Social Work Commons^™

Clients’ Hope Arises From Social Workers’ Compassion: Young Clients’ Perspectives On Surmounting The Obstacles Of Disadvantage, Deanna D’Amico Guthrie, Victoria Smith Ellison, King Sami, Katherine Tyson Mccrea

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

While social workers strive to build disadvantaged African American youths’ resilience by improving services, rarely are those youths’ perspectives included in research. In a previous evaluation of an after-school program, disadvantaged African American youths prioritized instructors’ compassion and said compassion engendered hope. This study explores their connection between compassion and hope more deeply. Focusing on Snyder’s hope theory, this study examines the connection between compassion and hope as individual traits (using standardized scales) and as relational, action-based experiences (using qualitative analysis of interview data). Instructor actions that youths identified as compassionate and as engendering hope were encouragement, problem solving, responsive …

Philosophical Approaches To Qualitative Research, Julia Pryce, Renée Spencer, Jill Walsh

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

This chapter reviews some of the major overarching philosophical approaches to qualitative inquiry and includes some historical background for each. Taking a “big picture” view, the chapter discusses post-positivism, constructivism, critical theory, feminism, and queer theory and offers a brief history of these approaches; considers the ontological, epistemological, and axiological assumptions on which they rest; and details some of their distinguishing features. In the last section, attention is turned to the future, identifying three overarching, interrelated, and contested issues with which the field is being confronted and will be compelled to address as it moves forward:retaining the rich diversity that …

Learning Communities: Through The Lens Of A Groupworker, Shirley Simon, Sarah Hessenauer

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

Learning communities are becoming increasingly common as a means of assisting incoming students with their transition to college. They have been shown to improve student retention, academic performance, and student-faculty relationships. Learning communities are prime examples of group work in action, and can provide opportunities for educators to teach and model social group work concepts and principles. This paper 1) defines and describes learning communities, 2) discusses the theoretical basis for the application of group work principles to the learning community experience, and 3) describes and assesses three years of experience with the application of group work principles in social …

Local Nonprofit Welfare Provision: The United States And Russia, Maria V. Wathen, Scott W. Allard

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

Provision of antipoverty and other social services by nonstate organizations is growing in importance in both the United States and the Russian Federation. The history of such provision in the United States may offer insights for the emerging system of nonstate provision in Russia. To illuminate these points, we provide historical overviews of both contexts and then we examine data from two surveys of social service organizations in the United States: the Multi-City Survey of Social Service Providers and the Rural Survey of Social Service Providers.

We find that nonstate actors strengthen social capital in poor neighborhoods and often link …

Toward A Client-Centered Benchmark For Self-Sufficiency: Evaluating The ‘Process’ Of Becoming Job Ready., Philip Young P. Hong

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

The purpose of this study is to evaluate how service providers, clients, and graduates of a job training program define the term self-sufficiency (SS). This community-engaged, mixed method study qualitatively analyzes focus group data from each group and quantitatively examines survey data obtained from participants of the program. Findings reveal that psychological transformation as a ‘process’ represents the emic definition of SS—psychological SS—but each dimension of the concept is reflected in varying degrees by group. Provider and participant views are vastly different from the outcome-driven policy and funder definitions. Implications for benchmarking psychological SS as an empowerment-based ‘process’ measure of …

Minority Stress Theory: An Examination Of Factors Surrounding Sexual Risk Behavior Among Gay And Bisexual Men Who Use Club Drugs, Michael P. Dentato, Perry N. Halkitis, John Orwat

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

Background: Few studies have examined the impact of minority stress theory (MST) upon sexual risk behavior among gay and bisexual men using club drugs. Similar studies have focused on ethnic minorities and women; however, gay and bisexual men demonstrate greater likelihood for risk behaviors leading to HIV/AIDS. Objective: This study examines sexual risk behavior from the perspective of minority stress theory upon substance-using gay and bisexual men and their partners. Methods: Multivariable logistic regression analysis examined minority stress associations with participant sexual risk behaviors, drug use, and partner type, controlling for demographics. Results: 396 gay and 54 bisexual respondents, ages …

The Promise Of An Accumulation Of Care: Disadvantaged African-American Youths’ Perspectives About What Makes An After School Program Meaningful, Jeffrey J. Bulanda, Katherine Tyson Mccrea

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

African-American youth growing up in dangerous, deprived homes and communities are at great risk of developing impaired relationship capabilities, which disadvantages them further in the workplace and in their personal lives. While after-school programs have well-documented positive effects, researchers have called for better understanding of improving youths' engagement in services and their constructive relationship skills. Here, we report on a project using participatory action methods to engage poverty-level African-American youth in developing a leadership development program they would find most meaningful. Stand Up Help Out (SUHO) gave youth three layers of caregiving experience: receiving care from instructors, giving and receiving …

Organizing For Environmental Justice: From Bridges To Taro Patches, Amy Krings, Michael S. Spencer, Kelcie Jimenez

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

No abstract provided.

