Digital Commons Network^™

A Model For Teaching Small Group Skills In A Laboratory Setting, Larry Ferguson, James Reavis

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this research practicum is to present the development, implementation, and evaluation of a model for teaching small group skills. This model was designed for a class in small groups that the authors of this paper taught at Portland State University in the School of Social Work. In designing this class, the authors were concerned with goals somewhat different than the more traditional goal of imparting knowledge about groups to the learner. The main goal of this class was to teach to students skills in working with small groups. This approach required developing a knowledge base about small …

Leadership Styles And Staff Satisfaction In Four Nursing Homes: Implications For Service Delivery, Carol Nightengale

Dissertations and Theses

This is a study of four nursing care facilities in Portland, Oregon in 1975-1976, which examines the relationship between leadership style and staff satisfaction, leadership style and patient satisfaction, and staff satisfaction and patient satisfaction.

Effects Of Increased Fuel Costs On Households In A Low Income Neighborhood In Portland, Oregon, Ora Allen, Betty Heald

Dissertations and Theses

This study is made up of two parts which explore some of the effects upon individual households making up a sample of a low income neighborhood in Portland. The first section in Chapter II presents a survey of sample households in our identified area, securing personal information given by adult members along with their responses to questions concerning effects on their budgets and the adaptations they have made to reduce the cost of fuel. The second section compares costs of fuel for January, February, and March of 1975 with the same months of 1974 for another sample in the same …

A Study Describing The Counseling Practices Of The Pastors In The Pacific Northwest Conference Of The Free Methodist Church, Jere' Slingerland Howell

Dissertations and Theses

The study was designed to determine the general knowledge of counseling techniques and procedures by pastors . The research was in no way designed to make value judgments on t he effectiveness of pastoral counseling or the appropriateness of techniques utilized by counseling pastors. It has provided a general overview of pastoral counseling within a specific population.

Oregon's Struggle Toward A Comprehensive Plan For Children's Mental Health Services: A Historical And Political Process, Kristin Angell

Dissertations and Theses

Practicum focusing on the history of the planning and development of children's mental health services in Oregon, with special emphasis on the training of pediatricians and how pediatricians address children's mental health issues. Offers a detailed look at the legislative processes surrounding mental health program development, as the heightened role that referrals play in how treatment is identified and administered.

Attitudes Of Women Toward World Hunger, Judith L. Kidd

Dissertations and Theses

The primary purpose of this study is to explore the attitudes of women toward the world food crisis, their roles, and the roles of their countries in its possible solutions. The data is based on a questionnaire administered to women from thirty countries who attended the International Women's Year Tribune in Mexico City, June 19 to July 2, 1975.

The Negative Effects Of Divorce On The Behavior Of Children, David Hawkins, Karen Lloyd

Dissertations and Theses

Our study is concerned with the effects of filing for divorce on the behavior of children. We are interested in the adjustment of the child to the changes which occur during separation and divorce, and we maintain the attitude that the lives of children are affected in some way when a marriage or family unit dissolves. A generally accepted belief is that divorce produces negative consequences in the lives of children as shown in their behavior. However, recently a number of studies have suggested that divorce need not be a negative experience, at least to the degree most people feel …

The Impact Of Ssi On The Social Security Administration: An Intraorganizational Study With Interorganizational Ramifications, Patricia A. Parker

Dissertations and Theses

In 1974 a revolutionary new income maintenance program was implemented in the United States. It was revolutionary in style because it provided a federalized income floor for the elderly, blind and disabled, previously provided for under various federal, state, and local welfare programs. The program was called Supplemental Security Income, or SSI.

The Social Security Administration, a long-standing institution in the financial community because of old age, survivors and disability insurance (OASDI) benefits, was chosen to administer SSI. SSI represented a new innovation for the Social Security Administration who had never before had to provide non-work-related benefits to indigents. In …

Need Assessment Methodology, Gerald A. Burns, Janet S. Putnam

Dissertations and Theses

A need assessment is a systematic process of determining community needs through the comparative analysis of people, problems, and services. Although need assessments of some form have existed since biblical times, it has only been within recent years that their use in social planning has become prominent. This is attributed to the increasing belief in the necessity of pertinent data to make decision-making responsive to community needs.

