Social Work Commons^™

Affordable & Accessible Housing For All Minnesotans: Equitable Investment In Housing For People With Disabilities, Nabiha Ali, Jennifer Gutierrez, Monde Solomon, Natalia Marchan-Gallardo, Nancy M. Fitzsimons

Master of Social Work Student Policy Advocacy Briefs

Without ensuring that housing is also accessible, Minnesota’s efforts to increase affordable housing is leaving out a segment of our community, Minnesotan’s with disabilities. Minnesota must commit to ensuing that every man, every woman, every child in Minnesota, without exception, has a safe, affordable, dignified and ACCESSIBLE place to call home.

Equity And Justice For People With Traumatic Brain Injury In Minnesota's Criminal Justice System: Achieving Effectiveness, Efficiency And Equity, Megan Bryant, Donica Doran, Karen Lacroix, Beth Winterfeldt

Master of Social Work Student Policy Advocacy Briefs

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a silent epidemic in Minnesota’s correctional system. People with TBI in corrections have significant needs related to their TBI that are not being met. These unmet needs threaten their personal safety and the safety of others in correctional settings and society at large; and threaten their ability to maintain their status as productive members of their communities upon release, negatively affecting the well-being of entire communities.

Ethics In Social Work Practice (With A Rural Twist), Paul Force-Emery Mackie

Social Work Department Publications

Social work ethics can be challenging, and in rural areas even more so. What do we know about how to practice in unique and often isolated geographic environments? Join Professor of Social Work and National Association for Rural Mental Health Past President Dr. Paul Mackie for a two-hour training focused on ways to address common ethical dilemmas and challenges faced by behavioral health providers in rural and low-population areas.

Moving Beyond A Protective Approach To Stopping Sexual Violence Of People With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities, Katie Crowell, Jenni Elwer, Beatrice Makori, Laura Schultz

Master of Social Work Student Policy Advocacy Briefs

Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) have some of the highest rates of sexual violence of any group—at least 7 times the rate for people without disabilities. (6) Attempts to alleviate this problem have been unsuccessful and based on the Medical Model of Disability, which views people with I/DD as inherently vulnerable and in need only of protection. Viewing people with I/DD as inherently vulnerable further stigmatizes them and increases dependency on others, instead of fostering capabilities and independence. Minnesota needs to move beyond taking a protective “recognize, report, and respond” approach, to taking a comprehensive approach to sexual …

A Crisis In The Farming Community: A Pathway To Acceptable, Accessible And Available Mental Health Care In Rural Minnesota, Trevor Frybarger, Laura Koch, Kathy Thao, Taryn Wicks

Master of Social Work Student Policy Advocacy Briefs

Minnesota relies on farmers to put food on our tables and to help drive our economy. The chronic stressors associated with an unstable farm economy is taking its toll on farm families all across Minnesota. Chronic stress can contribute to marital tensions, domestic violence, work disruption, depression, anxiety, and suicide. Minnesota has only 1 mental health counselor dedicated to doing outreach and crisis counseling to farm families. Many mental health professionals lack competency in working in rural communities, including understanding farm related stressors. Minnesota is doing some things right, like the Minnesota Farm and Rural Help Line. But, it needs …

Expanding Full-Service Community Schools Into Rural Minnesota, Rachel Cox Raverty, Lindsey Gilbert, Jessica Goettl, Claire Otto, Korissa Smith

Master of Social Work Student Policy Advocacy Briefs

Communities throughout rural Minnesota would greatly benefit from full-service community schools to support academic achievement and contribute to thriving communities. Lack of health and human services, mental health disparities, and cultural divides are among the greatest concerns for students in rural areas. One in 5 children birth to eighteen has a diagnosable mental health condition and 1 out of every 10 children experience a mental health problem that is severe enough to impair how they function at home, in school, and in their communities. When youth come to school hungry or experiencing in-home trauma, academic success is hard to achieve. …