"Keeping It Real": An Evaluation Audit Of Five Years Of Youth-Led Program Evaluation, Jeffrey J. Bulanda, Katie Szarzynski, Daria Silar, Katherine Tyson Mccrea

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

Youth are increasingly seen as competent in participating in research and program evaluation, two activities previously reserved for adults. This paper is a report of the findings from an evaluation audit of Stand Up! Help Out!, a participatory action after-school youth leadership development program for disadvantaged urban youth that utilized youth evaluations to develop a best practices service model. The youths’ feedback assisted providers in improving services so that youth engagement in the program was 99% (by comparison with national highs of 79%). Here, we describe an important aspect of the process of youth-led program evaluation leading to such high …

The Employment Hope Scale: Measuring An Empowerment Pathway To Employment Success, Philip Young P. Hong, Sangmi Choi

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

This chapter presents findings on revalidation of the Short Employment Hope Scale (EHS- 14) using a recently collected independent sample of 661 low-income jobseekers. This client- centered measure captures an aspect of multi-dimensional psychological self-sufficiency (SS) as a process-driven assessment tool. The original employment hope metric was constructed as a 24-item six-factor structure from its earlier conceptualization resulting from client focus group interviews.

The EHS measure was initially validated using an exploratory factor analysis (EFA), resulting in a 14-item two-factor structure with Factor 1 representing ‘psychological empowerment’ and Factor 2 representing ‘goal-oriented pathways’. In the following revalidation process using a …

“Where’S Beebee?”: The Orphan Crisis In Global Child Welfare From An Autoethnographic Perspective, Katherine Tyson Mccrea

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

No abstract provided.

Empowering Counseling Program Description, Katherine Tyson Mccrea

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

No abstract provided.

Developing A White Anti-Racism Identity: A Psycho-Educational Group Model, Kathryn Kristin Berg, Shirley Simon

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

This paper describes and assesses a seven session psycho-educational group on anti-racism identity development for White European-American undergraduate students at a midwestern U.S. university. It is predicated on the premise that Whiteness can simultaneously privilege and harm White people, and that White students have the potential to become personally invested in the challenging of systematic racism. It is also based on the idea that a group structure presents an ideal format for addressing this topic. Peer support, a safe environment, and information are requisites for facilitating personal exploration of this sensitive subject. A group model for addressing this topic is …

Group Work And Technology: Embracing Our Future, Shirley Simon, Kathleen W. Stauber

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

This paper provides an overview of the evolution of online technology – how the technological revolution of the computer, the Internet, and mass access to new communication devices has impacted our lives with a speed and universality that is unprecedented. It discusses the natural and understandable resistance of many skilled and renowned group workers towards the use of these new modalities. It addresses the numerous benefits that technology has to offer us, and the critical and timely need for group workers to make the conceptual shift to embrace these modalities. A case is made for group workers’ ability to take …

Group Work In Graduate Social Work Education: Where Are We Now?, Shirley Simon, Teresa Kilbane

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

This paper presents the preliminary results of a national survey assessing the extent of group work offerings within masters level social work programs in the United States. The study replicates and expands upon a 1994 investigation by Birnbaum and Auerbach. Findings are compared with the earlier study to identify changes and trends in group work education.

Indicated Truancy Interventions: Effects On School Attendance Among Chronic Truant Students., Brandy R. Maynard, Katherine Tyson Mccrea, Terri D. Pigott, Michael S. Kelly

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

BACKGROUND
Truancy is a significant problem in the U.S. and in other countries around the world. Truancy has been linked to serious immediate and far-reaching consequences for youth, families, and schools and communities, leading researchers, practitioners, and policy makers to try to understand and to address the problem. Although numerous and significant steps have been taken at the local, state, and national levels to reduce truancy, the rates of truancy have at best remained stable or at worst been on the rise, depending on the indicator utilized to assess truancy rates.
The costs and impact of chronic truancy are significant, …

Connecting Students And Professional Associations: A Curricular Approach, Shirley Simon

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

No abstract provided.

Validation Of The Employment Hope Scale: Measuring Psychological Self-Sufficiency Among Low-Income Jobseekers, Philip Young P. Hong, Joshua R. Polanin, Terri D. Pigott

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

The Employment Hope scale (EHS) was designed to measure the empowerment-based self-sufficiency (SS) outcome among low-income job-seeking clients. This measure captures the psychological SS dimension as opposed to the more commonly used economic SS in workforce development and employment support practice. The study validates the EHS and reports its psychometric properties. Method: An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted using an agency data from the Cara Program in Chicago, United States. The principal axis factor extraction process was employed to identify the factor structure. Results: EFA resulted in a 13-item two-factor structure with Factor 1 representing “Psychological Empowerment” and Factor …

The Minority Stress Perspective, Michael P. Dentato

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

The minority stress perspective adds significant insight into the critical application and evaluation of theory regarding the impact of homophobia and correlates of HIV risk among gay and bisexual men and other sexual minorities. Continued understanding of the role that stigma, prejudice, heteronormativity, rejection, and internalized homophobia play in fueling HIV and substance use among gay and bisexual men is also necessary.

