Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Exploring The Occupational Risks Among Human Service Professionals: A Trauma-Informed Approach To Caring For Others And Ourselves, Shaian Kong

Master of Arts in Human Services

It is known that human service practitioners are often expected to maintain empathy, compassion, emotional regulation, and professionalism during high-stress or uncertain situations. These experiences expose practitioners to a unique intersection of trauma. While helping others through their own trauma, practitioners may also experience symptoms such as intrusive thoughts, emotional exhaustion, sleep disturbances, hypervigilance, and avoidance despite not directly experiencing the traumatic events themselves. Current literature highlights these existing occupational risks that may hinder sustained career development, increased compassion fatigue, and affect workplace standards and support. With things like frequent increase in workloads, workforce shortages, and insufficient professional support, practitioners …

Social Workers’ Perceptions Of Pediatric Hiv Disclosure Process, Colleen Myrie

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Although the social problem of pediatric HIV disclosure has been studied by researchers internationally, there remains a gap in the experiences of social workers in facilitating this process. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore the experiences and perceptions of social workers in the United States regarding the disclosure process for HIV positive children. This study was grounded in Rosenstock’s health belief model, which posits that an individual will take necessary action to prevent or manage a disease based on their perceptions of health. This model was effective in helping to identify what social workers think about …

Exploring The Experiences And Support Needs Of African Immigrant Families Raising Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder In Ohio, Linda Nkoumba Eteki

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) presents unique challenges for families; however, African immigrant parents raising children with ASD in Ohio experience additional difficulties related to cultural stigma, systemic inequities, and limited access to culturally responsive services. This social work practice problem is important because it reflects disparities in diagnosis, intervention, service access, and family support that align with social work’s commitment to equity, advocacy, and social justice. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences of African immigrant families raising children with ASD in Ohio and to examine how they describe autism-related stigma, caregiving challenges, and interactions with …

Non-Veteran Civilian Manager Perceptions About Supporting Employee Military In Civilian Workplace Transitions, Sandra Gail Piggee

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

One of the largest populations seeking employment in private sector industries is military veterans. The active-duty military careers end for over 200,000 individuals per year, and over two-thirds of veterans resign from private sector industry positions within 2 years of post-service transition due to difficulties with their transition. This can lead to a lack of career advancement, professional development, and employee benefits. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore perceptions of non-veteran civilian managers in private sector industries about how to support employees who are veterans in making a successful transition from the military into civilian employment. …

Exploring Licensed Clinical Social Workers’ Past Trauma And Current Practice: A Strengths-Based Perspective, Michael E. Conner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This qualitative study explored the lived experiences of licensed clinical social workers to examine how they manage, reinterpret, and integrate their childhood trauma into their professional clinical identities. Adverse childhood experiences among clinicians are often framed through a risk-based lens of burnout and impairment, leaving social work leaders without empirical models to support post-traumatic growth and workforce retention. The purpose of this study was to examine how clinicians leverage past adversity to inform contemporary practice. A basic qualitative design was used, with semistructured interviews conducted with 11 participants. Participant narratives were examined through the dual lenses of shattered assumptions theory …

Searching Together: “Research Resisters” And Creating Pathways For Narrative Practice Research, David Denborough

The Qualitative Report

This paper conveys eleven research innovations that have recently emerged from the field of narrative therapy and community work. These include multi-storied surveys, testimonies and counter documents; insider researchers navigating pathologising literatures; creative ethical processes and accountabilities; re-imagining research interviews; conceptualising research as resonance; linking insider research and practice; collective narrative documents in research; exchanges of collective documents/letters as methodology; reading back: oral retellings; the development of Indigenist story-journey methodology; and forms of research that are accessible, resonant and useful to the most marginalised. These innovations are linked to histories and ethical commitments that are also described.