Bridging The Gap: Supporting Transition-Age Youth Living With Mental Health Conditions, Oreoluwa Dasylva, Abbie Ensrud, Brittany Kruse, Cindy Schulz

Master of Social Work Student Policy Advocacy Briefs

The transition from adolescence to adulthood is a crucial time in a person’s life. For young people living with mental health conditions, becoming an independent, well-functioning, and productive adult can be especially challenging. It is imperative that supports be put in place to ensure transition-age youth have a smooth passage from child to adult mental health services. Nearly half of all life-long diagnosable conditions present by age 14. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) finds the co-occurrence of serious illnesses and substance use disorders exist among transition-age youth more than any other developmental age. When left untreated, …

Voting Rights & Felon Disenfranchisement: A New Path Forward, Jenessa Rudell, Sierra Sanders, Kali Shae, Emily Stensvold, Luke Westman

Master of Social Work Student Policy Advocacy Briefs

The current felon disenfranchisement policies in Minnesota undermine the essential voting rights necessary for democracy to thrive. Minnesota currently outranks many founding NATO countries in incarceration rates per 100,000 in population. If an individual in Minnesota is convicted of a felony, their right to vote is revoked until they complete their sentence, probation, or parole. This is especially problematic because Minnesota’s probationary periods extend into decades long punitive measures. Governor Mark Dayton’s Task Force suggestions of allowing felons to vote after incarceration is a step in the right direction, but does not go far enough to alleviate the problem of …

Paid Family And Medical Leave Policy: An Investment In Minnesota's Families, Hannah Krog, Danielle Kaderlik, Danielle Maher, Paxson Menard, Kallie Trutnau

Master of Social Work Student Policy Advocacy Briefs

The current policy Minnesota, the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), is unpaid and simply insufficient to meet the needs of Minnesotans. In 2016, only 1 in 7 U. S. civilian workers had access to paid family and medical leave (PFML) as an employee benefit. Ten percent of Minnesotans will take family or medical leave (FML) in any given year. While almost three-quarters of Minnesota workers receive at least some pay when they are out of work for family or medical reasons; access to pay during leave is not equally distributed. Low-wage (46%); part-time (38%); less educated (38%); black …

Msu-M Social Work Students' Perceptions Of Sexual Assault Reporting, Elizabeth M. Guss

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

Prior research on sexual assault reporting has identified several barriers to reporting, such as rape myths, negative perceptions about how the report will be handled, and misinformation about reporting rights. Due to these barriers, many cases of sexual assault go unreported. By increasing education about sexual assault policies and access to resources, it is hoped that college campuses can become safer for all students. Data for this study was gathered through an online, anonymous survey which contained twelve questions- six about reporting perceptions and knowledge, and six about socio-demographic information. The survey was sent to an intro-level Social Work class …

Applying Social Work Values To The Care And Treatment Of Intersex People, Michelle Anklan, Jeffrey Matejcek, Lorelei Tinaglia

Master of Social Work Student Policy Advocacy Briefs

The "problem" of intersex conditions is not due to intersex variations themselves, rather contemporary society's binary understanding of sex. The term “intersex” refers to individuals born with “anatomies that are considered ‘atypical’ for either male or female bodies.” There are over 40 variations of sex development that can be referred to as “intersex”, which makes conforming to the binary (i.e. male/female) system of gender problematic. The United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner affirms that, "being intersex relates to biological sex characteristics, and is distinct from a person's sexual orientation or gender identity." Dominant medical procedure throughout the …

Virtual Mentorship Network To Address The Rural Shortage Of Mental Health Providers, Heidi Keeler, Tara Sjuts, Kosuke Niitsu, Shinobu Watanabe-Galloway, Paul Force-Emery Mackie, Howard Liu

Social Work Department Publications

Introduction: The process of identifying effective responses to the challenges of placing and retaining a rural behavioral health workforce remains elusive. The Virtual Mentorship Network was developed to test the feasibility of using distance technology to connect rural students interested in mental health careers with mentors.

