Social Work Commons^™

Promising Practices In Service-Learning With Grant Writing In Rural Communities, Lillian Wichinsky Ph.D., Barbara Thomlison Ph.D.

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

This paper describes the teaching practices in a community practice course that was designed for using a grant writing project with a service-learning component in a rural community. The course and assignments are outlined. Four critical success factors are: commitment to a service-learning pedagogy, flexibility regarding course objectives, engaged students, and committed agencies. Strategic partnerships and successful grant applications are the best evidence that enhanced the experience for the students and agencies.

Book Review: Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement For Addiction, Stress, And Pain, Jay Memmott Msw, Ph.D., Lcsw-Pip

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Book Review: Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement for Addiction, Stress, and Pain Eric L. Garland 2013 Washington, DC: NASW Press 206 pages Softcover: $39.99 ISBN-13: 978-0871014450

Book Review: Until Tuesday: A Wounded Warrior And The Golden Retriever Who Saved Him, Diane Dacosta

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Book Review: Until Tuesday: A Wounded Warrior and the Golden Retriever Who Saved Him Montalván, Luis Carlos 2011 New York: Hyperion 288 pages Hardcover: $22.99 ISBN-13: 978-1401310752

Contemporary Rural Social Work - 2013 (Volume 5, Number 1)

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Contemporary Rural Social Work - 2013 (Volume 5, Number 1)

Full issue

Group Interventions In Rural Schools To Assist With A Community Trauma, Linda Leek Openshaw

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Rural communities and school districts often face traumatic events. These can be the result of accidents, suicides, school bullying, and shootings. This paper documents a group crisis intervention at a rural high school after a horrific traffic accident where a vehicle struck and killed three students. When a crisis takes place in rural schools and communities, group work is an effective tool to offset the effects of grief and distress that students often experience. School personnel must create support groups within a short time following a traumatic event. Interventions are most effective when schools have a pre-determined action plan, have …

Rural Domestic Violence: An Interdisciplinary Model For Rural Practice, Britt E. Rhodes

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Social workers have a long history of modeling the person in environment perspective in rural communities. One issue that is addressed from multiple system levels by social workers in rural areas is domestic violence. The Coordinated Community Response model, developed by the Domestic Abuse Intervention Project in Duluth, MN, focuses on victim safety and offender accountability from a multidimensional interdisciplinary systems perspective and is consistent with social work practice in rural areas. The model’s focus on interdisciplinary partnerships makes this a solid model for rural social work practice addressing a range of issues while embracing the person in environment perspective.

A Comparison Of Nursing Homes In Rural And Urban Communities In Indiana, Michelle Emery Blake Mssw, Ph.D., Erin M. Fordyce, Hanns G. Pieper

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

The growing number of elderly persons in U.S. society—the “Graying of America”—increases the urgency of making available the resources needed to ensure optimum quality of life for all seniors. When families are no longer able to meet their loved one’s needs, it becomes necessary to consider the possibility of long-term care. Often, families face this decision without the information they need in order to make an informed choice. The researchers utilized a four-tiered categorization to compare nursing homes in most rural, rural, urban and most urban counties in Indiana. The Medicare website (http://www.medicare.gov/) addresses issues of staffing, number of Medicare/Medicaid …

Social Work In A Very Rural Place: A Study Of Practitioners In The Upper Peninsula Of Michigan, Paul Force-Emery Mackie Msw, Phd

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

This study focuses on characteristics, challenges, and benefits of practicing social work in the Upper Peninsula (UP) of Michigan. Using a mixed-methods design, data were analyzed to determine demographic descriptors, seek differences between groups, and learn why social workers pursue and remain in social service employment in the UP. In addition, challenges and benefits of rural practice and perceptions of living and working in this region are addressed. Quantitatively, differences were found between younger and older social workers regarding where they currently live and where they grew up, and whether or not they were raised in a rural location. Qualitative …

The Service Use Index: A Tool For Examining Rural/Urban Differences, Rosemary K. Chapin Ph.D., Beth Anne Baca Msw, Skye N. Leedahl Ma, Roxanne Rachlin Mhsa, Xanthippe Wedel Bs, Mary K. Zimmerman Phd

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Development of tools for identifying and tracking differences in older adult service utilization by race, ethnicity, income, and geographic area is vital in the face of current demographic and economic changes in rural areas, particularly in areas experiencing rapid demographic changes. In this conceptual article, we explain how to calculate a service use index that compares service utilization of a specific group of older adults to that of the entire older adult population. We then illustrate its usefulness with a case example using geographic information systems (GIS). This unique approach can be utilized to understand differences across fields of practice, …

The Community Assessment:Students Discovering Strengths And Needs In Small Towns And Rural Areas, Kristina M. Hash Ph.D., Patricia A. Chase Ed.D., Carrie W. Rishel Ph.D.

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

This article highlights an evolving assignment given in BSW and MSW Human Behavior in the Social Environment (HBSE) courses. The community assessment assignment provides students with the opportunity to become immersed in small towns and rural areas and discover strengths and needs through observation, analysis of census data, interviews with key informants, and giving back. Components of the assignment are discussed as well as keys to success for facilitating the assignment. Common themes discovered across these communities are integrated throughout.

