Social Work Commons^™

Never Again! Surviving Liberalized Prostitution In Germany, Sandra Norak, Ingeborg Kraus

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

This article, co-authored by a six-year survivor of the sex trade industry in Germany (Sandra Norak) and a psychologist and trauma therapist (Ingeborg Kraus), provides perspectives on the difficulty of withstanding the coercion of traffickers and the difficulties of exiting prostitution in a country in which prostitution has been legalized, normalized and made “a job like any other.” This normalization persuades survivors to believe their traffickers that it is a legitimate occupation and encourages them to endure the violence. Liberalization also has prevented the development of needed trauma services to those seeking to exit the sex trade industry.

Using Implementation Science To Strengthen The Child Welfare Workforce, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

Other QIC-WD Products

The QIC-WD is using implementation science to strengthen the child welfare workforce in eight child welfare agencies across the U.S. According to a synthesis of the literature, implementation can be defined as a specified set of activities designed to put into practice and activity or program of known dimensions. The QIC-WD is using the implementation science framework developed by NIRN and the guide created by the Permanency Innovations Initiative to support our sites through the stages of implementation: Exploration, Installation, Initial Implementation, and Full Implementation as described below. The QIC-WD knows that high quality implementation of a selected intervention is …

Supporting Newcomer Students: A Chicago-Specific Exploration Of Social And Emotional Learning Initiatives, Lincoln Hill

Center for the Human Rights of Children

Due to the large number of immigrant children and families within its borders as well as its sanctuary jurisdiction, the city of Chicago serves as an ideal case study towards investigating specialized services for one of its most vulnerable subpopulations of children, primarily the development needs of its immigrant children. The desired outcome for this non-exhaustive research brief is to provide empirical evidence and best practices for Chicago community and school specialists seeking to support the social and emotional needs of their newcomer student population.

Readiness For Change And Why It Matters, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

Other QIC-WD Products

Organizations seeking to implement and evaluate a workforce intervention must be prepared for change. Change management experts suggest that when readiness in an organization is high, the organization is better able to initiate and sustain a major change. Staff in organizations that are ready for change are more likely to exert greater effort, persist in the face of obstacles, and display cooperative behavior. In organizations where staff are not ready for change, implementation and evaluation of a new intervention can be very difficult. Staff may not be ready for change if they don’t see the need for an intervention, are …

The Role Of Caregiver Disruption In The Development Of Juvenile Sexual Offenders, Miranda Sitney

Dissertations and Theses

In the last decade, it has been recognized that juveniles commit as much as 20% of all sexual offenses in the United States (DOJ, 2004). Research that attempts to understand why young people commit sex crimes points to an array of family factors that may uniquely contribute to the development of sexual offending over and above general juvenile delinquency. This study specifically examines disrupted caregiving, or receiving insufficient or substitute care, as a potential moderator in the relationship between offense status and caregiver-child relationship quality. Four distinct moderators were tested: gender of caregiver, biological relationship between caregiver and child, number …

Understanding The Relationship Between Organizational Culture And Turnover, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

Other QIC-WD Products

“Organizational culture” is a term used to describe the norms and expectations in a work environment. Research has found that there are three aspects of a human services organization’s culture that predict better outcomes related to the implementation of evidence-based practices, staff turnover, and the serviced provided: 1. Proficiency includes staff skills, competence, responsiveness, and a focus on client well-being. 2. Rigidity reflects issues related to decision making, transparency, micromanagement, and trust. 3. Resistance considers if staff are resistant to change or new ways of doing things. Healthy organizations are highly proficient and not too rigid or resistant. For example …

Virginia Selects And Begins Implementation Of A Workforce Intervention: Transcription Services, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

Other QIC-WD Products

The Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS) was the first QIC-WD site to select a workforce intervention. VDSS learned from the field that many workers leave the agency because they feel overloaded with paperwork. In Virginia, 2,400 Family Services Specialists (FSS) representing 120 local departments of social services (LDSS) perform child welfare and adult protective services. These FSS must document case notes for all interactions with clients, families, and service providers. FSS often manage several high-priority cases and need tools to complete their required documentation in a timely and high-quality manner. VDSS decided to implement three technology solutions to ease …

Stress And The Child Welfare Workforce: Recognizing Signs Of Secondary Traumatic Stress, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

Other QIC-WD Products

Child welfare workers are exposed to a variety of stressors in their everyday work. These stressors can come from: 1. Direct traumatic events – Murder, threats on the lives of workers or their family members, name calling, cursing, shouting, assaults, dog attacks, and property damage. 2. Secondary traumatic events – Exposure to the perpetrators or the victims and survivors of trauma (e.g., children who are abused, neglected, abandoned, and killed, battered women, victims of crime, survivors of natural disasters). 3. Organizational environments – Bureaucratic rules, paperwork, work overload, role confusion, high demands with low resources, high levels of office politics, …

The Lived Experiences Of Student Parents At A 4-Year Institution Of Higher Education, Nancy Dayne

National Student Parent Success Symposium: Lifting Generations Together

College students who are parents are a unique population whose voices are not often represented. This session will look at the research results on the childcare needs of over 750 college students who are parents at a large 4-year Hispanic Serving Institution, on the West-Coast. This presentation will present the voices of student parents and their struggle with support services needed to succeed at an institution of higher education.