Methods: In Year 1, college and high school students were virtually mentored using a near-peer approach both live and asynchronously as a cohort over 7 months. In Year 2, college students only were virtually intensely mentored live over 1 month. High school students were asynchronously provided with informational videos produced by mentors. Program benefits …

Jails Are Not Treatment Centers, Michael Henning, Rachel Mattick, Cali Turbes

Master of Social Work Student Policy Advocacy Briefs

Currently, in Minnesota alone, there are more individuals with severe mental illness being incarcerated than hospitalized. Blue Earth County's Yellow Line Project (YLP) reported that 83.7% of individuals screened positive for mental illness prior to being booked into jail . Not only does incarcerating individuals with mental illness fill our jails, it prolongs mental illness and time spent away from treatment. Jail diversion programs divert individuals with mental health disorders from the criminal justice system and into appropriate treatment when applicable. For those individuals ineligible for diversion from the criminal justice system, care coordination would be ideal to assist in …

In The Child's Best Interests: Preparing Culturally Responsive Guardians Ad Litem In Minnesota, Ashley Brown, Emily Camacho, Taneesha Hunter, Skylar Retterath

Master of Social Work Student Policy Advocacy Briefs

Guardians ad litem (GALs) serve and advocate for the most vulnerable children in Minnesota. These individuals make recommendations to the courts which can impact the amount of time children are placed out of their homes. The Guardian ad Litem Board sets the qualifications and training requirements for Guardians ad Litem in Minnesota. Guardians ad litem are currently required to participate in 3 hours per year of continuing education in cultural awareness topics; this amount of training is not adequate in relation to the diversity of the population with which the GALs are working. The importance of cultural responsiveness is significant …

Taking Care Of Palliative Care, Jolene Baker, Kristina Larsen, Amanda Schumacher

Master of Social Work Student Policy Advocacy Briefs

Minnesota has done well with the amount of palliative care services provided across the state. However, rural communities in Minnesota have far less access to palliative care programs than those living in urban settings. This is in part due to the lack of availability of health care professionals in rural communities, and the lower reimbursement rates provided for palliative care programs in rural settings. Although the majority of large hospitals in Minnesota offer palliative care programs, most hospitals with fifty beds or less do not. Palliative care has been shown to improve the quality of life of individuals living with …

Perinatal Depression: Investing In Our Mothers Before It's Too Late, Katelin Dietel, Anna Garbers, Kailee Hrubetz

Master of Social Work Student Policy Advocacy Briefs

Currently, there is no consistent, universal screening process within the United States healthcare system that considers the mental health of a new mother. Mandatory screening for perinatal depressive symptoms would improve the lives of new mothers, children, and their families nationwide. Home-visiting programs, such as the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program supported by Healthy Families America, should be universal and available in every locale in the U.S. Individual state policies within these programs should be tailored to meet the needs of each unique mother, child, and family. Early, nurturing relationships are critical to a child's development. …

Sexual Harassment, Jessica Gagnier, Kara Kocmick, Stepanie Voegele

Master of Social Work Student Policy Advocacy Briefs

According to a Star Tribune MN Poll, nearly 2 out of 3 women in the state of Minnesota have personally experienced sexual harassment. “It is estimated that over half of all women will experience some form of sexual harassment during college and/or their work lives” (Buchanan, 2008, p. 2). It is very difficult to track the true prevalence of sexual harassment because many women do not report. There are several reasons that victims do not report, some include “…the fear of retaliation or because they do not always recognize the offending behaviors as such” (Champion, 2010, p.3). In her Ted …

Invisible No More: Bringing Awareness To Mental Health In Older Adults Living In Rural Minnesota, Abigail Schaper, Carley Ledoux, Kristry Danielson