Ten basic issues should be considered in designing a need assessment, These are: 1) Purpose; 2) Decision-making context; 3) Agency resources; 4) Scope; 5) Future studies; 6) Staff roles; 7) Data collection; 8) …

Residential Treatment Of Emotionally Disturbed Adolescents, Rosemary Brown Sutherland

Dissertations and Theses

This study was requested by Dr. Ira B. Korman, Administrator, Woodland Park Mental Health Center. Woodland Park Mental Health Center currently provides a program of short-term evaluation and crisis care for adolescents. The staff there find it is difficult to locate suitable out-of-home placements for certain of their adolescent patients concluding hospitalization. Their concern for this group of hard-to-place patients has led to this inquiry, the purposes of which are to (1) assess need, (2) design a residential program, and (3) consider the feasibility of its implementation.

Social Work Continuing Education Needs Assessment Study, Mary Lou Timme

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of the needs assessment study was to obtain current, accurate, concrete information on the continuing education needs and preferences of selected social service practitioners. In addition, the intention was to gather information that could actually be used in planning and continuing education offerings by the Portland State University School of Social Work Continuing Education Coordinator.

The No-Fault Dissolution Of Marriage Act In Oregon: A Study Of Its Effect On Selected Factors, Dennis Arthur Armstrong

Dissertations and Theses

In October of 1972, the Dissolution of Marriage Act (hereinafter referred to as the Act) became a part of the law and judicial practice of the state of Oregon. The Act represents a significant change in Oregon's law. It also represents a significant evolutionary development in the 'attitude of the legal community toward the process of divorce or as it is now termed, dissolution of marriage.

The Act was a response to extensive criticism from professionals and from the public. The problem is the legislators were not sure of the effects of the Act and now that it is in …

A Qualitative Assessment Of Clark County's Mental Health Delivery System, John L. Hutchison

Dissertations and Theses

During the past several years, service delivery for mental health in Clark County has changed dramatically. The increase in funding from the federal government in the 1960's, the trend toward de-institutionalization, the emphasis on local control and administration, the proliferation of service agencies and types of programs, and the increase in demand for mental health services, has created the complex, multi-dimensional, multi-funded "system" called the mental health system.

This increased complexity in the service delivery system has resulted in confusion among decision makers, consumers, providers of service, and the community at large. This confusion has manifested itself in a call …

Post-Discharge Adjustment Of Children Treated At Edgefield Lodge, Sandra M. Erickson

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to assess the adjustment of 157 children discharged from Edgefield Lodge in an effort toward accountability to both clients served and the public.

Level of adjustment of the children was determined by checking the records of various community agencies including the Police, Sherriff, Youth Service Centers, Juvenile Court, Children’s Services Division, and the schools. Using the information gathered, the adjustment of each child was scored using the Community Adaptation Scale which was developed for that purpose. Theses adjustment scores were the main outcome variable in the study.

A Study Of Runaway Behavior And Other Factors Impeding Treatment At Albertina Kerr Center, A Residential Treatment Center For Girls, June Anderson, Mary Coleman, Kristi Kennen, Tom Ross

Dissertations and Theses

This report is a descriptive analysis of data obtained from the files of girls terminated from treatment at Albertina Kerr Center between January 1^st, 1975 and July 1^st, 1976. The purpose of the study is to identify factors that contribute to the high runaway rate which plagues the Center, and to offer the agency suggestions for dealing with the growing problem.

Our findings suggest that there are two groups of residents who are apt to be prematurely terminated from the program due to running behavior. We have called the first group character disordered children, while the second …

Social Workers' Attitudes About Poverty, Trudy Hussmann

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study is to assess the attitudes of a select group of social workers in the Portland area. The study will focus on their attitudes about the causes of poverty and actions to deal with problems of poverty. These attitudes will be examined in the context of a theoretical framework. The sample consists of those social workers and social work-related professionals who serve as field instructors for the Portland State School of Social Work. This means that the study will also provide information about the attitudes that Portland State social work students are likely to encounter in …