Dr. Nancy Dayne- Nancy is an assistant professor at California State University Long Beach (CSULB), in the area of Child Development and Family Studies. She has a BA in Child Development …

Student Legal Services, Richard Slottee, April Kuster

National Student Parent Success Symposium: Lifting Generations Together

Student Legal Services offices across the country provide free legal assistance to students. This presentation will highlight typical legal issues faced by families, the applicable resolution processes, including the judicial system, and the challenges faced by many SLS offices.

Richard graduated from the University of Oregon Law School in 1972 and joined Multnomah County Legal Aid Services as a staff attorney. In 1978 he went to work at Lewis and Clark Law School as a professor and Director of the Lewis and Clark Legal Clinic. The Legal Clinic taught practical lawyering skills to law students through the pro bono representation …

Full Access: A Barrier Removal Approach To Accommodating Student Parents, Michelle Marie

National Student Parent Success Symposium: Lifting Generations Together

This presentation suggests a barrier removal perspective for student parent advocacy which recognizes that colleges are designed to accommodate students whose family cultures reflect the expectations, values, and norms of dominant groups and to exclude students whose family cultures do not. Participants will be invited to explore ways that their campuses can move towards providing full access to ALL students.

Michelle Marie PhD- Michelle is a veteran student parent and student parent advocate who is celebrating her daughter's 18th year by learning to play roller derby. When she's not on skates, she can often be found asking facilitative, design-process-based, problem-solving …

Intersecting Identities And Resiliency: Sharing Stories Of Student Mothers In Community College, Kamisha Sullivan

National Student Parent Success Symposium: Lifting Generations Together

This presentation will share the stories of 23 student mothers enrolled in two community colleges. In their own words student mothers described their intersecting identities as both invisible and empowering. Findings from the study point to the resiliency of student mothers who utilized personal assets and institutional resources. Recommendations for community colleges include developing a strategic method to gather data to better serve this student population. Further, institutions are encouraged to re-examine child care services and supports on campus.

Kamisha Sullivan- Kamisha recently completed an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from CSU Long Beach. Dr. Sullivan has many years of teaching …

Aloha Fridays With Sp@M: Cultivating Social Capital And Fostering Peer Support Lifting Generations Together, Angie Solomon

National Student Parent Success Symposium: Lifting Generations Together

The University of Hawaii-Mānoa (UHM) is a predominately commuter campus lacking dedicated family friendly spaces for student parents to gather hindering opportunities to connect, foster friendships, and cultivate social capital. Aloha Fridays with the Student Parents At Mānoa (SP@M) program is a successful engagement and retention activity providing student parents a supportive space on campus to engage and foster friendships.

Angelique Kealani Siga SolomonAngie is the coordinator for the Student Parents At Manoa (SP@M) program at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Ms. Solomon is a proud mother of two young toddlers and holds a B.A. from UH-Hilo, in History …

Breaking Away From Poverty- One Kentucky Communities Partnerships, Robyn Moreland, Melissa Gross

National Student Parent Success Symposium: Lifting Generations Together

Barriers to higher education are plentiful for low income single parents. This workshop will explore how one Kentucky community uses partnerships to reduce barriers to education through housing, child care and employment.

Robyn Johnson Moreland- Robyn is the Director of Eastern Kentucky University’s Education Pays Program. Education Pays is a grant funded program through the state of Kentucky’s Cabinet for Health and Families Services that provides TANF recipients with work study placements, career development, academic support and supportive services to help meet personal and professional goals. The program is celebrating the 20th year on the campus of Eastern Kentucky University. …

Buidling A #2gen Approach To State Policy: Georgia's Story, Kristin Bernhard

National Student Parent Success Symposium: Lifting Generations Together

Over the past two years, senior leaders of Georgia's Department of Early Care and Learning, Technical College System, and University System have developed a unique partnership to implement a statewide two-gen approach for state policy to better coordinate service delivery for student parents. This session will explore the tactics, strategies, and approach Georgia's state agency leadership have used to connect child and parent outcomes.

