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Salem Teen Mother Program: A Follow-Up Study, Frances L. Barton

Dissertations and Theses

Society has, historically, reacted to teenage pregnancies with a mixture of embarrassment, apathy and neglect. It wasn't until the 1960's that an attempt was made to design and implement programs to meet the needs of pregnant adolescents. An example of such a program is the Salem Teen Mother Program. This program was begun in 1966 and is affiliated with the local YWCA. If offers a comprehensive program to approximately 150 students each year. The services it offers include day care, social services and counseling, education, health services, parenting skills and employment counseling.

The following chapters include a literature review which …

Evaluative Styles Of Clinicians In Private Practice, Daniel R. Brophy

Dissertations and Theses

A belief shared by all members of the research team was that evaluation is a tool that can be used to improve the effectiveness of clinical practice. Prompted by this interest, a research project was designed to gather descriptive data about evaluation in the private sector. The research question reads:

To what extent and in what way are licensed clinical psychologists and clinical MSW's in the private sector involved in evaluating their practice?

a. Are these clinicians using formative and/or summative evaluation?

b. What techniques and/or mental processes do they use?

Multiple Impact Therapy: Evaluation And Design For Future Study, Jacqueline H. Abikoff

Dissertations and Theses

The theoretical underpinnings of Washington County Children's Services Division (CSD) Immediate Conflict-Resolution Family Treatment Program include the systems theory of family therapy with a focus on communication and roles. One of the many approaches to helping families in crisis, it incorporates theories regarding assessment of and intervention in families in crisis. Finally, while it draws upon several different approaches to family therapy, the Washington County program is most closely related to Multiple Impact Therapy (MIT). Thus, a review of relevant literature must address portions of the above enumerated theories that illuminate the thinking behind the Immediate Conflict-Resolution Family Treatment Program. …

A Generalist Approach To Social Work Practice: Model And Synthesis, Chuck H. Johnson, Paul S. Knight, Michael W. Krumper, John H. Rademaker

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this research practicum is twofold. First, to present a synthesis of current generalist literature and to formulate a practice model which is both comprehensive and representative of current generalist practice in direct services. To our knowledge there is no single reference or source which in and of itself accomplishes this purpose. Therefore, such a model would make an important contribution to the field. Second, to develop a questionnaire which could be used to conduct a descriptive survey of generalist social work practice in Oregon. It would determine the extent to which practitioners in Oregon are practicing as …

A Cost Analysis And Recidivism Study Of A Pre-Trial Diversion Program, Ruth E. Green

Dissertations and Theses

This research project is a report of cost findings and rearrest rates from a program evaluation of a pre-trial diversion program. In 1978 Cascade Research Center (CRC) contracted with Clark County, Washington, to determine the cost-effectiveness and cost-efficiency of the Pre-Habilitation agency, which implements the Prosecuting Attorney's Pre-Trial Diversion Program.

An Evaluative Study Of The Good Samaritan Pain Evaluation Clinic, Frederic G. Wessinger Jr.

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study is to ascertain whether or not the Good Samaritan Pain Evaluation Clinic can be considered a success.

Group Parent Training In Oregon, John Peter Kuzma

Dissertations and Theses

Research examining the actual practice and methods of group parent trainers has not kept pace with the great amount of literature on "how-to-parent" theory. In this study, 23 group parent trainees throughout the Willamette Valley in Oregon were interviewed to determine the characteristics of their groups in terms of numbers of parents in each group, length of groups, fees charged, teaching methods used, parenting approaches taught. Their general concerns and opinions about the parent training field were also elicited.

The support aspects of the parent groups were recognized as integral to parent training's effectiveness. The organizational structure of the groups …

An Investigation Of The Relationship Of Organizational Structure To Job Satisfaction Within Social Service Organizations Serving Elderly Clients, Anne Marguerite Wilkinson

Dissertations and Theses

This study investigated the relationships between organizational structure of client serving organizations and the job satisfaction of the members. The exploration of these relationships was conducted using a three dimension model of job satisfaction and seven dimensions of organizational structure. Data was gathered using interview and survey research techniques from 428 service providers within 42 social service agencies serving elderly clients.

