region of the United States. Themes within survivor narratives will be analyzed from an ecological systems perspective, providing insight to professionals, benefits to survivors and implications for future research.

Estimating Cost Savings Associated With Hud-Vash Placement, Thomas Byrne, Christopher B. Roberts, Dennis P. Culhane, Vincent Kane

Dennis P. Culhane

Invited Response To "Think Again: Prostitution", Donna M. Hughes Dr.

Donna M. Hughes

Aziza Ahmed begins her article “Think Again: Prostitution” with the oldest slur against women: that “prostitution may be the world’s oldest profession” (January/ February 2014).

Modifying Gluten Free Food For Arabic Celiac Patients, Suad Fahad Alfuraih

Dr. Suad Fahad AlFuraih

Coping with Celiac Disease is so hard especially at the being months after been diagnosed. However, patients and families will easily get used to the challenge and live normally. As scientists, clinicians, moms, dads, nutritionists, teachers, dieticians, we often speak objectively, as in, this is the best thing for the whole world to do, yet we know that everyone is so very different--different in genetics, in environment, in habits--and we must look at the individual to determine what is truly best. According to a study will be shown in APPENDIX 1, done by Prof. Aljebreen and other Saudi colleagues at …

Examining Cohort Differences And Resilience Among The Aging Lgbt Community: Implications For Education And Practice Among An Expansively Diverse Population, Michael P. Dentato Phd, Msw, John Orwat Phd, Marcia K. Spira Phd, Benjamin Walker Lcsw

Michael P. Dentato

Using Service Learning In The Teaching Of And Research On Program Evaluation, Brandon W. Youker Ph.D, Nicholas Bayer Bs, Allyssa Ingraham Bs

Brandon W. Youker Ph.D

Most students who are planning for a career in the health and human services are required to complete a course on program evaluation. This article describes a graduate-level service learning course whereby the instructor divided students into small evaluation teams and assigned the teams one of two distinct models by which to evaluate the same non-profit organization. The teams were assigned either goal-free evaluation or success case method; and they conducted their respective evaluations independently and simultaneously. Each team was responsible for disseminating their findings to the program via a written report in addition to an oral presentation. At the …

Improving The Quality Of Spiritual Care As A Dimension Of Palliative Care: The Report Of The Consensus Conference, Christina Puchalski, Betty Ferrell, Rose Virani, Shirley Otis-Green, Pamela Baird, Janet Bull, Harvey Chochinov, George Handzo, Holly Nelson-Becker, Maryjo Prince-Paul, Karen Pugliese, Daniel Sulmasy

Holly Nelson-Becker

A Consensus Conference sponsored by the Archstone Foundation of Long Beach, California, was held February 17–18, 2009, in Pasadena, California. The Conference was based on the belief that spiritual care is a fundamental component of quality palliative care. This document and the conference recommendations it includes builds upon prior literature, the National Consensus Project Guidelines, and the National Quality Forum Preferred Practices and Conference proceedings.

Research In Spirituality, Religion, And Aging: An Emerging Area, Holly Nelson-Becker

Holly Nelson-Becker

No abstract provided.

Wisdom-Bearers And Story-Tellers: Older Adults As Guides And Friends, Holly Nelson-Becker

Holly Nelson-Becker

This narrative recounts the author's discovery that her primary pathway to service was in working with older adults. Embedded in this process were separate but related journeys of coming to terms with a spiritual call and learning how her affinity for languages and cultures could support a contribution in aging.

Teaching Spirituality In The Classroom: Building Compassionate And Non-Judgmental Conversations With Students, Joan Letendre, Holly Nelson-Becker, Jim Kreider

Holly Nelson-Becker

This narrative describes the experiences of three social work professors whose lifelong interest in the spiritual realm guided their presentation of material in the classroom that engaged conversation about spiritual and religious beliefs. Specific skills for students to understand and work with their own spiritually and that of clients are reviewed.

Integrating Spirituality In Practice: From Inner Journey To Outer Engagement, Holly Nelson-Becker

Holly Nelson-Becker

No abstract provided.

Spirituality And Aging (Review), Holly Nelson-Becker

Holly Nelson-Becker

Review of Robert C. Atchley 'Spirituality and Aging.'