Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Use Of Technology Assisted Methods In Therapy: Clinical Social Workers’ Perspectives, Lilyanna B. Anderson

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

Technology Assisted Therapy can be considered any form of therapy that uses technology as a mediating force. This could include things such as videoconferencing or Skype, online support groups, text messaging or other media devices. As technology becomes more and more influential in our society, it only makes sense that it would seep into the clinical social work setting and the therapy setting. There is little current research on this topic that focuses on what clinicians think about this developing trend. This study set out to determine clinical social workers’ perspectives on the use of technology assisted methods in therapy. …

How Is Social Media Used By Military Families To Communicate During Deployment?, Lisa Bittner

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

As the construct of today’s military has progressed and changed over time to include a more diverse representation of the United States culture, so have families progressed in how to maintain connectedness during periods of absence. The challenge of maintaining communication despite distance and extensive time differentials is often subsidized today through the utilization of social media or electronic forms of communication. This form of communication often serves as a supplement to traditional mediums of communication such as letters, care packages, and telephone calls, offering a more immediate and interactive communicative process to occur between deployed service members and their …

Grief, Loss, And Sexually Transmitted Infections, Erin E. Blase

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

Having a sexually transmitted infection (STI) affects people of all ages, races, and cultural backgrounds. Being diagnosed with an STI has implications across the lifespan. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of grief and loss on having a sexually transmitted infection and how these effects manifest across the lifespan of an individual. Using a mixed-methods design, ten individuals responded to an anonymous Qualtrics survey and answered a series of questions related to grief, loss, and having an STI. Data was analyzed using descriptive and open-coding techniques from the survey responses and then linked to the existing …

Autism Spectrum Disorder: How Parents Use Behavior Modification With Their Children, Jessica M. Boner

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

This qualitative research study explores how parents use behavior modifications with their children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Seven participants, who are mothers of children diagnosed with autism, were interviewed for this study. This research found that essentially, parents use different techniques applied in various ways in specific situations based on the uniqueness of their child and the behaviors displayed. Several themes emerged from this study which includes: challenging behaviors, behavior modifications used, behavior modification becomes a way of life, the need to individualize behavior modifications, behavior modifications will change as the child changes, challenges of having a child with …

Renewing Life: A Complementary Approach To Healing, Linnea Gene Borer

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

The Renewing Life program is offered through Pathways Health Crisis Resource Center. It is a unique approach designed to complement conventional medical care for individuals with life threatening or chronic illness, such as breast cancer. Renewing Life utilizes a manual that participants use as a tool throughout the sessions. Renewing Life has a specifically developed curriculum to assist participants in better understanding and processing the management of their life threatening disease or chronic illness. It teaches participants to live their lives genuinely in order to get the quality of life they may be seeking.

Pathways Health Crisis Resource Center received …

The Impact Of Personal Therapy On Therapists’ Use Of Self-Disclosure, Anne L. Breckbill

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

This study explored how therapists’ subjective experiences as client recipients of therapist self-disclosure impact their attitudes about therapist self-disclosure. Additionally, it investigated how therapists’ personal therapy and theoretical orientation impact their use of self-disclosure with clients. Two specific types of therapist self-disclosure were studied: 1) emotional disclosures – or self-involving/transparent disclosures – in which therapists allow clients to see their emotional responses or reactions to the dynamics of the therapy session, and 2) personal disclosures – or self-disclosing/self-revealing disclosures–in which therapists share non-immediate personal information with clients. The nonprobability sample consisted of licensed psychotherapists who themselves had been psychotherapy clients. …

The Impact Of Electronic Communication And Social Media On Child Welfare Practice, Sarah K. Breyette

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

The present literature regarding the intersection of technology and child welfare practice has primarily focused on the impact of these technologies on youth and families. There has been very little research that has focused on how child welfare workers perceive the direct impact that electronic communication and social media use has had on their practice. The research questions guiding this exploratory study asked child welfare workers whether or not the use of electronic communication and social media has made working with youth easier, if use of these technologies has introduced any difficulties, and if any challenges and/or benefits of using …

Barriers Of Using Illness Management And Recovery With Adults With Severe Mental Illness, Jennifer Anne Brummer

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

Adults living with severe mental illness experience a broad spectrum of difficulties, such as visual and olfactory hallucinations, internal dialogue or hearing voices, depression, anxiety, homelessness, substance use, and difficulty managing daily activities and relationships. The Illness Management and Recovery curriculum has been revealed to be a useful evidence-based practice or approach to working with individuals with severe mental illness. The Illness Management and Recovery workbook promotes symptom management in adults by creating a vision and following a step-by-step problem solving process. This recovery model is tailor to the individual and requires their input on a step-by-step path to recovery. …