Social Work For Social Justice: Strengthening Social Work Practice Through The Integration Of Catholic Social Teaching, Julia Pryce

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

No abstract provided.

Frederic Siedenburg, Sj: The Journey Of A Social Activist, Edward Gumz

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

This is an archival study of Frederic Siedenburg, SJ, a Jesuit, who founded the first Catholic-Jesuit School of Social Work in the United States at Loyola University of Chicago in 1914. This study examines the multi-faceted career of this sociologist who served at two Catholic universities from 1914 through the 1930s when Progressivism and the New Deal in the United States were attempts to deal with social reform; the Catholic Church, in a variety of ways, responded to these reform efforts. Siedenburg espoused Catholic social teaching and attempted to carry out its tenets within a Catholic context as an educator …

Patterns Of Discovery In Participatory Action Research From The Insider’S Perspective, Katherine Tyson Mccrea

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

No abstract provided.

Research In Spirituality, Religion, And Aging: An Emerging Area, Holly Nelson-Becker

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

No abstract provided.

Technology And Groupwork: A Mandate And An Opportunity, Shirley Simon, Kahtleen W. Stauber

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

This paper addresses the relationship between social groupwork and technology. It discusses the evolution of online technology—how the technological revolution of the computer, the Internet, and mass access to new communication devices has impacted our lives with unprecedented speed and universality. It acknowledges the natural and understandable resistance of many skilled and renowned groupworkers to the use of these new modalities. It addresses the numerous benefi ts and challenges that technology brings, and the critical and timely need for groupworkers to make the conceptual shift to embrace these modalities. A case is made for groupworkers’ ability to take a leadership …

Predicting India’S Future: Does It Justify The Exportation Of Us Social Work Education?, Shweta Singh, Edward Gumz, Brenda Crawley

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

Current social work education in India reflects globalization priorities and tendencies of neo-colonialism that emulate curriculum priorities and duplicate content developed in countries like the USA. Social work education as implemented by countries like the USA, has limited success in transnational training of social workers and their ability to address emerging social problems and deep rooted structural imbalances within non-USA social contexts. Yet, the concept of the world being an emerging global village is used to justify and reaffirm the colonial goals of universal education and pedagogies within social work and its application to starkly different contexts, such as India. …

The Vital Role Of Social Workers In Community Partnerships: The Alliance For Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender And Questioning Youth, Michael P. Dentato, Shelley L. Craig, Mark S. Smith

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

The account of The Alliance for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (GLBTQ) Youth formation offers a model for developing com- munity-based partnerships. Based in a major urban area, this university-community collaboration was spearheaded by social workers who were responsible for its original conceptualization, for generating community support, and for eventual staffing, administration, direct service provision, and program evaluation design. This article presents the strategic development and evolution of this community- based service partnership, highlighting the roles of schools of social work, academics, and social work students in concert with community funders, practitioners and youth, in responding to the needs …

Neighborhood: The “Outside” Space For Girls In Urban India, Shweta Singh

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

This study explores the perspective of adolescent girls on the neighborhood as a social space that plays a role in the formation of their identity and agency. The study applies the ‘identities’ conceptual framework, which is a global, interdisciplinary, theoretical approach to understanding female identity. The study participants were girls enrolled in grades 7–10, from five schools in a district in the Northern State of India, who participated in structured focus group discussions. The study reports on the reduced relevance of neighborhood for girls and illustrates, through quotes, the reasons for their limited interaction.

The Challenges Of Complex Trauma And The Promise Of Supporting Strengths, Katherine Tyson Mccrea

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

No abstract provided.

Domestic Violence Or Elder Abuse? Why It Matters For Older Women, Teresa Kilbane, Marcia K. Spira

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

Law enforcement and legal services are 2 systems that respond to reports of abuse against women through programs such as adult protective services (APS) and domestic violence (DV). APS and DV systems operate independently and define the cause of the abuse differently. The designation of a woman as having suffered domestic violence or having been abused often depends on which system she enters. This designation can lead to different options for women to obtain services. Aging may further complicate access and usability of these systems to respond to the needs of abused elderly. Using vignettes, this article explores the definitions …

Spirituality And Aging (Review), Holly Nelson-Becker

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

Review of Robert C. Atchley 'Spirituality and Aging.'