Kristin Bernhard- Kristin is the Deputy Commissioner for System Reform at the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL), the state's stand-alone education agency for children from birth through age five. At DECAL, she leads …

The Life Impact Program: Supporting Student Parents Striving For Success, Natalie Reinbold

National Student Parent Success Symposium: Lifting Generations Together

The innovative, comprehensive Life Impact Program provides substantial social and financial support to low-income student parents at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. Using data from a recent program evaluation, we describe Scholars’ strong academic performance and graduation rates, and, drawing from in-depth interviews, we illustrate the lived experiences of Scholars as they navigate raising children while striving to complete college.

Natalie Reinbold-Natalie has 20+ years experience serving disadvantaged families in the Milwaukee area. She received her undergraduate degree from UW - Milwaukee in Psychology and her Master's degree in Community Counseling from UW - Whitewater. As the Life Coach …

Diapers To Degrees: Higher Education's Contribution To The Imposter Syndrome, Caroline Sanders, Shelley Wilson

National Student Parent Success Symposium: Lifting Generations Together

Panel discussion with audience participation will focus on the barriers student-parents continue to encounter, despite the increasing number of their population, and how the often institutionally imposed imposter syndrome hinders and often discourages access to and success in obtaining a college degree. Participants will be encouraged to share best practices and improvement strategies.

Shelley Wilson Gentile- Shelly is the Program Manager for the Institute for Water and Environmental Resilience at Stetson University in Florida. She has more than 30 years of experience in higher education that includes service to five very different campuses. Her longest tenure was at Eastern Michigan …

Building A Village: Developing A Student Parent Support Program, Amanda Wilcox-Herzig

National Student Parent Success Symposium: Lifting Generations Together

In an effort to provide parents with social support and parenting skills, college students were provided with parenting workshops, a resource library, and online discussions. Initially, these endeavors were grant supported and participation was mandatory. Recently, services have been offered as a voluntary activity. Data from each time period will be compared to demonstrate the importance of funded student participation.

Amanda Wilcox Herzog, Ph.D. has taught at California State University Santa Barbara for the last 16 years. Dr. Wilcox Herzog is a Professor in the Psychology Department, where they offer a BA in Human Development and an MA in Child …

The Two-Generation Classroom: Learning Together In The Gen Ed Core, Autumn Green

National Student Parent Success Symposium: Lifting Generations Together

This workshop presents a new approach to post-secondary pedagogy referred to as, The Two Generation Classroom. The Two-Generation Classroom offers curricula for the general education core that facilitate parent/child inter-generational learning. Using hybrid online/in-person strategies, and a learning-buddy approach to integrated arts teaching/learning activities, the Two-Generation Classroom approach aims to address and reduce inequity in college access and success for student parents, while ensuring academic excellence and rigor.

Dr. Autumn R. Green is Founding Director of the National Center for Student Parent Programs, and is currently transitioning from Endicott College to join Wellesley Centers for Women as a Visiting Scholar …

Building An Evidence-Based, Holistic Approach For Moving Integrated Employment Forward, John Butterworth, Jaimie Ciulla Timmons, Jason Billehus, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

ThinkWork! Publications

No abstract provided.

Using A Light Touch: Engaging Families Using Facebook Messenger, John Kramer, John Shepard, Jennifer Bose, Jennifer Sullivan Sulewski, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

ThinkWork! Publications

Research shows that families are essential in the employment process for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Frequently, however, messages they receive about employment are conflicting and can vary between service systems, often due to a lack of coordination across these systems. These conflicting messages can frustrate families and negatively affect their employment expectations and their efforts to support employment outcomes. The present study examines how a well-planned and individualized engagement strategy could improve families’ expectations about employment for their family member with IDD, and how those improved expectations impact the employment planning process. This pilot focused on engaging …

The Impact Of Mental Health Issues On Academic Achievement In High School Students, Patricia Lea Sutherland

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

An adolescent’s time in school is not merely academic; they are developing socially, physically, and emotionally. Prior research has demonstrated a correlation between a student’s poor academic performance and his/her need for emotional and mental health support. This research project sought to answer the following research questions: 1) Do mental health services in a high school setting help facilitate students’ academic achievement? and 2) Does a focus on mental health issues improve overall health and well-being in high school students? Participants for this study are 10 staff members (including teachers, administrators, counselors, and others) of a high school in San …

An Examination Of The Impact Traumatic Events Has On Psychosocial Impairment In Eating Disorder Patients, Jennifer Parker Hackett