Leveraging Technology To Measure The Strength Of Demand For Commercial And Trafficked Sex, Michael D. Shively, Bob Rodgers, Courtney Furlong, Brooke Ruffin

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

The article examines Transaction Intercept (TI), an artificial‑intelligence platform designed to reduce sex trafficking by disrupting the revenue streams that draw organized crime into the market. Transaction Intercept deploys decoy online ads that appear to offer commercial sexual exploitation or prostitution. Automated "decoy" personas connect to individuals who click on these ads and engage them in text conversations. These exchanges can remain fully automated, ending with deterrence messages, or be transferred to police for potential enforcement action or to trained volunteers who attempt to discourage further attempts to buy sex. Transaction Intercept generates extensive, real‑time data on local demand for …

Autistic Traits And Mental Health Support Service Use Among Parents Of Young Children With Autism, Margaret Janse Van Rensburg, Robert Hock, Emmanuella Asabea Twum, Resia-Maria Cooper, Abigail K. Reza Jameson, C. Andrew Conway, Mark Ethan Feinberg

Faculty and Staff Publications

Parents of children recently diagnosed with autism often experience elevated psychological distress, yet little is known about whether parental autistic traits are associated with support-seeking. Using baseline data from a randomized controlled trial of a parent mentoring intervention, this study examined support use among 355 parents of children aged 18 months to 8 years whose child had received an autism diagnosis within the previous 12 months. Parental autistic traits were assessed using the Ritvo Autism and Asperger Diagnostic Scale–14 (RAADS-14). Overall, 36.1% of parents reported accessing support for stress, emotional, or mental health concerns, and 33.2% scored above the RAADS-14 …

What Fire Reveals: A Portfolio Of Integrated Practice, Harm Reduction, And Liberation-Centered Social Work, Jackie Brittain

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

More Than A Profession: A Calling In Social Work, Paulette Lingle

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Cultural Values, Norms, And Mental Health Service Utilization Among Young Adult Guyanese Immigrants, Rhonis Alfred

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Young adult Guyanese immigrants living in the United States often face cultural, familial, and social challenges that influence their perceptions of mental health and willingness to seek professional support. Despite growing attention to immigrant mental health, limited research has explored the experiences of this population. This qualitative study aimed to improve understanding of how cultural values, family dynamics, and acculturation stress influence mental health perceptions and help-seeking behaviors. The theoretical framework underpinning this study was acculturation theory. The research explored how participants navigated cultural identity, family expectations, and adaptation to life in the United States. A purposive sampling strategy was …

Transgender And Gender-Diverse Healthcare Through Virtual Social Networking, Francis Peter Furmanek Iii

PhD of Social Work

This study examined the behavior of transgender and gender diverse (TGD) utilizing virtual social networking (VSN) to address their healthcare needs. Presently, the TGD community has been facing discrimination in policy and social structure across the United States. Accepting safe spaces are vital to survival and growth of TGD people, and the current wave of anti-trans legislation seeks to eliminate these spaces. This phenomenological mixed-methods study examined mechanisms that TGD people use to address healthcare needs in virtual spaces alongside a backdrop of negative healthcare experiences in traditional settings. Informed by Intersectional theory, Minority Stress Theory, and considering Andersen’s Behavioral …

Ssw 701.50: Social Welfare Policy, Ian G. Williams

Open Educational Resources

This syllabus is an Open Educational Resources (OER) remixed version of SSW 701.50: Social Welfare Policy, which is taught at the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College. This version updated the content and integrated additional OER materials, as part of the Summer 2026 cohort of The Open Knowledge Fellowship at the Mina Rees Library. It is a Zero-Textbook (ZTC) cost course and integrates materials from a range of academic disciplines. Official course description is as follows:

"This foundation course furnishes you with the orienting knowledge and skills needed to examine social welfare policies and to understand their relevance …

Oral History With John Barry, Dan Royles

History Faculty Scholarship

Oral history interview with John Barry, who has served as Executive Director of the Southern Tier AIDS Program (STAP) since 2008. He was born in Endicott, New York in 1966, grew up in Vestal, and attended high school at Seton Catholic Central in Binghamton before serving in Germany with the United States Army during the early 1980s. When he returned to Broome County in 1987, some of his friends had been affected by HIV/AIDS and, while earning a degree at SUNY Binghamton, Barry became involved in mutual aid efforts to help people affected by the disease. He went to work …