Promoting Hope And Resilience In Parkinson’S Disease, Emily R. Brunner

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

The purpose of this project was to explore how or if social workers promote hope and resiliency in individuals’ with Parkinson’s disease. Using a qualitative design, eight licensed social workers throughout the United States, with between two to thirty years of experience working with individuals suffering from Parkinson’s disease. The participants reflected on their experiences and observations of hope and resiliency in individuals with Parkinson’s disease. The researcher analyzed data by looking for themes and commonalties between the participant responses during the interviews. The interviews were transcribed and linked to previous related literature. The findings indicated that all of the …

Mandated Reporting And Child Maltreatment: Training And Experiences Of Minnesota Teachers, Allison N. Butts

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

The state of Minnesota has no requirement for the training of mandated reporters for child maltreatment and teachers account for nearly 24% of child protection reports(Minnesota Department of Human Services, 2013b). This study looks to gain perspective on teachers’ experiences with mandated reporting, if and where they have received training on mandated reporting and child maltreatment, where they believe they should be receiving training and what they feel it should include. A mixed-mode online questionnaire with questions from the Teachers and Child Abuse Questionnaire, ECAQ and created by the author were used to survey 65 Minnesota teachers (Kenny 2001a; Kenny, …

Social Worker Interventions For Patients Post-Stroke, Alexander Carlson

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

Research suggests that when a patient experiences a stroke, the lives of the patient and family of the patient can be impacted in many different ways. The purpose of this project was to identify the ways social workers work with stroke patients in the hospital, and how do they identify mental health symptoms in these patients. Using a qualitative design, four social workers, currently providing services in hospitals were interviewed. Data was analyzed using deductive approaches in which themes were developed from the interview responses. The findings indicated that most mental health symptoms are identified in patients, and then treated …

Social Worker And Teacher Perceptions Of The Achievement Gap In Minnesota, Paul W. Collier

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

Narrowing the achievement gap has become an increasing issue in Minnesota. The purpose of this research project was to explore the attitudes of school social workers and teachers to see if there were any significant differences in the perception of the professionals who work with children directly affected by the gap. Using quantitative data analysis, 51 respondents, including 13 licensed social workers and 38 licensed teachers, were surveyed electronically, via Qualtrics, a survey creation and distribution website. All of the questions were created based on findings in the research. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). …

The Pursuit Of Social Justice: Narratives From Clinical Social Workers, Kate Francis Cowley

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

Clinical social workers today face increasingly complex social justice issues. An ongoing discourse around the principle of social justice in clinical social work is critical in order for the clinical social work profession to meet its' social justice goals. Studies indicate the importance of having a conceptual framework of social justice to effectively apply social justice to practice, and the need for continual reevaluation and creation of new methods of applying social justice in clinical practice. This study obtained data from a purpose sample (n = 6) of licensed clinical social workers in a range of mental health settings. Semi-structured …

An Analysis Of Religious And Spiritual Beliefs And Behaviors In College Students, Allison C. Culey

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

In a survey of religion and public life done by the Pew Forum in 2007, it was found that the ways in which Americans practiced their religion was changing. There has been a trend of moving toward less dogmatic approaches to religion in the United States. It was found that of the twenty percent of Americans who do not practice any type of religion, the majority were ages eighteen to twenty-four. The current study was designed to understand the religious and spiritual behaviors in university students in order to develop methods to better cultivate religious and spiritual growth. The researcher …

Loss Of The Parent-Child Relationship After Divorce: Does Custodial Arrangement Matter?, Sara M. Czapiewski

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

Today about 50 percent of marriages end in divorce and 40 percent of these divorces have children involved. Divorce can be a traumatic event and because of this divorce can be considered an ambiguous loss. This study looked at the losses that could be experienced by children from a parental divorce. Using attachment theory as the lens, literature was reviewed surrounding the effects of divorce on children. After completing the literature review the loss of the parent-child relationship was the primary focus for this study. A quantitative study was conducted to answer the question: does the custodial arrangement alleviate or …

Effectiveness Of Adult Rehabilitative Mental Health Services In Mental Health Recovery, Katie L. Defelice

