Social Work Commons^™

Forgiveness And The Post-Abortive Woman: Achieving Self-Forgiveness, Amy M. Peck

Masters Theses

Concepts of forgiveness explore the sum of the parts of any individual within any context or belief system an individual is a part of. The sum of these parts involve forgiveness within the context of an entire person, empathy being at the heart of forgiveness, forgiveness as a relationship and forgiveness being that of a personal commitment. Forgiveness is an art within the process toward emotional maturity and is a part of any aspect of the human experience toward achieving self-acceptance. Applications of forgiveness are therapeutic and can be a way in which personal healing can take place. In addition, …

An Evaluation Of Transitional Services - A Program For Youth With Aggressive Episodes, Lyla Peterson

Theses and Graduate Projects

Youth who display aggressive tendencies has been a domain of

increasing interest in the arena of social work. This

qualitative program evaluation examined if Transitional

Services was viewed as helpful in reducing the clients'

aggressive episodes while participating in the program, This

study also investigated Anoka County's Transitional Services and

its mission to promote a smoother transition from a restrictive

out-of-home placement back into the clients home environment.

Five social workers completed a qualitative questionnaire that

focused on the program's services for its assistance in

lessening youth aggression, and factors pertaining to family

reunification. The outcomes are based on common …

Fathers' Lived Experiences Of Perinatal Loss: A Hermeneutic Study, Leann R. Nelson

Theses and Graduate Projects

Despite a growing body of perinatal loss research since 1970, the lived experiences of fathers bereaved by perinatal death are virtually unexamined. This interpretive study presents shared meanings and common themes uncovered, using hermeneutic research methodology, in the transcribed texts of in-depth interviews with three bereaved fathers. The fathers' narratives revealed how they lived with two abiding philosophical questions--"Why us?" and "What if?"--during and for a long time after the actual loss experience. Fathers' cultural understanding of life and death as a natural progression was undermined by their loss experience, leaving them with an understanding of the tentativeness of life …

A Study Of School Social Workers' Perceptions Of Disruptive School Behaviors And Their Role In Response To The Problem, Thomas E. Lucy

Theses and Graduate Projects

This study examines the topic of disruptive behavior in the schools, with a focus on how the role of the school social worker relates to this issue. Specifically, this research asked two questions. First, how do school social workers perceive the issue of disruptive behavior in the schools? Second, what is the role of the school social worker in addressing this issue? To answer these questions, 75 school social workers from the Minnesota School Social Work Association were given a self-administered mail survey. The data showed that school social workers feel disruptive behavior is an increasingly difficult issue faced in …

Substance Dependent Women And Family Support, Christina Marie Decker

Theses and Graduate Projects

This hermeneutic study was undertaken to discover the lived experience of two substance dependent women with family support. This study attempted to capture the experience of two women and show how this experience affected their recoveries. The use of the hermeneutic research method allowed the researcher to engage in a process with the participants, both shaping and being shaped by the experience. The women's experiences were interpreted around the theme of connection. This involved a fluid process by which the women disconnected from original family, connected with other supports and then reconnected with original family in their new role as …

Trends. Abuses Of Child Abuse: Suspecting The Usual Suspects In The World Of Elian Gonzalez, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article discusses the concept of child abuse, and expert opinion about it, pertaining to the Elian Gonzalez case. Many different definitions of child abuse were applied to the situation (from differing perspectives) as authorities tried to decide if Gonzalez belonged in Miami, Florida with is "new family," or in Cuba with his father.

The Role Of Community Support Programs With Mothers And Fathers Who Are Mentally Ill, Deborah A. Hesli

Theses and Graduate Projects

Although issues faced by adults with mental illness have been visible for centuries, the implications of mental illness on parenting have only recently been considered. Consequently, service providers in the mental health field have begun to examine their roles with these families, such as balancing the rights of the parent with disabilities with the vulnerabilities of the children. This study asked service providers in the mental health field about their roles working with parents with mental illness and their children. A questionnaire was completed by twenty-one Community Support Program staff working in an urban setting with parents with a mental …

"Spiritual Roots Of Ethical Marital Therapy", Wendy Watson Nelson

Issues in Religion and Psychotherapy

No abstract provided.

Focal Point, Volume 14 Number 01, Portland State University. Regional Research Institute

Research and Training Center - Focal Point

FROM THE EDITORS. It is with great pleasure that we welcome you to the premiere collaborative issue of Focal Point. The joint effort between the Center For Effective Collaboration and Practice and the Research and Training Center on Family Support and Children’s Mental Health exemplifies a larger partnership initiative put forward by the Center for Mental Health Services’ (CMHS) Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for Children and Their Families Program. The goal of an enhanced partnership is to promote improved services that lead to better outcomes for youth and their families. Along these lines we hope you find the fruits …

The Role Of Amcap And The Amcap Journal: Past, Present And Future: A Conversation With Burton C. Kelly, Phd, Carrie M. Wrigley