Managing Human Services, Betsy W. Romain

Dissertations and Theses

Professional schools have realized for some time that there is an uncomfortable gap between the requirements of their academic curriculum and the realities of a professional job. The skills required, performance level and final product, are noticeably different in the academic world than in the work world. This void between what is required in school and what is required on the job, has become of increasing concern as larger numbers of academically qualified students compete for a decreasingly smaller number of jobs. Additionally, institutes of higher education, caught in current day fiscal realities, are under pressure from both students and …

Articulation Error Rates For Oral Reading Tasks In Children With Developmental Apraxia Of Speech, Kenneth Jerry Arkell

Dissertations and Theses

Recently, there have appeared in the literature treatment approaches for the disorder of developmental apraxia of speech in children. These treatment approaches make use of the visual modality, and specifically use reading stimulus materials to improve articulation skills. Several authors have endorsed this use of reading materials in the treatment of developmental apraxia of speech in children including Morley (1965); Rosenthal (1971); Rosenbek and Wertz (1972); and Rosenbek et al. (1974). These treatment approaches have been offered via the literature without the benefit of empirical verification that children with DAS will make fewer articulation errors while reading aloud than they …

Moving Toward Integration: A Study Of Theory And Practice In Feminist Therapy, Susan Amelia Thomas

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis describes a study designed to explore the emerging field of feminist therapy. The goal was not to test the validity of feminist therapy, to probe the assumptions on which it is based, or to compare it to other forms of therapy but to characterize the theory and practice of feminist therapy as it now exists. Feminist therapy was seen as growing out of the cultural and historical context of the feminist movement, which includes a critique of society with emphasis on the particular psychological consequences for women, and a critique of psychotherapy, particularly Freudian psychotherapy, as oppressive to …

An Identification Of Important Management, Administrative, And Planning Skills And Knowledge Essential To Middle-Managers Present Positions In A Variety Of Urban And Rural Social Welfare Settings In Oregon, Patricia Victoria Leonard

Dissertations and Theses

In July, 1974 the Social Rehabilitation Services of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, awarded a grant to the School of Social Work at Portland State University to "identify and examine the skills and abilities that are utilized by middle-management personnel in the human services field." The project sought to (1) identify and prioritize the management, administrative and planning skills utilized by practitioners in a variety of urban and rural social welfare setting throughout Oregon, (2) develop a list of middle-management skills deemed important for graduate and undergraduate students in the School of Social Work, and (3) provide data …

Close Supervision Program: An Analysis Of A Human Services Program, Thomas Wright Jr., V. Henderson Trotman

Dissertations and Theses

Multnomah County, Oregon, like many other counties across the nation, faces the perplexing problem of meeting the needs of the youthful offender. Historically, and even in more recent times, juvenile court authorities have relied primarily on detention facilities to provide secure custody for youthful offenders. However, the continued increase in delinquency and a growing storm of criticism of the juvenile court have led to a re-examination of current policy and a number of proposed changes on both the national and local level.

A policy change in Multnomah County with regard to detention of youthful offenders has led to the closure …

A Descriptive Study Of Five Child Day Treatment Centers, Virginia Spurkland, Joyce Edwards

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis is a descriptive study of five child day treatment centers in Oregon. Its purpose was to generate hypotheses about the relationships between parent reactions to the day treatment center, the center’s theoretical orientation toward treatment, and the organizational structure of the center.

The five centers involved in the study were: Poyama land in Independence, Oregon; the Child Psychiatric Day Center in Portland, Oregon; Mid-Columbia Children’s Center in the The Dalles, Oregon; the Child center in Eugene; and Edgefield Lodge in Troutdale, Oregon. These centers were selected for this study because of their proximity to the Portland area and …

An Exploratory Study Of The Role Of Research In Social Work At Portland State University, Jo Mackay Imeson, Audrey Englebardt Zalutsky

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore and to evaluate the role of research in social work from the points of view of different populations affiliated with the Portland State University School of Social Work community. Students, faculty and field instructors, and agency directors were asked to express their subjective opinions in an effort to explore attitudes regarding the role of research in social work and to evaluate their estimate as to the value and position of the research component in the curriculum at Portland State University. The research program is intended to assist the student in becoming an …

Marital Status As A Discriminator And Treatment Variable Among Female Alcoholics, James C. Knapp

Dissertations and Theses

In this study marital status and the alcoholism or non-alcoholism of the spouse are hypothesized to be important factors affecting the female alcoholic's personality and treatability. Using as a sample group of women seen at a public treatment center for alcoholism, personality measurement variables were obtained from the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory and the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule. On the basis of these variables and of the additional variable of age, discrimination among this group of women was attempted using a stepwise discriminant analysis.

