Social Work Commons^™

The Effectiveness Of Play Therapy In A School-Based Counseling Program, Aimee Marie O'Keefe

Theses Digitization Project

This research project attempted to determine whether play therapy used to treat elementary and junior high school children in a School-Based Counseling program is effective. There is conflicting evidence in the literature as to the effectiveness of therapy with children, especially play therapy. This project used a qualitative design to evaluate play therapy used in a School-Base Counseling program (SBC). Randomly selected case files from the 1998-99 academic year were analyzed using questions considering demographic information for each child, the reason the child was referred to the program, the intervention used by the therapist, and the outcomes of therapy. The …

Faculty Responsiveness Via A Question-And-Answer Newsletter: Its Impact On Student Satisfaction, Daniel Pérez

Theses Digitization Project

This study explores the relationship between student satisfaction and faculty responsiveness to student concerns. "Action Research" was employed. Data analysis focused on group comparisons.

Review Of Why Americans Hate Welfare: Race, Media, And The Politics Of Antipoverty Policy, By Martin Gilens, Sanford F. Schram

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

No abstract provided.

Review Of "Some Days Are Harder Than Hard": Welfare Reform And Women With Drug Convictions In Pennsylvania, By Amy E. Hirsch, Jim Baumohl, Sanford F. Schram

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

No abstract provided.

Practice Placement In Social Care Education, Lillian Byrne

Theses

This research had two objectives first, to identify Applied Social Studies students' experience of practice placement and second, to identify their practice teachers experience of practice placement. The objectives were met by completing four Studies. To understand the context and purpose of practice placement during the education of Social Care workers the first three chapters focus on outlining the developments in Irish Social Care, providing an understanding of practice placement and the role of supervision during practice placement. The following four chapters outline and discuss each of the studies in detail and the final chapters discusses the findings in the …

Parent Dilemmas And Solutions: Perspectives On Work-Family Fit, Eileen M. Brennan, Julie M. Rosenzweig, Alice Myrth Ogilvie, Ann Ward

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Support for Working Caregivers Project is designed to study the ways in which employed parents whose children have emotional or behavioral disorders fit their work and family responsibilities together. To that end, project investigators have developed a research model of work-family fit by means of an exhaustive literature review of over 350 articles and books on work and family, the secondary data analysis of the North Carolina Family Caregiver Survey (Brennan & Poertner, 1997), and a focus group study with 41 employed parents of children with emotional or behavioral disorders (Rosenzweig, Brennan, & Ogilvie, 1998). The work-family fit research …

Racial Identity, Ethnic Identity, And Acculturation In Korean Adoptees, Kathleen Leilani Ja Bergquist

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

This study explored the relationships between racial identity, ethnic identity, and acculturation in transracial Korean adopted adolescents. The research questions were as follows: What is the relationship between racial and ethnic identity for adoptees? What is the relationship between racial identity and adoptees' level of acculturation? What is the relationship between adoptees' level of acculturation and ethnic identity? The research was exploratory in nature and entailed a quantitative design comprised of (1) a demographic profile, (2) Helm's (1995) People of Color Scale to measure racial identity, (3) Suinn-Lew's (1992) Self-Identity Acculturation Scale (SL-ASIA) to measure ethnic identity, and (4) Schonpflug's …

The Sun Always Comes Out After It Rains: Exploring The Experience Of Aids Caregivers (Immune Deficiency), Susan Cadell

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This research was designed to explore the growth of people who have cared for or about someone who has died of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)-related illnesses or complications related to Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) disease. It consists of a cross-sectional study of 176 bereaved caregivers of people with HIV disease, some of whom themselves are HIV-positive. Measures were selected to assess demographics, creativity, spirituality/religiosity, social support, depression, traumatic symptomatology and posttraumatic growth. A research model is tested which examines the relationship of psychosocial resources and stressors to the post-traumatic growth of the bereaved participants. In addition, seven caregivers participated …

Development Of A Workshop Curriculum: Ensuring Culturally Competent Services For African Immigrants And Refugees, Tsehai Wodajo