Issues in Religion and Psychotherapy

Burton C. Kelly, PhD, has been one of AMCAP's most faithful and fruitful contributors since its earliest years. He served from 1977-1978 as AMCAP's third President, and from 1982- 1987, as Journal Editor, during the journal's most prolific season to date. He has also served in a number of leadership capacities in other professional organizations. He earned a PhD in Human Development and Psychology from the University of Chicago and has served in many Church capacities over the years, including Bishop and Stake Mission President, and has served four full-time missions. Dr. Kelly retired ten years ago from BYU after …

The New Philanthropy In The New West Virginia, Roger A. Lohmann

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Although philanthropy is a very old concept, many authorities today see a new philanthropy, including dramatic increases in donations and the assets of foundations. Also a new West Virginia may be emerging from the past of the forest agriculture of buckskin-clad mountaineers and coal mining. This presentation examines the convergence of the new philanthropy and this new West Virginia.

Early Childhood Professional's Interpretations Of Preschool Children's Acting Out Behaviors In The Classroom, Stacy L. D'Amico

Theses and Graduate Projects

This exploratory qualitative study asks early childhood professionals for their interpretations of preschool children's acting out behaviors in the classroom setting. A non-probability convenience sample was selected. Six early childhood professionals were interviewed using a face-to-face semi-structured guide. All six participants currently hold teaching positions in early childhood classrooms. Interview questions focused on interpreting children's acting out behaviors as well as intervention methods used in response to this behavior. Responses from participants varied based on their experiences with children who may act out aggressively. Level of training and education as an indicator for varied responses is examined. How teachers interpreted …

Measuring Patient Satisfaction: A Study Of Former Nursing Home Residents, Bethany J. Roberts

Theses and Graduate Projects

It is be becoming more common for patients to be admitted short-term to nursing homes for rehabilitation and recovery, however, little attention is paid to their satisfaction with the services they receive. This study explores how patient satisfaction is related to discharge, using a quantitative survey research design. The survey was mailed to the universal sample of 60 patients discharged back to the community within a six-month time frame from a St. Paul nursing home. Findings indicate a correlation between how former patients rate their satisfaction with nursing home care and their preparedness at the time of their discharge. The …

Effective Interventions For Victims Of Workplace Violence As Perceived By Employee Assistance Professionals, William Anthony Curti

Theses and Graduate Projects

The purpose of this exploratory study is to describe effective interventions in helping victims and witnesses of violence in the workplace. The literature review revealed the problem of workplace violence, and the potentially negative effects this violence has on the individuals who are victims or witriesses to this trauma. Companies and organizations have enlisted the support of Employee Assistance Program counselors who are trained in Critical Incident Stress Debriefings. The goal of this type of debriefing is to help prevent the long-term negative effects of critical incidents. Questionnaires were sent to two hundred twenty Employee Assistance Professionals in the upper …

A Direct Practice Evaluation On The Effectiveness Of Using A Strength-Based Approach With Children Living In Foster Care, Emily E. Vincent

Theses and Graduate Projects

This mixed method qualitative / quantitative direct practice evaluation was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of working from a strength-based versus a problem-based approach with children living in foster care. A strength-based approach focuses on a client's positive qualities and identifies the skills they possess that will help them to overcome their situation. The purpose for this approach is to build on and encourage, through a strength-based practice, the certain individual attributes of the child and family and community supports that can enhance resiliency in children.

Three boys living in foster care ages 8-11 were evaluated three times over a …

Concurrent Planning: The Influence Of Bypass And Poor Prognosis Indicators On Child Welfare Outcomes, Amy D'Andrade, P. Choice, M. Martin, J.D. Berrick, M. Austin

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Recasting Egalitarianism: New Rules For Communities, States And Markets. Samuel Bowles And Herbert Gintis.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Samuel Bowles and Herbert Gintis, Recasting Egalitarianism:N ew Rules for Communities, States and Markets. New York: Verso, 1999. $13.00 papercover

Review Of International Development. David Stoesz, Charles Guzetta And Mark Lusk. Reviewed By Anthony Hall, London School Of Economics And Political Science., Anthony Hall

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of David Stoesz, Charles Guzzetta and Mark Lusk, International Development. Boston, Allyn and Bacon, 1999. $56.67 hardcover.

The Enemy Within: The Demonization Of Poor Women, Ruth Sidel

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The denigration and demonization of poor women was central to the effort to repeal Aid to Families with Dependent Children by the passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. The utilization of negative stereotypes involving race, class and gender effectively marginalized impoverished women and their children, who were blamed for virtually all of the social problems of the United States during the 1990s. Despite the massive concentration of wealth and income in the hands of the wealthiest Americans and the ever-widening gap between rich and poor, the United States continues to ignore the need for …

Review Of Social Security And Retirement Around The World. Jonathan Gruber And David A. Wise (Eds.). Reviewed By Martin B. Tracy, Southern Illinois University., Martin B. Tracy

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Jonathan Gruber and David A. Wise (Eds.), Social Security and Retirement Around the World. Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 1999. $62.00 hardcover. [June 1, 1999].