The Interruption Of The Developmental Tasks Through Pregnancy In The Female Adolescent, Suzanne Epstein, Kathleen Perkins

Dissertations and Theses

There is much information about the incidence of adolescent pregnancy yet little attention has been directed to how this process will interrupt the working towards or completion of the developmental tasks of adolescence. It is our belief that completion of these tasks is crucial in relation to moving into the next stage, adulthood.

Public interest and concern for the contemporary needs of pregnant adolescents and school age parents as a special group is still fairly novel. Survey findings revealed that adolescent parents still have great need for infant day care services, direct financial assistance, housing arrangements, education, and parenting education. …

Adoption Of Children In Foster Care: A Comparison Of Processes Leading To Adoption By Foster Parents And Adoption By Others, Janet Lahti

Dissertations and Theses

This research evaluates the results of a change in policy by Oregon's Children's Services Division permitting foster parents to adopt their foster child. A comparison was made between two groups of children, both of whom were seen by their caseworkers as not likely to return home and adoptable. One group was believed likely to be adopted by foster parents and the other believed likely to be adopted by new parents. Process and outcome of placement efforts for the two groups are described and compared. The study sample, comprised of 155 children, were followed for 28 months from the time the …

A Survey Of Mental Health Clients Admitted To General Hospital Emergency Rooms, Marsha J. Beale

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this survey was to obtain information from hospital emergency room staff on each mental health admission during the period of December 15, 1977 to January 15, 1978. Mental health admissions were broadly defined to include those people who were experiencing an observable mental health difficulty, but who may have initially presented primary medical problems. At the request of Multnomah County Mental Health Division's Management Team, and with the approval of the Emergency Department Nurses Association (EDNA), questionnaires were distributed among 16 general hospitals in the Portland, Oregon, Tri-County area. These hospitals are located in Multnomah, Clackamas, and …

Industrial Social Work : A Review Of The Literature And An Evaluation Of An Employee Assistance Program, Gregory Mark Lee

Dissertations and Theses

In the attempt to explore the world of work as an arena for mental health services, this report can be considered as having two major goals. The first is to provide a review and discussion of many of the issues that impact on and are part of the industrial social work field. The meaning of work will be discussed, from both an historical and psychological point of view. Aspects of the community mental health ideology will be presented, especially in relation to the world of work. A brief review of various types of mental health programming will be discussed, as …

Oregon Chapter, National Association Of Social Workers : Membership Study, Gale Brewer, Leslie Hayashida, Kathy Lam, Adrian Navarro

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this practicum is to present a descriptive analysis of possible causes related to the drop-out rate in the Oregon Chapter, National Association of Social Workers (NASW) during the period between March of 1977 to March of 1978. Initial interest and involvement for this practicum was generated by a classroom announcement from Norman L. Wyers, D.S.W., Associate Professor at Portland State University School of Social Work. The announcement indicated that the Oregon Chapter, NASW, was interested in studying this drop-out rate. Throughout this practicum, the Oregon Chapter, NASW will be referred to as the Chapter.

Affirmative Action Programs In Social Service Agencies: Status Of The Female M.S.W., Geraldine Ann Berg

Dissertations and Theses

Job status and salary inequities between men and women have only recently been documented. The federal government, over the past few decades, through various acts and executive orders, has created legislation to prohibit discrimination based on race, sex, color, religion or national origin in all employment practices. The question is to what extent this legislation has permeated social service agencies and affected their employment patterns, particularly with respect to administrative positions.