Theses and Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to develop a workshop that will help to secure culturally competent social services for African immigrant and refugee families. The framework of the workshop focused on two areas. The first is to help the workers to become culturally competent by carrying out ethnic sensitive inventory to assess their competency. Skills developed included what to do during pre-contact. during problem identification and specification, goal formation, problem solving and termination. The second area focused on how to assess the needs and strengths of African immigrant and refugee families. Culturagram and Eco-map are the two major assessment …

Culturally Competent California Mental Health Services: Model And Example, Richard H. Dana, Myriam Aragon, Terry Kramer

Regional Research Institute for Human Services

Mental health services in the United States were designed for European American consumers, but with burgeoning multicultural populations these services have proven inadequate and underutilized. This paper examines research on cultural competencies of agencies and clinicians relevant to a mental health practice model, the Multicultural Assessment-Intervention Process model (MAIP). This model was modified for systematic application in a California agency, the Tri-City Mental Health Center, to provide a flexible blueprint for major alterations in agency practice and programs that affect the entire system of care. MAIP begins with intake process including client-clinician/ethnicity-Ianguage|match, client acculturation/racial identity status, and clinician cultural competence, …

An International Comparison Of Cancer Survival: Metropolitan Toronto, Ontario, And Honolulu, Hawaii, Kevin M. Gorey

Social Work Publications

OBJECTIVES: Comparisons of cancer survival in Canadian and US metropolitan areas have shown consistent Canadian advantages. This study tests a health insurance hypothesis by comparing cancer survival in Toronto, Ontario, and Honolulu, Hawaii.

METHODS: Ontario and Hawaii registries provided a total of 9190 and 2895 cancer cases (breast and prostate, 1986-1990, followed until 1996). Socioeconomic data for each person's residence at the time of diagnosis were taken from population censuses.

RESULTS: Socioeconomic status and cancer survival were directly associated in the US cohort, but not in the Canadian cohort. Compared with similar patients in Honolulu, residents of low-income areas in …

Killing Ostriches: Young Women, Family Violence And Youth Work, Judy Kulisa

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Using a phenomenological approach, this study, "Killing Ostriches" sought to investigate the experience of violence in the home of a small group of young women living in the northern suburbs of Perth. Seven young women between the ages of 17-26 took part in the study. Five of these young women claimed to have experienced violence in their family of origin and the: remaining two, introduced for triangulation purposes, claimed not to have done so. The study sought, not only to explore the lived experience of violence in the home for these young women, but to also investigate their experience of …

Alcohol Tobacco And Pharmaceutical Industry Funding: Considerations For Organizations Serving Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual And Transgender Communities., Laurie A. Drabble

Laurie A. Drabble

Emerging research suggests that alcohol, tobacco and drug-related problems may be higher in lesbian and gay communities than in the population as a whole. At the same time, alcohol, tobacco and pharmaceutical industries have increased marketing strategies that are targeted specifically to lesbian and gay communities. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) and HTV/AIDS organizations, often marginalized and under-funded, have frequently faced significant challenges in funding programs and special events. These organizations are often the very same groups needed to promote and support effective substance abuse countermeasures in LGBT communities. Agency leaders, community members, and substance abuse prevention advocates all …

A Community Grief Support Program For Children A Needs Assessment, Peggy Wolner

Theses and Graduate Projects

The purpose of this study was to explore the need for a community grief support program for children, Nineteen professionals who work directly with children participated in this study. Data were collected utilizing an interview with a closed- and open-ended item questionnaire. Among the topics discussed were knowledge of existing grief support services, interventions to facilitate a child's adjustment to death and the need for a grief support program for children Findings indicated all of those who participated in the study felt a grief support program for children was needed. Participants provided useful information for the development of future programs. …

Adolescents And Young Adults In Transition: From Homelessness To Permanent Housing, Tona L. Willand

