Social Work Commons^™

Unequal Treatment : Sociocultural Identities And Their Effects On Eating Diorder Treatment Access And Efficacy, Hannah NoëL Smith

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of this study is to explore ways in which eating disorder treatment can be made not only more accessible, but more effective for clients who identify as people of color, lower-socioeconomic status (SES), trans and gender nonconforming, and people whose Body Mass Index (BMI) normal or higher at the time of treatment.

Data was collected using a survey, which was completed by 28 participants recruited through Facebook eating disorder recovery groups and Instagram. Participants were asked to describe their racial identity, gender identity, SES, and BMI, then reflect on the experience of seeking eating disorder treatment.

The findings …

Gestalt Therapists' Perspectives On Gender In The Therapeutic Relationship : Implications For Anti-Oppressive Practice, Benjamin Philip Borkan

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study seeks to explore How does Gestalt therapy training influence therapists in navigating clinical encounters involving gender identity? Gestalt therapists’ responses noted the importance of authenticity, contact, ability to question biases, self-examination, personal responsibility, and the therapist’s sense of their own gender identity privilege and oppression. Gestalt therapy is contrasted with anti-oppressive practice principles, in which there are congruent philosophies between Gestalt therapy and anti-oppressive practice principles. Participants’ and this author’s recommendations for future research include further research on the efficacy of Gestalt therapy training in working with varying identities, as well as gathering perspectives from people of marginalized …

Gender Identity And Childhood Experiences : An Introductory Quantitative Study Of The Relationship Between Gender Identity And Adverse Childhood Experiences, Liam P. Malone

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

It has been established that individuals with transgender* identities experience abuse and trauma at higher frequencies than individuals with non-transgender identities (Mascis, 2011). Gender dysphoria currently exists as a mental health diagnosis, perpetuating stigma as well as pathologizing gender variance. Clinical social workers have preserved a harmful formulation that gender dysphoria is a disorder caused by trauma. There has been scarce quantitative research to date exploring a relationship between transgender identities and adverse childhood experiences. This study aims to: (1) contribute to a foundation of introductory quantitative research on how childhood experiences interact with gender identity, (2) examine the frequency …

Standing On The Edge Of The "Rubyfruit Jungle" : Lesbians Recall The Experience Of Questioning In Therapy, Emily Willstatter

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of this study was twofold: to pursue an existing gap in the literature on therapy with people questioning their sexuality; and to represent a lesbian perspective on the experience of questioning one’s sexual orientation. A previous study (Jones et al., 2003) found that gay and bisexual people who were uncertain of their sexual orientation at the start of therapy rated the treatment as overall less beneficial than gay and bisexual people who had begun therapy while certain of their identities. This study explored the possible reasons behind this finding by investigating a small (N=13) but diverse group of …

It's Time To Talk About Sex And Social Work : Why Human Sexuality Education Matters For Social Work Practice, Sophia R. Glass

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This researched investigated human sexuality training received in social work programs and its impact on clinical practice. Specifically, it examined clinicians’ comfort and competency addressing sex and sexuality related topics with clients. 67 participants were recruited via a nonprobability snowball sampling technique, and data was gathered anonymously through a secure web-based survey instrument. The findings supported the author’s hypothesis that there is a substantial lack of human sexuality training in social work programs despite the finding that sexuality is highly relevant to clinical work. Barriers to social workers effectively addressing these topics with clients were identified as inadequate education and …