Social Work Commons^™

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.'

Through The Camera Lens Of Development: An Exploration Of Ngos' Representations Of Africa, Sebastian Lindstrom

Master's Capstone Projects

The purpose if this qualitative research is to acquire new knowledge in the African visual representational landscape, a digital space carefully filmed and edited by some of the most celebrated and acknowledged, mostly Western, NGOs in the world. The most watched Africa-related video from 50 NGOs were selected, downloaded and analyzed. After continuous re-watching of a 3.5 hour long set of visual data tree themes emerged. One segment relates around the NGOs intervention, another about the term or statement ‘help’, and the last theme is HIV/AIDS. The findings include the realization that the beneficiary was never explaining the intervention of …

Negotiating Invisibility: Addressing Lgbt Prejudice In China, Hong Kong, And Thailand, Hunter Gray

Master's Capstone Projects

This research serves as a consolidation of information regarding the global response to LGBT prejudice, and in particular, the response of organizations situated in China, Hong Kong, and Thailand. Interviews with activists and researchers from organizations that address LGBT prejudice served as the main form of data. Findings and subsequent analysis point to the ways in which organizations respond to the lack of visibility of the LGBT community, and how this invisibility is related to various manifestations of LGBT prejudice. Strategies that organizations have developed to respond to LGBT prejudice reveal how organizations negotiate contextual variables in their attempts to …

Through A Critical Sociocultural Lens: Parents’ Perspectives Of An Early Childhood Program In Guatemala, Yaëlle Stempfelet

Master's Capstone Projects

The present case study is on an Early Childhood program in Guatemala based on participant parents’ feedback. The Early Childhood program is non-formal, focuses on emergent literacy and nutrition, and takes place in a community-run library in a poor, semi-rural town in the mountainous regions of Quiche, Guatemala. The library was set up by a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) that works in Guatemala as well as another neighboring country.

Using a critical sociocultural lens, this study assumes that the parents’ perceptions reflect the state of the program and that involving their feedback through this research will ultimately help to bolster the …

Ingos In The Mirror: Critical Reflections Of Practitioners Implementing Psychosocial Support Programs, Stephen M. Richardson

Master's Capstone Projects

The purpose of this qualitative research is to learn from the professional wisdom of practitioners involved in implementing school-based psychosocial support in conflict-affected contexts. Practitioners from four different International Non-governmental Organizations (INGO) working in three different contexts—the Congo Basin region, the South Asia region, and the Sudan region—reflect on the concepts and realities of the psychosocial support models that their organizations use. A common theme emerging from these interviews is that the approach to psychosocial support has the potential to do harm. The practitioners provide real examples of the ways in which harm may occur and their possible causes. These …

Differences Between Children With Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders And Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders: Rural Social Work Implications For Prevention, Assessment And Treatment, Susan M. Ryan, George S. Leibowitz, Jeanne M. Nauheimer, Paul Force-Emery Mackie

Social Work Department Publications

This literature review examined nine quantitative research studies published between 1992-2013 that compared children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) to identify: (a) the differences between these children (e.g., intellectual, behavioral); and (b) the diagnostic tools that may be used to distinguish between them, thereby providing a differential diagnosis. Special focus was placed on rural treatment implications. These studies revealed differences between the intellectual, executive functioning, adaptive behavior, motor, and behavioral skills of children with FASD and ADHD. This review identified neurodevelopmental assessments used in these nine research studies that appear to support learning …

Poverty Knowledge, Coercion, And Social Rights: A Discourse Ethical Contribution To Social Epistemology, David Ingram

Philosophy: Faculty Publications and Other Works

In today’s America the persistence of crushing poverty in the midst of staggering affluence no longer incites the righteous jeremiads it once did. Resigned acceptance of this paradox is fueled by a sense that poverty lies beyond the moral and technical scope of government remediation. The failure of experts to reach agreement on the causes of poverty merely exacerbates our despair. Are the causes internal to the poor – reflecting their more or less voluntary choices? Or do they emanate from structures beyond their control (but perhaps amenable to government remediation)? If both of these explanations are true (as I …

Understanding The Impact Of Adolescent Attachment On Academic Success, Cristina Cortesi

Dissertations

In recent years, studies are citing an increase in adolescent mental health diagnoses and symptomotology related to AD/HD, Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Anxiety, and Conduct Disorders. While the associated behaviors may be the result of several variables, recent neurobiological studies combined with Attachment Theory have pointed to a possible link to attachment issues. Because of the developmental stage of adolescents, these behaviors have been observed in both home and school environments. Schools, in general in the United States, have been experiencing significant struggles in terms of lack of adequate educational success which prompted the implementation of legislation commonly known as No …

The Role Of Spirituality/Religion As A Coping Mechanism During Treatment For Disordered Eating, David Franczyk

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of spirituality/religion used as a coping mechanism during treatment for disordered eating. Given the mixed outcome results of current therapeutic and pharmacological treatment methods for disordered eating, it is important to investigate other factors which may influence the treatment process. This study evaluated the role of spirituality/religion used as a coping mechanism among 61 patients who were admitted into an eating disorder treatment program and then discharged over a period of 15 months. In this quantitative study, the Brief RCOPE measure was self-administered at admission to determine the levels of …

Practitioners' Evaluations Of Theraplay As An Effective Tool In Serving Foster And Adopted Children And Their Families, Rana Hong