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Research suggests that trauma has an impact on eating disorders. While prior research has demonstrated that the trauma from abuse has a significant impact on eating disorders, research has failed to explore other types of trauma. In addition, previous studies have stopped short of examining the impact trauma has on functioning among individuals with an eating disorder. This study aimed to address that gap in the literature. The purpose of this study is to examine whether traumatic life events impact psychosocial functioning among individuals living with an eating disorder. Furthermore, this study aimed to identify which traumas are shown to …

Effects Of Immigration On Interpersonal Relationships With Others Amongst Native And Mexican-Born Mexican Americans, Juan Zaragoza

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study presents the findings of how and to what extent immigration effects Native and Mexican-born Mexican American’s relationships with others. This study was quantitative and measured participant’s levels and qualities of interactions with others. The participants in this study were students from California State University, San Bernardino’s School of Social Work. The student population that was targeted was Native and Mexican-born Mexican Americans. The participants were contacted via email and provided with a questionnaire that measured the quality and quantity of interpersonal relationships they held with others. The original sample size consisted of 53 participants but reduced to a …

Perceptions Of Self-Disclosure Impacting The Supervisory Relationship And Recognizing Countertransference, Melissa Alvarez Torres, Jessica Elizabeth Wilinski

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Clinical supervision is an essential component in a social work student’s education and development in the field. Social work students should feel comfortable with their clinical supervisors in order to appropriately self-disclose during supervision and gain the ability to recognize countertransference when working with clients. The significance of this is that students should be aware of their feelings and learn how to process these reactions during supervision. A mixed methods approach was utilized, surveying and interviewing students and clinical supervisors affiliated with California State University, San Bernardino. A Pearson correlation coefficient was conducted to determine the relationship between the strength …

San Bernardino And Riverside County Foster Family Agency Social Workers' Awareness Of Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking, Cristin Elizabeth Campbell

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking is a crime happening right in our own backyards. Social Workers are seeing this vulnerable population fall through the fingers of social services and into the clutches of traffickers at alarming rates. This research project analyzed San Bernardino and Riverside County Foster Family Agency Social Workers' Awareness of Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking. This project was a quantitative exploratory research design. A paper survey was distributed to Foster Family Agency Social Workers within San Bernardino and Riverside County, California using a snowball sampling. A bivariate analysis was conducted to evaluate the relationship that social work experience in …

Burnout Among Bilingual Social Service Providers, Marlene Reyes

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study focuses on burnout among bilingual Social Service Providers (BSSPs) and examines their thoughts and beliefs on the interconnection of their bilingual/bicultural skills and higher risk of burnout. The findings from this study have significant ramifications for the social service field on both Macro and Micro levels. At a Micro scale, the data validates the additional responsibilities of BSSP’s, while bringing more awareness to this group of professionals. Additional findings contribute to new policies regarding BSSPs job responsibilities; for example, accurate job descriptions and training for positions that require translation and interpretation. An exploratory study using qualitative data was …

Exploring Self-Injury: An Art-Based Approach To Cultivating Empathy And Understanding In Mental Health Professionals, Dana Wyss

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

Self-injury greatly affects individuals, their families, and the mental health professionals who provide their care. This art-based research investigates the impact of clients’ self-injury on mental health professionals. It addresses four research questions and applies a methodology that integrates body art, photography, poetry, and dialogue. Six participants (including the researcher) participated in three meetings wherein they artistically responded with temporary body art to two questions, sorted through their photographs, reviewed poetry created about their work, and discussed the study experience. The researcher navigated being a witness-researcher by personally and creatively engaging in the study.

The results present raw, distilled narratives, …

Social Work Trauma Interventions: Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Kassie Baumann

Senior Honors Theses

According to Lynne Weilart (2013), in her article on the reasons why people seek out therapy, trauma is the number one reason people attend counseling. Many different trauma-informed approaches are designed specifically to address the consequences of trauma and to facilitate healing. Some of these approaches are as follows: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT); Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT);Mentalization Based Therapy (MBT); Trauma Systems Therapy (TST); Trauma Assessment Pathway (TAP); and Attachment, Self-Regulation, and Competency (ARC) (de Arellano, Danielson, Ko, & Sprauge, 2008). The effectiveness of each trauma intervention will be examined. DBT is one of these trauma interventions that is growing …

Perceived Maternal Invalidation And Drinking Behavior: The Role Of Action Control, Elise Ann Warner

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol use disorder is one of the most prevalent disorders worldwide. As such, researchers have examined factors contributing to alcohol use. Perception of emotional experiences in childhood as invalidating by parents is one factor that has been found to predict later alcohol use, though less is known about maternal invalidation specifically. Parental invalidation has also been found to predict difficulty regulating affective states (i.e., negative and positive affect), which is also a determinant of alcohol use. Further, researchers have studied temptation to drink and restraint from drinking as related to alcohol use to better understand drinking behavior. Though there appears …