Master of Social Work Student Policy Advocacy Briefs

Approximately 8 million Americans 65 years of age and older have mental health disorders. It is estimated that these numbers could reach 14.4 million by 2030. Minnesotans turning 65 in this decade (about 285,000) will be greater than the past four decades combined (Aging: MN State Demographic Center, 2018). Anxiety and depression are two of the more common mental health disorders in older adults and are associated with severe consequences, including life dissatisfaction, illness, and mortality. With this growth comes many barriers. The rural mental health system is not equipped to address this growth. The system is underfunded, largely uncoordinated, …

Launch-Ing Minnesota Early Childhood Mental Health Into The Future, Molly Abdo, Alyssa Baker, Elizabeth Holz

Master of Social Work Student Policy Advocacy Briefs

What is Social-Emotional Development? The foundation for lifelong mental health, including social and emotional development, is established early in life and shaped by children's relationships with parents, caregivers, and peers. This foundation is critical to all aspects of healthy development and growth in early childhood. Social-emotional development can be defined as "the capacity to form secure relationships; experience, express, and manage a range of emotions; and learn and explore one's environment."

Why is it Important? When children fail to develop social-emotionally, mental health symptoms begin to emerge and can "cause distress, interfere with relationships, limit the child's participation in daily …

The Social Isolation Epidemic: A Public Health Concern, Jolynne Bockman, Allison Frandrup, Hannah Miner

Master of Social Work Student Policy Advocacy Briefs

Social isolation kills. Loneliness and social isolation raise the likelihood of coronary heart disease and stroke, result in poor cardiovascular and mental health outcomes, and drastically increase the likelihood of death. Resulting health implications that stem from real or perceived physical or emotional remoteness include a spectrum of harsh realities ranging from feelings of low self-worth to reduced work capacity to attempts to harm oneself. Social isolation does not have to become the defining reality of modern life. Attention to the vast loneliness spreading through diverse populations across the state is desperately needed as a means to combat this modern …

Comprehensive Plan For Prevention Of Abuse And Neglect Of People With Disabilities: Report, Nancy M. Fitzsimons

Social Work Department Publications

Victimization of people with disabilities (here forward ‘abuse and neglect’) is a serious, persistent, and pervasive problem. While Minnesota is taking steps to improve its reporting and response systems, similar efforts have not been made to prevent abuse and neglect. This Comprehensive Plan for the Prevention of Abuse and Neglect of People with Disabilities contains powerful examples of the problem and describes potential remedial actions. But the Plan goes further, by outlining promising actions that can be taken before the abuse and neglect occurs.

This report and the subsequent work on prevention of abuse and neglect for people with disabilities …

Profesional Ethics In Rural Social Work Practice, Paul Force-Emery Mackie

Social Work Department Publications

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this training, participants will be able to:

1. Describe differences between values, morals, and ethics from a rural practice perspective
   
   
2. List at least 3 common ethical issues identified in rural social service practice that challenges service delivery
   
   
3. Identify 3 rural practice considerations that complicate rural practice from an ethical perspective.

Spaced And Expanded Practice: An Investigation Of Methods To Enhance Retention, Katherine Kalenberg

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

In order to promote quality instruction and maximized student learning, it is essential for schools to integrate the most practical, effective, and efficient teaching methods into the curriculum. The purpose of this research was to investigate the effect of various spacing patterns between practice sessions on retention of information. This study investigated the effects of practice at consistent intervals (spaced practice), practice at increasing intervals (expanded practice), and no practice. Participants were taught a set of eight unknown math words and definitions using incremental rehearsal (IR). After the teaching session, students in expanded and spaced practice conditions participated in three …

Behavioral Health Human Resource Crisis: Rural Responses, Paul Force-Emery Mackie

Social Work Department Publications

No abstract provided.