In 1976, the Women's Issues Committee of the Oregon Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), addressed this question by initiating a study of social work employment …

An Investigation Of Sexuality And Life Satisfaction Of Institutionalized Aged, Karla M. Baur

Dissertations and Theses

One concern of this study is sexuality among the aged, since every person, regardless of age, is a sexual being. Society, however, has been slow to recognize this fact and has not accepted sexual activity among the aged. Along with the lack of social sanctioning, elderly persons are very susceptible to the myriad of myths, half-truths, misinformation, and incomplete data which affect their attitudes toward sexuality. Furthermore, older persons are susceptible to negative stereotypes of themselves as sexual beings. However, the effect of actual sexual activity upon overall life satisfaction among the aged has yet to be determined. Because there …

A Study Of Psoriasis : A Methodological Critique, Prudence Craig Ford, Roberta Jeanne Ford, Susan Swanson

Dissertations and Theses

According to the National Psoriasis Foundation (1976), psoriasis is a little known and poorly understood skin disease afflicting an estimated eight million victims in the United States. About fifteen thousand new cases of psoriasis are diagnosed each year. It affects men and women in equal numbers at any age, most often between the ages of fifteen and thirty-five.

Modification Of The Record-Keeping System Of A Community Mental Health Agency, Karen Knight, Christine Neilsen, Craig Schreiter

Dissertations and Theses

In recent years the social service field has incorporated program evaluation. In this time of accountability, funding sources want to to know what they are buying. As they respond to this requirement, agencies often discover that they have been living with archaic record-keeping systems. Systems which are cumbersome, or do not collect needed information have become the focus for change.

The context overview includes, first, information about the agency, Salem Area Family Counseling Service (SAFCS), second, about the catchment area from which it draws clients, and third, about the people it serves. The time perspective from which this is written …

The Effect Of Administrative Mandate On Social Workers' Clinical Decision Making, Richard Arthur Anderson

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study is to explore the extent to which Social Workers' clinical judgement is altered by administrative needs in a population of Veterans Administration social workers.

The importance of this study to research is to find out whether administrative mandates do, in fact, influence social workers' clinical judgement, hence altering treatment to some significant degree. Administrators will be interested in seeing whether there is acceptance or resistance to their directives and what factors are involved in this dimension.

Negotiating The Guilty Plea: A Study Of The Process Of Felony Case Disposition In One Urban Court System, Kathryn Ann Farr

Dissertations and Theses

Recent research has led to a growing awareness that the dominant method of settling criminal cases in the United States involves disposition without trial. The overwhelming majority of criminal cases are settled by guilty pleas, and the majority of guilty plea dispositions involve some kind of bargain on the charge or sentence. The purpose of the present study was to examine and analyze the phenomenon of negotiating the guilty plea in terms of its relationship to the functional needs and ideal goals of the court system. A basic assumption of this study was that case disposition through a bargaining process …

Stressful Life Events : A Comparative Study Of Native American And Urban Samples, Sandra Ketcher

Dissertations and Theses

The subject of this paper is an extension of the work done Holmes and Rahe on the development of the Social Readjustment Rating Scale or SRRS and of the study, “Individual Perception of Stressful Life Events: A Comparison of Native Americans, Rural, and Urban Samples,” conducted by Dr. Liberman and Joel Frank. This study will compare those two samples with a sample of a selected Pacific Northwest Indian tribe served by an Indian Health Service facility.

“The Stressful Life Events: A Comparative Study of Native American and Urban Samples” study is a singular component of a total effort on the …

A Descriptive Study Of Demography & Transportation Issues Of Chronically Mentally Ill In The Eastern Oregon Comprehensive Community Mental Health Catchment Area, Tom H. Brubaker, David Emmons, John Meade

Dissertations and Theses

The CMI (Chronically Mentally Ill) experience many problems in obtaining services in both rural and urban environments. Such problems include community resistance to the mentally ill, inadequate treatment services, support systems, a lack of service utilization, and a lack of follow-up studies concerning this population, especially in rural areas. While these problems are generally characteristic of all areas of the country, whether urban or rural, they tend to have extreme manifestations in rural areas. Such problems are also conjoint in rural areas with rural life poverty, isolation, transportation difficulties, and sparse populations. In order to understand the possible barriers to …

Washington County Aftercare Service Utilization Study, James Richard Peterson

Dissertations and Theses

Broadly speaking, the purpose of this study is to:

1. Assess the functioning of the psychiatric hospital aftercare service delivery system by examining community service utilization patterns of Dammasch Hospital releases.