Employment Supports For Newcomers In Small And Middle-Sized Communities Andrural Areas: Perspectives Of Newcomers And Service Providers, Bharati Sethi, Robert Gebotys

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

In recent years there has been an increased migration of highly skilled and educated cohort of men and women from their initial port of entry—large urban centers such as Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal—to smaller urban/rural communities as a result of regionalization of the Canadian immigration policies. This article examines the employment supports for newcomers in Grand Erie—an urban/rural area in Ontario—which is now a home to an unprecedented number of newcomers. Using a community-based participatory research methodology, data were gathered from 212 newcomers and 237 service providers through quantitative and qualitative responses in the survey questionnaires. Results show that newcomers …

Contemporary Rural Social Work - Fall 2012 (Volume 4, Number 1)

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Contemporary Rural Social Work - Fall 2011 (Volume 3, Number 1)

Full issue

From The Editor, Peggy Pittman-Munke Ph.D.

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Journal of Contemporary Rural Social Work

Volume 4, Number 1

Fall 2012

From the Editor: Peggy Pittman-Munke, Murray State University

Perceptions And Experiences Of Drug Use Among Women In Rural North Carolina, Martin T. Hall Ph.D., M.S.S.W., Debra Skinner Ph.D.

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

This study describes perceptions and experiences of drug use among 32 women residing in three non-urban counties in eastern North Carolina. Participants described drug use in their families and communities as pervasive, citing both individual (e.g., depression) and systemic (e.g., few opportunity structures) causal factors. Participants with personal drug use histories described factors that helped them reduce drug use as well as the challenges of maintaining recovery in small communities. Contributions of this research include rural women’s assessment and attribution of drug use problems in both their personal lives and larger communities. Recommendations for rural drug treatment providers are offered.

Book Review: A Revolution Down On The Farm: The Transformation Of American Agriculture Since 1929, Peter A. Kindle Ph.D.

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Review: A Revolution Down on the Farm: The Transformation of American Agriculture Since 1929 Paul K. Conkin Lexington, KY: The University Press of Kentucky, 2008 240 pp. ISBN: 978-0-8131-2519-0 (paperback)

From The Editor, Peggy Pittman-Munke Ph.D.

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Journal of Contemporary Rural Social Work

Volume 3, Number 1

Fall 2011

From the Editor: Peggy Pittman-Munke, Murray State University

Addressing Health And Social Disparities Through Community-Based Participatory Research In Rural Communities: Challenges And Opportunities For Social Work, Tiffany D. Baffour Ph.D.

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Social workers can increase the translational ability of their research efforts to create sustainable community change in rural communities through the use of community-based participatory research (CBPR). CBPR is a congruent approach to social work values, representing a balance between research and community empowerment. This article focuses on methodological concerns in conceptualization, setting research goals, measurement, data collection, and dissemination of the findings. Recommendations for how interrelated areas of social work education, practice, research, and policy can address rural social and health disparities through CBPR are advanced.

Online Task Groups And Social Work Education: Lessons Learned, George A. Jacinto Ph.D., Young Joon Hong Ph.D.

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

This paper focuses the use of an online task group for social work students to solve problems and produce recommendations. An online site provides students the opportunity to edit documents produced by the group’s work. Online task groups provide an alternative to face-to-face task group meetings in social service agencies with a number of distant service delivery locations. Additionally, online task groups provide a cost effective way to accomplish the business of social service agencies by eliminating the time and cost of travel to attend meetings. This paper offers a stage model of online group development and a discussion of …

A Logic Model For Program Planning And Evaluation Applied To A Rural Social Work Department, Linda Leek Openshaw, Ara Lewellen, Cynthia Harr

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

A logic model is framework that is used to delineate goals and resources. It was used by the Social Work Department at Texas A&M University-Commerce to help visualize and establish the initial accreditation of the MSW program and continues to be a valuable tool for this rural social work program. The model has helped faculty determine a vision for the program. This vision has transferred to other areas such as recruitment and retention of faculty, curriculum choices for students, resources for alumni, and community development to reach rural social service agencies that are lacking in resources. The logic model provided …

Foot Soldiers For Social Justice: Realities, Relationships, And Resilience, Carole J. Olson, Holly A. Riffe, Caroline Reid, Norma Threadgill-Goldson

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Social justice is embraced as a central mission of social work, yet how the profession defines social justice lacks a clear and common understanding. This qualitative study explored social justice as perceived and practiced by social workers in diverse practice settings in mostly rural areas, small towns, and small cities. Their experiences illustrate ways that social workers engage and advocate for their clients with the goal of improving access to tangible and intangible resources through both conventional and unconventional means. The authors provide insight into the resilience that bolsters social workers’ efforts as they navigate between practice ideals and realities.