The Legacy, Importance, & Impact Of Lend: Evidence And Personal Stories, Emily Zalimeni, Emma Stone, Alexa Fortier, Leia Getchell, Nataliya Kloyzner, Asha Abdullahi, Elizabeth Barkoudah, Meghan Chapman, Meredith Close, Heather Engholm, Melissa Levin, Aanchal Sharma, Sarah Sparks, Patricia Rissmiller, Amy Szarkowski, Jason M. Fogler

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities (LEND) programs offer an interdisciplinary/interprofessional training opportunity for medical and allied health professionals, and individuals impacted by disability, including family members and self-advocates. Toward the aim of advocating for the enduring need of LEND and similar training programs, this article centers the voices of a subset of our alumni who have advanced the rights and improved the lives of persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities. These stories are intended to illustrate the key lessons and principles of LEND training, including attending to disability issues in education, growing skills within and between individuals working …

Imposter Syndrome And Self Determination In Clinical Social Work Supervision, Alexis Tarr

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This doctoral project is focused on the social work practice problem of limited understanding of how social workers experience clinical supervision in the context of imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome can affect confidence, decision making, and overall wellbeing, making it an important issue in clinical social work practice. The purpose of this study was to explore how social workers describe and make meaning of their supervision experiences involving feelings of imposter syndrome. Guiding practice-focused research questions were used to examine how social workers experienced clinical supervision and described autonomy, competence, and relatedness. This study was informed by the self-determination theory, which …

Impact Of Chronic Pain On The Families Of U.S. Adults, Jennifer S. De La Rosa, Katherine E. Herder, Rita D. Romero, De'sha S. Wolf, Tally M. Largent-Milnes, Mohab M. Ibrahim, Stacy S. Pigott, Greg T. Chism, Beth E. Meyerson, Julie G. Pilitsis, Multiple Additional Auhors

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Introduction:. Chronic pain (CP) can profoundly strain family systems, yet few population studies have explored prevalence and population dynamics of CP with high impact on families. Objectives:. Examining prevalence and phenomenological characteristics of chronic pain with high impact on the families of U.S. adults. Situating HICP-family within a tiered cascade of functional impact. Methods:. Prevalence estimated using 2023 National Health Interview Survey Data (n = 29,522) Results:. Findings are as follows: (1) the population prevalence of CP with high impact on families (high-impact chronic pain [HICP]-Family) is 4.4% among U.S. adults, 18.1% among U.S. adults with CP, and 46.3% among …

The Role Of Social Emotional Learning In Utah’S Implementation Of Essa, Sharon Walles

Transforming Communities

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), as a policy, offers an additional tool to address the escalating adolescent mental health crisis. By acknowledging the critical link between student well-being, academic success, and evidence-based practices, this policy analysis explores how funding from ESSA can be leveraged to integrate Social Emotional Learning (SEL) within Utah’s schools. Experts, educators, and parents can be voices to combat misinformation surrounding the recent politicization of SEL and its implementation. This analysis connects Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Theory, which highlights the interconnectedness of the environment, with the importance of prioritizing mental health within schools to help adolescents with issues …

Assessing A Fourth Trimester Support Group Using An Adapted Ripple Effects Mapping, Kayleigh Gregory, Aubrey Jones, Isabel Paulk, Krysten Munn, Karli Adams, Diana Frankenburger

Transforming Communities

Purpose: Maternal mental health disparities warrant attention, particularly as rural communities face substantial barriers to timely screening and treatment. The Fourth Trimester group at the University of Kentucky was established in April 2022 to address the need for additional postpartum support. This qualitative study examined participants’ perspectives on the group.

Method: Participants included 8 mothers who engaged in the online fourth-trimester social support group. Data were collected using an adapted ripple effects mapping via semi-structured interviews.