2. Obtain descriptive information relating to Washington County's chronic aftercare population.

3. Provide an objective data base that can be used to further develop the Aftercare Service Delivery System in Washington County.

The First Years Of Life: A Comparative Analysis Of British And American Parent Education, Deborah Anne Smith Guisti, Ellen Turner Jurevic, Jane Elizabeth Mozena, David W. Pedersen

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of our study is to analyze a British parent education program called "The First Years of Life" and compare it with some programs and educational services of similar content in America. We hope to ascertain whether "The First Years of Life," as presented by the Open University, affords a better means of providing information than some programs now existent in the United States offering prenatal and parent education.

Assessment Of The Health And Social Service Needs Of The Elderly Of The Confederated Tribes Of Warm Springs, Bruce K. Cannon, Jan C. Goslin

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study is to examine what the elderly of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs reported as their health and social service needs in the Tribal Health and Social Service Needs Assessment. It will also review the elderly's concerns and those of the general population in regards to future planning of services for the elders.

Follow-Up Study Of Children In Six Day And Residential Treatment Service (Darts) Centers In Oregon, Doris M. Beard, L. Gail Bulkley

Dissertations and Theses

This study was begun at the request of the Mental Health Division (MHD) of the State of Oregon. The purpose was to conduct a follow-up study on six Day and Residential Treatment Service (DARTS) Centers which are funded by MHD. The purpose of the research was to assess whether or not the Centers are an effective treatment tool. The information acquired by this study will be used to provide information to MHD and the DARTS Center Directors to assist their decision making regarding program direction, and to provide MHD with specific information to be used in preparation for the upcoming …

Some Observations Of The Swedish Psychiatric System, Gunnar Robert Almgren

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this report is to introduce the reader to the system of psychiatric services in Sweden. The format of this report is a brief summary of the economic, political and value context of the Swedish welfare state, a review of the essential services available to the Swedish citizen under present Swedish social welfare policy, and then an overview of Sweden's psychiatric system. The overview of the system itself includes a discussion of general characteristics as well as an examination of the system as it operates in one particular region.

Factors Involved In The Utilization Of A Divorce Counseling Service, Jean G. Demaiffe, Richard H. Weiss

Dissertations and Theses

This report presents a descriptive study of characteristics of persons using a family court service. A comparison is made between persons using the service and a sample of the population whom the agency was designed to serve.

The purposes of the study were to determine if the agency was serving the client population it was designed to serve and to provide a socio-demographic data base for further research and planning at the agency.

A Study Of Multnomah County Community Support Services For The Chronically Mentally Ill, Karen Albers

Dissertations and Theses

In recent years attention has been given to the problems of the chronically mentally ill in regard to the effects of deinstitutionalization and a need for community supports. In this study, 77 service providers to the chronically mentally ill of Multnomah County (Portland), Oregon were interviewed to assess the components of the existing community support system for this population, as well as to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the system. Ten chronically mentally ill clients were interviewed in a similar manner.

Although a multitude of problems were reported, service providers most frequently mentioned the need for residential situations, for …

The Foundations And Social Change, Helen M. Dalton

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis provides an historical review of the role and function of the philanthropic foundation as an institution of American society, stressing in particular the foundation response to social change. The period of emphasis is World War II to the present, although earlier history is also covered in some detail.

Developmental Tasks Of Older People: Implications For Group Work Practice, Mitchell Alan Lang

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study is to explore the ways in which a developmental approach to personality change can be applied to the later years in life. Chapter II is a brief introduction to the concept of development and its relation to aging. Chapter III contains a literature review of existing developmental theories of aging plus those theories which I feel can be integrated into a psychosocial developmental model. Chapter IV, a description of group work techniques with older people based on the developmental task approach, contains my own ideas for group practice. My primary intention throughout the paper is …