Social Work Commons^™

Social Enterprise, Stuart C. Mendel

Stuart C Mendel

Spatially Integrated And Socially Segregated: The Effects Of Mixed-Income Neighbourhoods On Social Well-Being, Amie Thurber, Calire Riehle Bohmann, Craig Anne Heflinger

Amie Thurber

Mixed-income development is the latest in a long line of policy interventions to improve outcomes in distressed urban neighbourhoods, particularly as an alternative to large scale public housing projects. Such developments are inherently integrationist, and have profound effects on the social lives and well-being of residents. After situating mixed-income developments within current residential demographic trends with regard to race and income, this article provides a comprehensive review of the 22 empirical studies addressing social integration in mixed-income developments in the United States, focusing on understanding the effects of spatial integration on social well-being. We discuss policy and practice implications to ...

Resident Experts: The Potential Of Critical Participatory Action Research To Inform Public Housing Research And Practice, Amie Thurber, Leslie Collins, Marilyn Greer, Demetri Mcknight, Darlene Thompson

Amie Thurber

Policies affecting those living in poverty are often created without the direct and meaningful participation of the people meant to be served. This has been especially the case with public housing. To contextualize the need for alternative approaches to inquiry, we begin by examining the history of public housing through the lens of oppression and present critical Participatory Action Research as an alternative approach to research and policy-making. We provide a case study of a critical Participatory Action Research project sited in a public housing project slated for redevelopment. We conclude that engaging ‘‘resident experts’’ in the research process heightened ...

Mental Illness, Recovery, And Employment: A Grounded Theory, Francine M. Bates

Theses and Dissertations

This grounded theory study provides knowledge into the enduring unemployment of individuals in recovery from serious mental illness (SMI) who additionally receive supplemental security disability benefits (SSI). A constructivist framework was used in the development and implementation of this study. Grounded theory methods for data coding and analysis consisted of initial, focused and theoretical coding. Analysis continued in the development of theoretical concepts and emergent theory. Findings emphasize the complexity and amalgamation of study participants lived experiences that sustain unemployment. Theoretical concepts presented in this study are, composite barrier, encumbering reality, the obstructing impact of ambivalence and the someday dream ...

Un-Naming Collaboration: An Unexpected Catalyst For Understanding Participation In Critical Ethnography, Allison Anders, Joshua Diem

The Qualitative Report

In this article, we trace interactions with participants in two different research projects. Although the research settings were different, we focus on what the projects had in common: a commitment to collaboration, methodological training from the same faculty, and our respective decisions to turn away from labeling our work collaborative deep into each project’s development. In a narrative as chronicle, we represent ways each project unfolded and then why each of us abandoned claims of collaboration. Specifically, we share the critical positions we staked early in our research designs and the communication with participants that taught us to un-name ...

The Privilege Of Healthy Eating: A Qualitative Study Exploring The Local Food Choices Of Low-Income Families From Appalachia, Iryna Sharaievska Dr., Stephanie West Dr., Melissa Weddell Dr.

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Using qualitative semi-structured interviews, 15 low-income women of different ages were asked to discuss their perceptions of healthy eating, local farmers’ markets, as well as their visitation of farmers’ markets. The participants were also asked to share what features of farmers’ markets they found appealing. The results showed that most of the participants had either a deep or moderate understanding of what it means to eat healthy. However, many of them also believed they could improve their own patterns of eating. The data also showed that the low-income women who took part in the study had positive attitudes overall toward ...

Lifelong Wellbeing For Survivors Of Sex Trafficking: Collaborative Perspectives From Survivors, Researchers, And Service Providers, Amy Vatne Bintliff, Christine Stark, Lori Diprete Brown, Araceli Alonso

Dignity: A Journal on Sexual Exploitation and Violence

This article summarizes a collaborative effort by researchers, service providers, and women who have experienced exploitation and trafficking for sex, to inform policy and practice related to care for survivors. The effort brought together current research program experience from around the world, and survivor perspectives, in a 2015 interactive forum entitled “STREETS of Hope: Listening to and Supporting Survivors of Human Trafficking.” A participatory approach to defining wellbeing, designed especially for use with vulnerable or highly marginalized populations of women and girls, provided the framework for the discussions. In addition, attempts were made to use principles of trauma-informed care during ...

(S)Expectations Abroad: Male Traveler Interactions With Southeast Asian Economies, Elliot J. Glotfelty, Glenn M. Miles

Dignity: A Journal on Sexual Exploitation and Violence

Interacting with locals is a highlight of the tourism experience; however, these interactions may be accompanied by unsolicited propositions for the traveler to participate in the sex industry. Through the lens of Thailand’s largely visible sex industry, this work addresses issues of tourism and travel intertwined with the sex industry in greater Southeast Asia. Governments, a variety of businesses and individuals benefiting financially from a burgeoning sex tourism industry encourage persistence of a viable local sex trade. Although subtleties exist between human trafficking, the sex industry, and sex tourism, each can be intertwined. This article provides an overview of ...

Incorporating Social System Dynamics In The Columbia River Basin: Food-Energy-Water Resilience And Sustainability Modeling In The Yakima River Basin, Jennifer E. Givens, Julie Padowski, Christian D. Guzman, Keyvan Malek, Rebecca Witinok-Huber, Barbara Cosens, Michael Briscoe, Jan Boll, Jennifer Adam

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

In the face of climate change, achieving resilience of desirable aspects of food-energy-water (FEW) systems already strained by competing multi-scalar social objectives requires interdisciplinary approaches. This study is part of a larger effort exploring “Innovations in the Food-Energy-Water Nexus (INFEWS)” in the Columbia River Basin (CRB) through coordinated modeling and simulated management scenarios. Here, we focus on a case study and conceptual mapping of the Yakima River Basin (YRB), a sub-basin of the CRB. Previous research on FEW system management and resilience includes some attention to social dynamics (e.g., economic and governance systems); however, more attention to social drivers ...