Findings: Results of the thematic content analysis revealed six key themes: (1) Community and Belonging, (2) Circle of Wisdom, (3) Empowerment, (4) Practical Support, …

Sense Of Safety And Quality Of Life Among Immigrants, Rachel Gomez

McNair Scholars Research

This study examined the relationship between sense of safety and quality of life among Hispanic/Latinx immigrant communities. The study sought to determine whether perceived sense of safety was associated with quality of life and whether differences existed based on immigration status, gender, and age. A quantitative, non-experimental survey design was used with a convenience sample of 33 first- and second-generation Hispanic immigrants from Arkansas. Participants completed a survey combining the Immigrant Enforcement Fear Scale and the 10-Item Well-being Instrument, which were translated into Spanish to increase accessibility. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficients and independent-samples t-tests with an alpha …

Kinship Caregivers Feel More Satisfied With Services And Better Supported With A Kinship Navigator, Berenice R. Rushovich, Kristin Sepulveda Muñoz, Brittany Mihalec-Adkins, Brooke Derrick, Karin Malm

GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy

Kinship caregivers caring for children often lack access to services and supports they need to stabilize their families. Other kinship navigator programs have been shown to improve child permanency, child safety, child wellbeing, and adult wellbeing. This study evaluated Kinnections, a kinship navigator program provided by Wayfinder Family Services, operating since 2007 in seven counties in Northern California. Using propensity score matching, 116 kinship caregivers receiving Kinnections services were matched with 116 kinship caregivers in neighboring counties with no kinship navigator services available. The matched sample showed strong baseline equivalence on key caregiver, child, and household factors. Findings showed …

Vietnamese Grandparents' Caregiving Experiences For Grandchildren Impacted By Hiv/Aids: An Ethnographic Study, Lesley M. Harris, Nguyen D. Thang, Linh Thuy Nguyen

GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy

This ethnographic study explores the caregiving experiences of grandparents in northern Vietnam who are raising grandchildren impacted by HIV/AIDS. Specifically, what is the process of skipped-generation caregiving in families affected by HIV/AIDS in Vietnam? Data were collected between 2009 and 2011 through participant observation and in-depth interviews with 26 grandparent caregivers and eight key informants. Informed by the Caregiving Career framework as a sensitizing concept and using constructivist grounded theory analytic strategies, the study identifies four interconnected caregiving phases shaped by cultural expectations, stigma, and intergenerational disruption. Through fieldwork and analysis, we found that grandparents drew from previous and current …

From Strangers To Family: Fostering Resilience Through Social Support In Grandmothers Raising Grandchildren, Nancy Mendoza

GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy

Grandparents often unexpectedly assume the role of caregiver with little support. Supporting these caregivers is critical for their health and well-being and that of their grandchildren. This study examines how family-like relationships formed during the GC+ intervention, increasing social support and resilience among grandparent caregivers. Four grandmothers, raising a total of five grandsons, participated in a focus group six months post-intervention. Grandmothers were asked to share their opinions and thoughts regarding the intervention. Using the Convoy Model and Resilience Theory, researchers conducted a deductive content analysis of participants’ perspectives on close family-like relationships cultivated during the intervention. Findings suggest close …

Dnp Final Report: Improving Length Of Stay Outcomes Using Structured Barrier Rounds: A Quality Improvement Project, Martha Kwamboka Apella

DNP Final Reports

Prolonged length of stay (LOS) in the acute care setting is a challenging issue driven by multiple factors. Increased LOS is associated with mortality, hospital-acquired infections, patient safety events, functional impairment, decreased quality of life, social isolation, and increased cost of care. The causes of increased LOS in the medical-surgical unit are unclear, necessitating an evidence-based project to address the problem. The purpose of this quality improvement initiative was to implement structured interdisciplinary barrier rounds and evaluate their effect on LOS, opportunity days, and estimated cost of care in a medical-surgical unit. The facility complex care coordinator (CCC) was identified …