Classification of this group of women by marital status into four groups (1. alcoholic women with …

The Application And Evaluation Of Goal Attainment Scaling To The Janis Drug Treatment Program, Steven W. Kilber, Carol E. Swanson

Dissertations and Theses

Janis is a residential drug treatment program for drug abusers between the ages of twelve and eighteen deigned to rehabilitate the participants. Five homes, each staffed by two trained residential coordinators and one student accommodate a total of thirty patients at a time. The treatment program consists of daily house meetings led by the residential coordinators, one group therapy session per week led by a psychiatric social worker, and individual therapy sessions with a psychiatrist as needed, as well as regular consultation with a psychologist and psychiatrist. The adolescents enrolled in the program are referred from a variety of agencies, …

Social Workers In The Community Mental Health Field A Delphi Forecast Of Training Priorities, William Boyce Thomas, Mark L. Clay

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis describes an exploratory research project initiated to facilitate curriculum planning for and evaluation of a social work training program in the field of community mental health. The literature concerning community mental health, the historical relationship of social work to this field, and current issues in social work manpower and education was reviewed as part of the thesis project. On the basis of the review, a study was undertaken to determine appropriate priorities for training Master ' s level social worker’s specializing in this field of practice. The researcher's decided that these priorities would be determined in terms of …

The Development Of An Evaluational Process For The Group Home Project Of The Northeast Multnomah District Of Childrens' Service Division, Lucinda E. Mckitrick, Richard S. Barasch, Lon J. Lembert

Dissertations and Theses

Childrens' Services Division of the State of Oregon is involved in a group home project. They have to date nine group homes in operation within Multnomah County. Their staff consists of a director, three social workers and the group home provider staff.

The primary goal for this practicum was the development of an evaluative system that would establish descriptions of the type of client who entered the Group Home Program and some criteria for success in that program. In developing this system, it was necessary to design instruments to measure behavioral changes and attitudes and also to collect descriptive data. …

Evaluation Of The Admissions Process At Portland State University School Of Social Work: Prediction And Performance, Paula Bates Mike, Nancy J. Sharff, Barbara Lynn Wolochow

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this research practicum is to determine the predictability of an admissions rating instrument and the effectiveness of the admission process in assessing potential of individuals seeking admission to the School of Social Work, Portland State University, Fall Term, 1972. The study is based on the hypothesis that the instrument in question is an accurate predictor of student performance at the graduate level.

Research was completed through a survey of the literature and an examination of the correlation between student ratings at admission and ratings of actual performances. The method of data collection was to request class and …

Attendance At Out-Patient Clinics As A Function Of Risk Taking For Alcoholics, John Ketcham Fryer

Dissertations and Theses

Many-psychotherapists feel that the capacity to risk is a necessary ingredient for change. Whether that change occur in a person seen in a professional context or in a person who views new behavior as being more rewarding, risk and change go hand in hand. Coleman (1972) described this relationship in the following way:

Life often poses problems in which the pursuit of increased satisfactions involves giving up present hard-won security and taking new risks. For the neurotic, this is likely to prove an especially anxiety-arousing conflictful situation [p. 226].

Why should this be true? It seems that one of the …

A Descriptive Study Of Previously Institutionalized Educable Mentally Retarded Adults Residing In Multnomah County, Oregon, Susan J. Kiley, Jeffrey D. Sher, Richard C. Sunshine

Dissertations and Theses

This is a study of mild and borderline mentally retarded adults living in Multnomah County, Oregon, who at one time in their lives were patients at Fairview Training School. The concept of "normalization" is merging with the political necessity of "advocacy" to create a different role for the traditionally silent and previously institutionalized retarded citizen, along with new roles for the professional worker with the retarded. Mentally retarded citizens have only recently begun to speak out for themselves; even less frequent it seems, has any concerted listening on the part of the public or professional community which deals day to …