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

Adult Rehabilitative Mental Health Services (ARMHS) is a Minnesota based psychiatric rehabilitation program for adults whose ability to function in daily life has been impaired due to the symptoms of mental illness. The goals set and actual outcomes achieved by clients during participation in ARMHS were examined in a secondary data analysis using the CHIME recovery model (Connectedness, Hope, Identity, Meaning in life, and Empowerment) to determine the effectiveness of the program in assisting clients recover from mental illness. Outcomes described were largely mapped to the areas of Connectedness, Meaningful activity, and Empowerment, which may be related to the …

The Betrayed Partner’S Experiences With Grief And Loss Following The Discovery Of An Extramarital Affair, Melinda M. Degroot

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

Betrayed partners experience a great amount of changes, losses, and grief following the discovery of an extramarital affair. The following study examines the stories of two women and four men from various areas across the United States who were the betrayed partner in a marriage that experienced extramarital affairs. A qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews were conducted to obtain information to answer the following research question: What are the betrayed partner’s experiences with grief and loss following the discovery of an extramarital affair within their marriage? Several themes arose from the findings including: 1) immediate thoughts, feelings, and behaviors such …

Mindfulness In Traditional Psychotherapy: A Qualitative Study, Andrea M. Dorn

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

Empirically tested research suggests the effectiveness and applicability of mindfulness interventions in psychotherapy to treat or provide supplemental treatment to a variety of mental health disorders, to improve the therapeutic alliance, and to promote self-care and use of self in clinicians. Despite the successes of mindfulness in the mental health community, only a select culture of clinicians utilize mindfulness techniques in their practice. In order to explore how mindfulness can impact the therapeutic process, a qualitative study was conducted. Seven clinicians who currently practice mindfulness and who utilize mindfulness-based and mindfulness-informed interventions in clinical practice were interviewed. The interviews explored …

Reconceptualizing Autism Spectrum Within Diagnostic And Statistical Manual, Fifth Edition: Clinicians’ Perspectives, Lori A. Dobson

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

This qualitative study examined the clinicians’ perspectives on the reconceptualization of Autism Spectrum Disorder within the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (2013), also referred to as DSM-5. Data were collected through six semi-structured interviews (n = 6) with clinical professionals who work directly with children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), otherwise known as Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD). Clinical professionals included licensed independent clinical social workers, licensed clinical social workers, and licensed psychologists. Grounded theory method was used with open coding to analyze various themes and subthemes within transcribed interviews. This study examined participants’ perceptions …

Strength – Based Education, Kathleen Eaves

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

This research study was interested in assessing school social workers’ attitudes towards strength – based education. It was hypothesized that school social workers would demonstrate favorability towards strength – based educational principles, but not without some initial hesitations. Identifying these attitudes would highlight receptivity of social work professionals within the school systems towards strength – based education. An informed consent letter along with a research questionnaire was emailed out to 140 school social workers within the Minneapolis School District. The questionnaire included inclusionary and demographic questions in addition to nine strength – based questions that attempted to assess for the …

Mindfulness And Well-Being, Shawn R. . Englund-Helmeke

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

Mindfulness practices, including sitting meditation, walking meditation, yoga, and qigong, have been used to promote mental health and physical well-being in general populations. Mindfulness practices are also being incorporated into therapies used to treat mental illness, and to promote mental health and well-being (Carmody & Baer, 2007; Miller et al., 1995; Reibel et al., 2001). This study attempts to determine if there is an association between mindfulness practices, levels of measured mindfulness, and physical and psychological well-being. These variables were examined in a sample of 25 adults from a large Midwestern city who were predominately female, in their 50s and …

Narrative Therapy: Similarities Among Clinicians And Practice Implications, Mikaela R. Dunn

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

Narrative therapy is a philosophy-based approach to therapy that emerged in the 1980’s, and has been incorporated into various practice settings. The purpose of this study was to identify if there are there commonalities among those who practice narrative therapy. In addition, this study inquired whether there are there commonalities in the application of narrative therapy. Eleven mental health clinicians in the Twin Cities filled out an online mixed quantitative and qualitative survey, via Qualtrics. Survey responses indicated similarities among those who practice narrative therapy with the following identified themes: formation of clinical identity, power of words, belief in the …

Health Care Professionals’ Perspectives On Their Patients’ Access To Hospice Care, Tammy Ferderer

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

Hospice is available to those who have been diagnosed with a terminal prognosis and have less than six months of life left. Although these benefits are available for much longer, most people are only utilizing hospice care during their very last days of life, less than 20 days. This short length of stay also does not allow the patient time to take full advantage of all the services that hospice has to offer. There seems to be barriers for individuals to receive a timely enrollment into hospice, whether it is the healthcare providers, the patients themselves, or their families. The …