Building Relationships Across Systems To Enhance Resiliency And Improve Foster Care Outcomes, Karen Rice Phd, Lsw, Acsw, Heather Girvin Phd, Mss

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) of Lancaster County represents a collaborative, systemic response to gaps in current service systems in a largely rural/suburban area. This paper discusses strategies used to foster support for CASA and on-going efforts to develop, implement, and evaluate the CASA program. We share lessons learned related to the development of innovative systemic responses to service gaps in rural areas.

Factors That Impact Service Delivery To Individuals Living With Hiv/Aids In Rural Northeastern Texas, Wilma Cordova, Stephen Cooper, Freddie L. Avant

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

This study surveyed participants in focus groups to identify factors that affect individuals living with HIV/AIDS in rural northeastern Texas. The average age of the respondents was 45.44. Participants included a diverse group of American Europeans, Hispanics/Latinos, and African Americans. Although results are inconclusive, other studies have supported similar results regarding factors that impact treatment and services (Zuniga, Buchanan, & Chakravorty, 2005). Some of the factors include lack of financial resources for the consumer, stigma and discrimination, and lack of understanding on the part of the consumer and the community. More studies in rural areas serving people living with HIV/AIDS …

Contemporary Rural Social Work - Fall 2011 (Volume 3, Number 1)

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Contemporary Rural Social Work - Fall 2011 (Volume 3, Number 1)

Full issue

Contemporary Rural Social Work - Spring 2010 (Volume 2, Number 1)

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Contemporary Rural Social Work - Spring 2010 (Volume 2, Number 1)

Full issue

Can Establishing Partnerships Between College Campuses And Nonprofit Organizations Be Mutually Beneficial?, Crystal S. Aschenbrener Msw

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

More than ever nonprofit organizations need to find creative ways to be resourceful and cost effective in achieving their mission. Partnerships between college campuses and nonprofit organizations can be a mutually beneficial way of meeting nonprofit’s program goals while empowering college students, who are the next generation of volunteers, donors, and professionals. With these partnerships, nonprofits gain new ideas and extra working hands though established projects while students gain field experiences and the opportunity to apply their course knowledge. With this article, readers will understand the benefits of building as well as a step-by-step model to develop such partnerships.

Faculty Perceptions Of Differences Between Teaching Rural Appalachian And Urban Social Work Students, Lonnie R. Helton Lisw-S, Acsw

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Faculty who teach social work students in both rural Appalachian colleges and urban settings often notice differences in how these students approach learning and respond to the classroom environment and university setting. There is limited research on how Appalachian college students experience higher education and how they perceive the benefits of a college degree. This qualitative study explored the perceptions of social work faculty members at three Appalachian and three Midwestern universities, who have taught rural Appalachian students, as well as students from urban areas. Findings indicated that faculty mostly viewed Appalachian students as being different from urban students. Appalachian …

Who Wants To Do Rural Social Work? Student Perceptions Of Rural Social Work Practice, Amy Phillips Mssw, Phd, Andrew Quinn Mssw, Phd, Thomasine Heitkamp Msw

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

In response to growing concerns about the national shortage of rural social workers, the researchers surveyed and interviewed 115 social work students (97 BSW, 18 MSW) to ascertain their career plans and perceptions of rural social work practice. Although more than half reported living in rural communities at the time of their high school graduation, over 70% indicated a preference for practicing social work in or near an urban area. Students articulated multiple incentives that would attract them to rural social work and expressed a clear understanding of how various systems (social service, legislative, community, and educational) could provide these …

Social Work Student Interests In Rural Practice, David D. Barney Msw, Mph, Phd, Timothy Barnett-Queen Mdiv, Msw, Phd, Betty E.S. Duran Msw, Mph, Iván De La Rosa Msw, Phd

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

This study of BSW and MSW students (N = 122) in the School of Social Work at New Mexico State University reports student attitudes, concerns and interest in rural social work practice and rural social work practice curriculum. Strong support for rural social work practice and concomitant rural curriculum was evidenced by 93% who believed that social workers should practice in rural areas and 22% who ideally want to practice only in a rural community. Originally conceptualized and conducted to gather background data in support of a rural social work practice curriculum minor, its broader implications for rural social work …

A Case Study Of Health Risk Behaviors In A Sample Of Residents In Rural Appalachia, Gretchen E. Ely, Patricia G. Cook-Craig, Mark B. Dignan, Carol R. White, Sandy Good, Shelli Deskins

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

The purpose of this paper was to examine health risk behaviors from a sample of adults living in one of the nation’s poorest counties in Central Appalachia. A descriptive secondary analysis of data collected for a public health surveillance project was conducted to determine the most pressing health problems and risk behaviors affecting this unique population. Residents reported high rates of hypertension, back pain, and sleep problems. They also reported very low levels of physical activity. A discussion of results is provided, including a comparison of the study population to information from national surveys. The limitations of the study and …

From The Editor, Peggy Pittman-Munke Ph.D.

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Journal of Contemporary Rural Social Work

Volume 2, Number 1

Spring 2010

From the Editor: Peggy Pittman-Munke, Murray State University