Revisioning Gender. Myra Marx Ferree, Judith Lorber And Beth B. Hess (Eds.).

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Myra Marx Ferree, Judith Lorber and Beth B. Hess (Eds.), Revisioning Gender. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1999. $72.00 hardcover, $34.95 papercover.

The Changing American Mosaic: An Introduction, Wilma Peebles-Wilkins

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article, in addition to introducing the special journal issue on the changing American mosaic, provides a synthesis of issues associated with changing demographic trends as the number of people of color increase between 2000-2050. Welfare reform, structural inequality, and the convergence of race, class and gender issues are discussed in a civil rights context. A brief summary of the other journal articles by Glen Loury; Stanley Eitzen and Maxine Baca Zinn; Ruth Sidel; Mary Krist, Douglas Gurak, Likwang Chen; Doris Wilkinson and Margaret Gibelman is also provided.

The Missing Safety Net And Families: A Progressive Critique Of The New Welfare Legislation, D. Stanley Eitzen, Maxine Baca Zinn

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This is an overview essay on the 1996 welfare legislation and its consequences. The paper is divided into five parts: (1) The basic elements of the legislation; (2) The conservative assumptions undergirding this legislation and the progressive responses to them; (3) The consequences of the legislation for individuals and families; (4) The missing elements in the new welfare legislation; and (5) The progressive solution to welfare.

Affirmative Action At The Crossroads: A Social Justice Perspective, Margaret Gibelman

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article reviews the basis for the policy of affirmative action within the context of changing social values. Both the aims and unanticipated consequences of affirmative action are explored, the latter of which have resulted in substantial backlash and the real possibility of policy overturn. Within this context, the position of the social welfare community toward and involvement in affirmative action is traced. An agenda for social work in current and future debates about affirmative action is offered which takes into account the original social problem-discrimination-within redefined societal values and political realities. Alternative remedies to affirmative action, it is argued, …

Review Of The Future Of Child Protection. Jane Waldfogel. Reviewed By Leroy H. Pelton, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas., Leroy H. Pelton

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Jane Waldfogel, The Future of Child Protection. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1998. $39.95 hardcover.

Managed Care In Human Services. Stephen P. Wernet.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Stephen P. Wernet, Managed Care in Human Services, Chicago, IL: Lyceum Books, 1999. $32.95 papercover.

Twenty-Five Years Of Black America: Two Steps Forward And One Step Back?, Glenn C. Loury

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The nature of social and economic inequality as it exists now between Blacks and Whites in the United States is explored in this paper. Summary statistics on education, earnings, employment, family structure, incarceration and life expectancy are presented by age, sex and race. It is suggested that, while progress has been made in narrowing the racial gap in social standing, there remains a significant disparity that warrants continuing concern.

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 27, No. 1 (March 2000)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS - SPECIAL ISSUE ON THE CHANGING AMERICAN MOSAIC - Guest Editor - Wilma Peebles-Wilkins

• THE CHANGING AMERICAN MOSAIC: AN INTRODUCTION - Wilma Peebles- Wilkins
• TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF BLACK AMERICA: TWO STEPS FORWARD AND ONE STEP BACK? - Glenn C. Loury
• THE MISSING SAFETY NET AND FAMILIES: A PROGRESSIVE CRITIQUE OF THE NEW WELFARE LEGISLATION - D. Stanley Eitzen and Maxine Baca Zinn
• THE ENEMY WITHIN: THE DEMONIZATION OF POOR WOMEN - Ruth Sidel
• ELDERLY IMMIGRANTS: THEIR COMPOSITION AND LIVING ARRANGEMENTS - Mary M. Kritz, Douglas T. Gurak and Likwang Chen
• RETHINKING THE CONCEPT OF "MINORITY": A TASK …

Elderly Immigrants: Their Composition And Living Arrangements, Mary M. Kritz, Douglas T. Gurak, Likwang Chen

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper describes how the composition of elderly immigrants is changing and how elderly immigrants differ from natives in terms of living arrangement and demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. The determinants of living alone are investigated for 11 ethnic origin categories and natives. The analysis utilizes data from two samples of the 1990 U.S. Census: the PUMS-A 5% sample and an independent 3% sample of households containing at least one member 60 or more years of age. Between 1970 and 1990 immigrants from Asia and Latin America moved from forming a minor component of the elderly to being a significant and …

Rethinking The Concept Of "Minority": A Task For Social Scientists And Practitioners, Doris Wilkinson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Although sociologists have articulated the components and scope of the "minority" concept, many of the characteristics are no longer germane. Originally those placed in the category were viewed as subordinate and as possessing cultural or physical qualities not approved or preferred by the larger population. There has been no systematic questioning of ingrained seductive words and value-based constructions like "minority". This brief critique offers an evaluation of the "minority" conception that is so pervasive in the social and behavioral sciences, the print and broadcast media, politics, and the entire language system.