In Search Of A Forever Home: Raising The Standards For Our Kids, Katarina Barrett, Shelby Marx, Moriah Mueller, Christopher Olson, Michelle Olund-Youngberg

Master of Social Work Student Policy Advocacy Briefs

There are currently 12,167 children in foster care in Minnesota and 32% experienced multiple placements in 2014. Many children are entering foster care due to concerns of child behavior, parental chemical use, or allegations of maltreatment. After an often unexpected separation from their family, children are then expected to adapt to a new foster family with a new set of family norms and rules. Many children are moved between multiple foster homes, or are returned to their caregivers only to be placed back in foster care at a later time. In the wake of media reports revealing stories of child …

Ensuring Access To Mental Health Care: A Rural Perspective, Shannon M. Bank, Roxanne M. Paulson, Samantha N. Schafter, Anne M. Schuelke

Master of Social Work Student Policy Advocacy Briefs

Minnesota has been an innovator in developing and expanding mental health services across the state. Although promising policies have been established, mental health treatment disparities continue to hinder functioning for individuals living with mental illness. Availability and accessibility are identified barriers to accessing services in rural areas. With a successful repeal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), what would seem a right of equality, access to mental health care, could turn from limited access, to none. Thereby invoking true possibilities of increase in mental illness, decline in whole health, lack of health care reimbursements, and essentially, even …

{Ace}Ing Early Childhood In Minnesota, Bailey Alston, Casie Devos, Alisha Field, Renee Gasner

Master of Social Work Student Policy Advocacy Briefs

Too many young children are facing ACEs that are detrimentally impacting their development and contributing to negative outcomes that persist into adulthood. There are no current policies using the ACE questions to drive mental health interventions. The Governor’s Task Force on Mental Health made nine recommendations that, if implemented, will greatly improve the mental health and well-being of children and their parents. Improving early childhood prevention and intervention programs helps ALL Minnesota’s families build healthy and rich experiences for their children.

1. Expand the Early Childhood Mental Health Grant program statewide to increase early childhood mental health specialists.
2. Create a Governor’s …

Creating Healthy Communities Across Minnesota: Investing In Integrated Health Care, Leah Jacobson, Nicole Lidstrom, Jenna Lipovetz, Jamie Schuller

Master of Social Work Student Policy Advocacy Briefs

In Minnesota, behavioral health homes have become an efficient resource for individu­als on Medical Assistance to receive integrated behavioral and primary health care under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The rising popularity of behav­ioral health homes in Minnesota introduced the concept of integrated medical care with a patient's primary care physician as the "home-base". Figure 1 illustrates the inte­grated approach that supports the patient and their family, provides care that covers an entire continuum of care with a comprehensive care team focused on the whole person, is accessible with short waiting times, and is committed to quality and …

A Mental Health Workforce Crisis: Roadmap For Enhancing Recruitment & Retention In Minnesota, Iowa & Wisconsin, Lindsay Duenow, Rebecca Kobernick, Mckenzie Sohre, Kim Wallgren

Master of Social Work Student Policy Advocacy Briefs

Building and maintaining an adequate mental health workforce requires successful recruitment and retention of qualified workers. Identifying recruitment and retention factors specific to behavioral health providers is essential in determining strategies for increasing the rural health behavioral workforce. The World Health Organization estimates there are 1.18 million additional mental health workers needed to end the mental health treatment gap between patients and providers worldwide. In the U.S., there has been a nationwide shortage of mental health professionals, and this shortage is more pronounced in rural communities,with twenty percent of rural areas lacking mental health services, compared to five percent of …

Time To Stand Up For Female Vets: Improving Access To Vegerans Administration Health Services For Female Veterans Who Experience Military Sexual Trauma, Rhonda Haugstad, Dana Miller, Michelle Remold

Master of Social Work Student Policy Advocacy Briefs

Military Sexual Trauma (MST), is defined as sexual assault and/or sexual harassment experienced while serving in the United States military. The process of obtaining Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits are difficult for individuals that suffer from MST. MST survivors are faced with delays and numerous barriers in accessing services, including discrimination in seeking compensation. Statistical data from the Department of Defense (DOD) is reviewed highlighting the high rates of sexual assault in the military and addresses concerns about the long-term implications for survivors of MST.

Many female veteran survivors of MST are struggling to access needed services covered by …