Dissertations

Several studies have shown that foster and adopted children have high risk of developing severe mental health problems (Blome & Steib, 2004; Golden, 2009; Leslie, Hurlburt, Landsverk, Barth, & Slyman, 2004; McMillen. Scott, Zima, Ollie, Munson, & Spitznagel, 2004). On the other hand, evidence-based models are limited and less accessible for practitioners working with foster and adopted children (Dorsey, Kerns, Trupin, Conover, & Berliner, 2012). The goal for this study is to explore the practitioners' evaluations of Theraplay®, which is a relationship based model for meeting the pervasive clinical needs of foster and adopted children and their families. Exploring Theraplay …

The Restorative Justice Talking Circle Process With Probation Officers: A Phenomenological Approach, Constance Marie Sheehan

Dissertations

Restorative justice seeks to bring together stakeholders in the justice system by acknowledging harm caused by offending behavior and finding ways to repair that harm. The activities associated with restorative justice create the potential for meaningful and positive outcomes for all stakeholders within the system. Restorative justice asks, what is the harm?, who are the stakeholders?, and, how can the harm best be repaired? A particular restorative practice - the talking circle - is a common practice of restorative justice efforts. The potential for restorative justice practices, like the talking circle, is developing of a new way of understanding for …

Homeless Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual And Transgender (Lgbt) Youth In New York City: Insights From The Field, Nicholas Forge, Geoffrey L. Ream

SW Publications

$is article reviews existing information about homeless lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth in New York City. It describes how the frequently heard narrative about them—“kicked out” of familial homes to the streets for being LGBT, heavy involvement with hard drugs and sex work, broad prevalence of HIV and suicidality—misrepresents the majority. It foregrounds issues that really are faced by most homeless LGBT youth, such as trauma, discrimination in foster care and shelters, structural barriers to exiting homelessness, and emerging adult development.

Will The Treatment Protocols For Schizophrenia Be Changing Soon?, Jill Littrell

SW Publications

In recent decades the understanding of the core physiology giving rise to schizophrenia has advanced markedly. Current pharmacological interventions fail to target the core problems in schizophrenia. Several important outcome studies call into question whether current medications actually make long term outcomes worse. These new studies follow the recognized negative side effect of anti-psychotic drugs. The implication of these findings for social workers who work with the seriously mentally ill are discussed. Alternatives to current pharmacological treatments which are more targeted toward the core physiology of schizophrenia are reviewed.

Recommendations Of Transgender Students, Staff, And Faculty In The Usa For Improving College Campuses, Kristie L. Seelman

SW Publications

Research indicates that transgender individuals frequently experience marginalization and interpersonal victimization within college and university settings. Missing from the literature is a discussion of what can be done to address such patterns in higher education, based upon empirical data gathered from transgender and gender non-conforming students, staff, and faculty. The present study aims to fill this gap by reporting on solutions offered by a sample of 30 individuals in one U.S. state while integrating a lens of intersectionality. Five resulting themes include: (a) offer education, campus programming, and support for trans individuals; (b) improve university systems and procedures for recording …

Relación Entre Política Pública E Innovación Social. Una Apuesta Por La Inclusión Social, Laura Cristina Medina Fuentes, Andrés Felipe Fajardo Vásquez, José Alejandro Correa Garzón

Trabajo Social

El presente escrito reflexiona sobre políticas públicas que incorporan estrategias de innovación social en las etapas de formulación y ejecución, desde allí se retoma el caso de la política pública de “Antioquia La Más Educada”, ya que en el escenario de política pública en Colombia, hasta el momento, ésta es la única que incorpora elementos de innovación social en su estructura. Cabe resaltar que el documento no pretende hacer una evaluación a la política pública de Medellín, sino visibilizar elementos que contienen las políticas de innovación social impulsadas por iniciativas de innovación social, haciendo énfasis en elementos de inclusión social, …

Estrategias De Afrontamiento Familiar En Un Grupo De Mujeres Que Padecen La Desaparición Forzada De Su Excompañero Consecuencia Del Conflicto Armado, Residentes De Yopal, Casanare, María Esneda Gutierrez Pinto, Chris Victoria Ramírez Ramírez, Lina Maria Rojas Gómez

Trabajo Social

El presente Trabajo de Grado se desarrolló durante en el año 2013 con el fin de dar a conocer las estrategias de afrontamiento económicas, educativas, culturales y afectivas de un grupo de cuatro mujeres residentes en la Ciudad de Yopal, Casanare, tras la desaparición forzada de sus ex - compañeros. Para dar conocimiento de dichas estrategias, el Trabajo de Grado parte de la descripción de cada una de estas utilizadas por las mujeres a partir de su caracterización sociodemográfica, indagar de las trasformaciones asumidas por cada una de ellas y, finalmente, las estrategias de afrontamiento utilizadas a partir de la …

Características Del Liderazgo Femenino En La Asociación Nacional De Mujeres Campesinas, Negras E Indígenas De Colombia Anmucic, 2013, Angie Viviana Patarroyo Martínez, Catalina Castillón Enríquez, Diana Paola Álvarez Rodríguez, Natalia Pineda Avellaneda

Trabajo Social

El presente trabajo de grado se realizó con el fin de identificar sobre las características del liderazgo femenino de las mujeres de la Asociación Nacional de Mujeres Campesinas, Negras e Indígenas de Colombia ANMUCIC. Esta investigación fue realizada durante el año 2013 con base a una metodología cualitativa que permitió comprender las subjetvidades y visibilizar las voces de las lideresas en sus contextos inmediatos. Esta investigación se llevó a cabo bajo dos modalidades de entrevista; estructurada y semiestructurada, la cual permitió conocer por medio de un dialogo directo con las lideresas: el perfil sociodemográfico; los motivos de participación; efectos; aprendizajes …