The Phenomenology Of Residential Youth In Child Welfare Settings And The Social Workers Who Work With Them., April Leigh Rorabaugh

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This phenomenological study examines the experiences and challenges faced by social workers in child placement for adolescents aged 12-18 within North Carolina’s child welfare system, an issue that warrants immediate attention. Hardworking and determined social workers are on the ground fighting in an already overtaxed system that is resulting in options that are frighteningly few for the care our youth so desperately need. Many of the most vulnerable children in the welfare system are being placed in other states for residential treatment. This is not only traumatic but also robs youth of everything they are familiar with at such a …

Beyond The Classroom: Five Considerations For Actualizing Social Justice In Practicum Education, Priscila Llamosa

Journal of Justice-Informed Social Work Practice and Research

Social justice, a core tenet of social work, is variably integrated into education programs' explicit curricula, leaving students with a limited conceptual understanding. Practicum[1] education, crucial for theory-practice integration, offers opportunities for developing social work skills while upholding social justice principles. This paper addresses how practicum instructors can nurture students’ social justice-oriented practice by presenting a framework for practicum education and examining its five components. Drawing from theory, empirical literature, and practice experience, the author suggests ways for practicum instructors to engage each component. Incorporating these into practicum education can enable students to actualize ADEI values in practice and …

A Critical Review On Enhancing Equity Of Mental Health Treatment Of African American Families Through Social Support And Social Capital, Julie Radlauer-Doerfler, Morgan E. Cooley, Heather M. Thompson, Atensia Earp Bowen, Gabe Caress, Alicia Best

Journal of Justice-Informed Social Work Practice and Research

African American adults and children experience both disproportionality and disparity when in contact with the mental health delivery system. There are a number of contextual factors that influence the treatment of African American families, such as systemic oppression or racism in both society and the behavioral health system or individual expressions of mental health symptomology. This review will provide an overview of how mental health disparities crossover systems, perceptions of mental health and mental health treatment among African American families, provide some context for why this review was written, as well as discuss the context of social support and social …

Breaking Barriers: A Student Led Racial Equity Assignment, Emily Murphy, Carol Bennett- Speight, Cecily Mitchell-Harper

Journal of Justice-Informed Social Work Practice and Research

This paper presents an innovative student led racial equity assignment in a small bachelor’s in social work program in the New York metropolitan area. This paper will define epistemological racism and utilize concepts from Narrative Theory and Critical Race Theory, to critically analyze what is taught about the pioneers of social work, identifying the stories and narratives that are told and the ones that are not told. This operationalization of the theories in practice with students will cultivate mindset shifts and strategies that enable participants to engage in social work practice that fully embodies the core values of the profession. …

Building Transgender And Gender Expansive Capacity In Social Work Education, Ashling Hallford, Aisha Chapra

Journal of Justice-Informed Social Work Practice and Research

The problem to be addressed through this paper is the lack of advocacy and curriculum around transgender and gender expansive (TGE) issues in Social Work higher education. TGE people face threats to their rights through oppressive, state-level legislation, with 437 anti-trans or anti-LGBTQ+ bills as identified by the American Civil Liberties Union being debated (2024). Prock, et al, (2022) found that 40% of social work programs in religiously affiliated institutions used discriminatory language targeting TGE people in their student and faculty literature. This paper will describe recommendations for social work education and social work practice around TGE issues including faculty …

Screening And Treatment Protocols Used In Nicus Across Minnesota For Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorders (Pmads), Rachael Witt

Journal of Justice-Informed Social Work Practice and Research

Parents of infants with prolonged neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) hospitalizations are a population that is overlooked in recommended routine screening for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs), yet this population is at greater risk for developing diagnosable mental health disorders. Previous research shows that across the US, PMAD screening and treatment practices vary widely, with many NICUs not providing any routine PMAD screening, psychoeducation, or treatment options to parents. The objective of this study was to explore the current mental health screening and treatment protocols used in NICUs across the state of Minnesota to learn if there are areas …