The Metaphors They Carry: Exploring How Veterans Use Metaphor To Describe Experiences Of Ptsd And The Implications For Social Work Practice, Patrick S. Foley

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

Working with military veterans poses significant challenges for social work practitioners. Among the most notable are learning to appreciate military culture, understanding military jargon, and engaging veterans who have experienced Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The purpose of this project was to explore veterans’ use of metaphor in describing experiences of PTSD and to consider the therapeutic value of metaphor for social work practitioners. Using a secondary data analysis design, 359 online video interview segments of 56 veterans were reviewed with respect to the way that metaphor was used to describe experiences of PTSD. The metaphors identified in the secondary data …

Spirituality, Religiosity, And Gerotranscendence, Rachael C. . Girard

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

Gerotranscendence is a new theory of human development that extends to old age. This developmental process is characterized by a shift in metaperspective from a realistic view of the world to a more transcendent or cosmic perspective. The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between age, gender, spirituality, and religiosity on gerotranscendence. Qualitative surveys were distributed to 174 residents of an independent living unit in the Midwest. The survey was used to measure respondents’ age, gender, spirituality, religiosity, and gerotranscendence. The finding did not support the hypothesis that age correlated with level of gerotranscendence. Demographic characteristics of …

How Does Education And Experience Impact Therapist Self-Disclosure Among Clinical Social Workers?, Ashley J. Grahek

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

This mixed methods study asks clinical social workers about their experience with therapist self-disclosure. Clinical social workers (n=86) completed an online survey asking them about their understanding and use of self-disclosure, their comfort and competence in using self-disclosure, their experience and education regarding self-disclosure, and how education, licensure, training, and supervision might be strengthened or expanded to address the use of self-disclosure in clinical practice. Findings suggested that clinical social workers are comfortable and confident in their use of therapist self-disclosure. The majority of respondents believed education, training, and supervision could be strengthened or expanded to better address the use …

Mental Health In The African American Community And The Impact Of Historical Trauma: Systematic Barriers, Jamie Rose Hackett

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

African Americans are overrepresented in high-risk populations and are known to experience disadvantages in mental health services. In an effort to better understand the barriers that prevent African Americans from receiving adequate mental health services; this study explores barriers on multiple system levels and the implications for clinical practice. This study also explores the relevance and impact of historical trauma. Qualitative interviews were used to collect the experiences of African American clinicians in the mental health field working with African American clients. Findings revealed twelve themes that are consistent with previous research. These themes are; historical trauma, stigma, cultural stereotypes, …

The Effects Of Interpreter Services On Client Satisfaction In Social Services, Raeann C. Hagen

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

The purpose of this quantitative study is to examine a growing inequality within American and international societies. The research seeks to explore how language barriers affect social work practice. In particular, the research question is to determine the relationship between interpreter service type and client satisfaction. With a recent estimate of the number of languages in the United States being 245, this inquiry is incredibly applicable to current social work practice (Lewis, 2009). Social workers are devoted to supporting communities and advancing culturally competence services. Therefore, social workers must also fully understand the role of communication and be mindful that …

Just Don’T Take It So Seriously: Definitions Of Psychological Abuse, Heather Hall

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

Current lack of consensus for a clinical and legal definition of psychological abuse perpetuates systemic difficulties in addressing this societal problem. This study investigates through qualitative interviewing how adults who have and have not experienced psychological abuse define it, with an intent to gain insight on factors that should be considered in creating such a definition, as well as informing future research and social work practice. Ten participants were interviewed and transcripts created from their responses for content analysis. Twenty-two themes emerged from analysis of these transcripts with a strong emphasis on themes of control, dominance, and manipulation as a …

Joining The Circle: Exploring The Biopsychosocial, And Spiritual Effects Of Hoop Dance, Ruth M. Harrington

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

An increasing number of people around the world are joining a blossoming community of hoop dancers and reporting positive holistic benefits and sharing stories of transformation and healing attributed to their hooping practice. The hoop is being reported to provide relief and support for people with depression, anxiety, addiction, and PTSD by igniting their bodies and providing a soothing rhythm and a pathway to dance, movement, self-expression, social connections, personal insight, and meditational benefits. This qualitative study explores the biopsychosocial and spiritual effects of hooping reported during seven non-scheduled standardized interviews with professional hoopers. Stories of change and healing are …