Demystifying The Construction Of Qualitative Research Methodology: An Approachable Text For Doctoral Students, Stephanie A. Bluestein Ed.D.

The Qualitative Report

Durdella’s text, Qualitative Dissertation Methodology: A Guide for Research Design and Methods, breaks down the steps for conducting qualitative research in applied programs of study and social behavioral science fields. The book, also useful to department chairs and program directors, focuses on designing a qualitative study, conducting the study and analyzing the data. Useful advice drawn from Durdella’s experience as a dissertation committee chair, in addition to introspective questions for the student, help to demystify the methodology chapter and, thus, could have a positive impact on programs.

Be More: Buffering Against Gender Stereotypes By Building Self-Efficacy Beliefs, Erica Mohr

Master of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) Capstone Projects

Research shows that organizations perform better when women are represented on senior leadership teams. Yet women are not rising to the highest ranks of leadership at equivalent rates as men. Gender stereotypes negatively influence women’s self-efficacy, the internal beliefs of what they are capable of. Women hold themselves back when they respond to these low self-efficacy beliefs, by not aspiring, not applying, not asking, and not acting. This paper explores current leadership gap data and the consequences of the disparity between men and women in leadership roles. Next, the paper describes how stereotypes can create the underlying problem: limiting ...

Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment: A Primer, Thomas M. Meuser

Social Work Faculty Publications

Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment is an integrative approach to diagnosis, treatment and management of older adults that takes the whole person into account. While deficits may be a primary focus, strengths are also considered.

Life Review In Aging: A Primer, Thomas M. Meuser

Social Work Faculty Publications

Humans are narrative beings. We understand and speak of ourselves and the events of our lives in the context of stories. The stories we tell are influenced by our lived experiences, the quality of our memories (what’s recalled and forgotten), relationships, personality styles, values, accomplishments, regrets, spiritual beliefs, and a host of other factors. Telling our stories from the vantage point of old age is reflective of a maturational process of introspection and discovery called life review.

Book Review Of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: Expanding Your View, Deborah Langosch

GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy

N/A for book review

Service Providers Perspective On The Unique Needs Of Sexually Exploited Women And Children In The Inland Empire, Ruth Harrison

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to explore and expose the needs of sexually exploited women and children. The participants were recruited from a few non-profit agencies in the Inland Empire area. This study found one of the most underlying challenge facing the participants when working with sexually exploited victims was the unavailability of resources, particularly, shortage of transitional housing for them. Another finding that featured prominently in the study was related to a need for continuous training and education for the service providers in order to stay current with trends. The study also identified the rapport building ...

The Effectiveness Of Disciplinary Interventions In School-Based Counseling, Dakota Blue Bates

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This project discusses the effectiveness of disciplinary interventions in school-based counseling. Participants were selected from elementary and middle school sites in a school district in Southern California. Qualitative interviews were conducted to give this researcher additional knowledge in the field of school-based counseling. The audio of the interviews that were conducted were recorded, transcribed, and then analyzed by this researcher. The knowledge of the participants and their unique experiences operating with a wide range of students in many years of experience allowed for a more comprehensive understanding of what intervention strategies are most beneficial to students and where schools and ...

Building An Evidence-Based, Holistic Approach To Advancing Integrated Employment, Allison C. Hall, John Butterworth, Jean Winsor, John Kramer, Kelly Nye-Lengerman, Jaimie Ciulla Timmons, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

ThinkWork! Publications

Since the introduction of supported employment in the Developmental Disabilities Act of 1984 and the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1986, there has been continued development and refinement of best practices in employment services and supports. Progress includes creative outcomes for individuals with significant support needs including customized jobs and self-employment, community rehabilitation providers that have shifted emphasis to integrated employment, and states that have made a substantial investment in Employment First policy and strategy. Despite these achievements, the promise of integrated employment remains elusive for the majority of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The number of individuals supported in ...

On The Front Lines: Managerialism In Substance Abuse Agencies, Jocelyn E. Lewiskin

All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Neoliberal economic policies have led to changes within the field of human services in the United States since the mid-1970s. These policies, which seek to reduce the role of thefederal government through tactics such as privatization, continue to be evident across human services organizations today. This policy approach is operationalized through New Public Management (NPM), which is also referred to as ‘Managerialism’, and is characterized by output-orientated, quantitative focused, performance based measures and evidence-based practice. These characteristics have impacted the workforce in human service organizations. Using qualitative semi-structured interviews of front line workers, this dissertation will examine the effects of ...

Increasing Access To Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (Prep) Among Transgender Women And Trans Feminine Non-Binary Individuals In New York City, Augustus Klein

All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In the United States transgender women (i.e., individuals born male whose gender identity is on the feminine spectrum) are a highly vulnerable and marginalized population at high risk for HIV. Substance use, survival sex work, depression, unstable housing, and high levels of victimization and violence are commonly reported by transgender women and trans feminine individuals, indicating the potential for multiple concurrent HIV risks and underlying vulnerabilities. Structural forms of discrimination may contribute to these risk factors, possibly leading to poor outcomes such as unemployment or underemployment, homelessness, and lack of access to gender-affirming health care. Given this context, a ...

Vampires In The Technological Mist The Sharing Economy Employment And The Quest For Economic Justice And Fairness In A Digital Future.Pdf, Lauri Goldkind, John G. Mcnutt

Lauri Goldkind