Theses and Graduate Projects

This study explores the intrapersonal and environmental factors associated with change in the transition from homelessness to permanent housing from the perspective of young women who have experienced it. Three young women were interviewed face-to-face in semi-structured interviews, using a non-probability convenience sample. Content analysis was used to identify intrapersonal and environmental factors that affected the process of change. Research participants identified goal-directed behavior, persistence and hope as intrapersonal factors in effecting change. Supportive relationships and practical assistance were identified as supportive factors in the transition period. The findings are discussed in relation to research from the literature, and the …

The Involvement Of Gay Men In The Lutheran Church, Mary E. Vorhes

Theses and Graduate Projects

Gay men have varying degrees of involvement in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). This exploratory, qualitative study looked at the participation of gay men in Reconciling-In-Chnst (RIC) Lutheran congregations, what has affected that participation, and how the participants feel about their involvement in the Lutheran Church. Five gay men between the ages of 40-60 were interviewed regarding how they feel about their participation in the Lutheran church. The findings indicate that some participants left the church at some time, that all participants are curently active in the Lutheran Church, and that all participants are dissatisfied with the ELCA …

The Relationship Between Parental Involvement And The Reunification Of Youth In Foster Care, Gretchen K. Welch

Theses and Graduate Projects

This is a quantitative secondary data analysis which researched the effects of parental involvement on youth in foster care within a private non-profit treatment foster care agency. The study was intended to educate the agency and their foster parents on the significance of parental involvement with youth in foster eare to successfully achieve each youth's initial placement goal of reunification. According to current laws, reunification is considered the preferred permanency plan for foster youth. Existing data used from the agency consisted of surveys from foster parents and social workers concerning 344 youth between the ages of 12 and l9 years …

Maturity And Responsibility In "Troubled" Families, Ruthelle Winfrey West

Theses and Graduate Projects

Despite increased knowledge and trained professionals in the field of human behavior, growing numbers of dysfunctional families are overwhelming the human service systems and society at-large. This qualitative study focused on the childhood experiences of two women from "troubled" families and exprored their perceptions and interpretations of their parents' maturity and responsible behavior. Their comments were then compared. to the Global Crlteria of Maturity. The phenomenological approach was used in exploring the childhood experiences of these women. It was found through the study that the two women perceived their parents' behavior as being responsible but, on the other hand, they …

Professional Interventions With Parents At The Time Of The Sudden Death Of A Child, Linda Susan Charlotte Maxwell

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The sudden death of a child is likely the most traumatizing event a parent can experience. Traumatic death, and particularly the death of a child, increases the risk of a complicated grieving process in mourners. Little has been written with respect to the interventions of professionals with parents at the time of a sudden death of a child. The present study examines the experiences of parents with a variety of professionals from the time of death notification through the funeral. Twenty parents who were involved in Bereaved Families of Ontario participated in this study. The purpose was to examine the …

Family-Centered Practice In Early Intervention Services For Infants And Toddlers: The Experience Of Families And Professionals In One Local Interagency Coordinating Council, Patrick Shannon

Theses and Dissertations

Part H [recently reauthorized as Part C] of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mandates the application of family-centered practice principles to early intervention services. There has been a considerable amount of literature published in early intervention journals related to family and professional relationships in early intervention and its connection to family-centered care in early intervention services. There is very little literature, however, that examined the implementation of family-centered principles from a perspective that transcended the relationship between families and early intervention providers.

This inquiry was a constructivist policy analysis of the implementation of the family-centered intent of Part …

Welfare-To-Work Transition With Public Housing Residents: Application Of The Transtheoretical Model, Lisa Mcguire

Lisa E. McGuire

No abstract provided.

Relationships And Universal Energy Laws, Carroy U. Ferguson

Carroy U "Cuf" Ferguson, Ph.D.

Relationships are our most intense forms of "mirrors" in the world. They show us in direct and indirect ways how we are using our personal energy systems in what I call our three life spaces. They show us how we consciously and unconsciously employ what some authors have called Universal Energy Laws (see attached descriptions of these laws) to co-create the quality of our relationships. Whether or not we "attract" and/or deal with relationships in conscious or subconscious ways, what I call the "mirror effect" is reflected in our three life spaces—personal life space, societal life space, and global life …