Social Work Commons^™

Review Of The Student Loan Mess: How Good Intentions Created A Trillion-Dollar Problem, John Mcnutt

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Joel Best and Eric Best, The Student Loan Mess: How Good Intentions Created a Trillion-Dollar Problem. University of California Press (2014). $26.95 (hardcover

The Self Of The Field And The Work Of Donnel Stern, Daniel Masler

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

No study has taken an updated and comprehensive review of Donnel Stern’s writings. An investigation of his philosophical assumptions, locating Stern’s work socioculturally and historically, along with an elucidation of Stern’s background in traditional psychoanalytic literature and clinical practice, brings out the meanings and enigmas present in his theories of dissociation, enactment, unformulated experience, multiple self-states, and reflection. Stern has offered one of the best-integrated theoretical models in relational psychoanalytic theory. An examination of his theories within the theoretical traditions to which he makes claim (psychoanalytic, interpersonal, hermeneutic, postmodern, and democratic) helps elucidate the challenge posed by relational psychoanalysis to …

Practitioners' Evaluations Of Theraplay As An Effective Tool In Serving Foster And Adopted Children And Their Families, Rana Hong

Dissertations

Several studies have shown that foster and adopted children have high risk of developing severe mental health problems (Blome & Steib, 2004; Golden, 2009; Leslie, Hurlburt, Landsverk, Barth, & Slyman, 2004; McMillen. Scott, Zima, Ollie, Munson, & Spitznagel, 2004). On the other hand, evidence-based models are limited and less accessible for practitioners working with foster and adopted children (Dorsey, Kerns, Trupin, Conover, & Berliner, 2012). The goal for this study is to explore the practitioners' evaluations of Theraplay®, which is a relationship based model for meeting the pervasive clinical needs of foster and adopted children and their families. Exploring Theraplay …

Poverty Knowledge, Coercion, And Social Rights: A Discourse Ethical Contribution To Social Epistemology, David Ingram

Philosophy: Faculty Publications and Other Works

In today’s America the persistence of crushing poverty in the midst of staggering affluence no longer incites the righteous jeremiads it once did. Resigned acceptance of this paradox is fueled by a sense that poverty lies beyond the moral and technical scope of government remediation. The failure of experts to reach agreement on the causes of poverty merely exacerbates our despair. Are the causes internal to the poor – reflecting their more or less voluntary choices? Or do they emanate from structures beyond their control (but perhaps amenable to government remediation)? If both of these explanations are true (as I …

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 …

Understanding The Impact Of Adolescent Attachment On Academic Success, Cristina Cortesi

Dissertations

In recent years, studies are citing an increase in adolescent mental health diagnoses and symptomotology related to AD/HD, Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Anxiety, and Conduct Disorders. While the associated behaviors may be the result of several variables, recent neurobiological studies combined with Attachment Theory have pointed to a possible link to attachment issues. Because of the developmental stage of adolescents, these behaviors have been observed in both home and school environments. Schools, in general in the United States, have been experiencing significant struggles in terms of lack of adequate educational success which prompted the implementation of legislation commonly known as No …

The Role Of Spirituality/Religion As A Coping Mechanism During Treatment For Disordered Eating, David Franczyk

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of spirituality/religion used as a coping mechanism during treatment for disordered eating. Given the mixed outcome results of current therapeutic and pharmacological treatment methods for disordered eating, it is important to investigate other factors which may influence the treatment process. This study evaluated the role of spirituality/religion used as a coping mechanism among 61 patients who were admitted into an eating disorder treatment program and then discharged over a period of 15 months. In this quantitative study, the Brief RCOPE measure was self-administered at admission to determine the levels of …

Put Him In Grandma's House: Investigating Variation In Kinship Policy And Procedure Across Ohio's County-Based Child Welfare System, Andreja M. Siliunas

Senior Independent Study Theses

Since 1980, the U.S. child welfare system has exhibited an increasing reliance upon kinship caregivers as a resource for children who have been removed from the homes of their birthparents due to allegations of abuse or neglect. Literature suggests that agencies differ considerably in their treatment of kinship care providers; however, limited research has been conducted examining the causes and implications of this variation, especially in the case of Ohio’s county-based system. The current study thus aims to define the distinguishing characteristics of kinship policies and procedures of child welfare agencies across Ohio, and to consider the impact of various …

Understanding The Impact Of Regulatory Changes On The Implementation Of Therapeutic Day Treatment: A Case Study Approach, Angie Mann-Williams

Theses and Dissertations

Therapeutic Day Treatment (TDT) is a community-based mental health treatment program regulated and funded by the Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) in the Commonwealth of Virginia. This case study sought to understand how DMAS regulatory changes impacted the implementation of the TDT program in the Commonwealth between fiscal years 2004 and 2011. In an effort to respond to this question, sources of qualitative and quantitative data were collected including: TDT fee-for-service data, regulations in the Community Mental Health and Rehabilitative Services manual guiding the implementation of the TDT program, and structured interviews with eight key stakeholders who interface with …

The Hard Decisions: A Qualitative Study Of Marital Reconciliation, Hannah Pearce Plauche

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The topics of marriage and divorce have been studied extensively, especially in recent decades; however, the topic of marital reconciliation has been scarcely researched. Seven couples (N = 14) participated in a qualitative investigation of marital reconciliation. Each couple had filed a petition for divorce in the state of Louisiana between the years 2000-2010. Before the required 12 month period of living apart were complete, each couple decided to discontinue the divorce proceedings and reconcile their marriages, and have lived together continuously for a period of more than three years. A purposive, convenience sample was solicited due to the specific …

Analysis Of The Risk And Protective Factors Among Low-Income, First-Generation College Students, Samantha Bates

LSU Master's Theses

One population of particular concern for college-employed social workers is the low-income, first-generation (LIFG) student population. As the national pressure to increase retention in college has intensified, many students are graduating from universities across the country and starting professional careers. In the college population, some students may be classified as either low-income, first-generation, or both. The two classifications combined define a vulnerable population within colleges and universities – those students who are both low-income and first-generation students. The need to examine LIFG college students’ experiences after admittance, particularly in relation to degree attainment, can help social workers determine what programs …

Infusion Of Gerontological Competencies In Social Work, Jessica Marie Rawls

LSU Master's Theses

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Graduate Certificate in Gerontology Program (GCGP) at Louisiana State University School of Social Work (LSUSSW). Thirty advanced year students participating in the GCGP in the 2012-2013 academic year participated in the study. All of the participants were female, and the majority (n=25) identified as Caucasian. The mean age of the participants was twenty-seven years. The study utilized a pre-experimental, one group pretest-posttest design. Participants were surveyed pre-certificate program and upon completion of the program using a two-part, self-report survey which utilized the Geriatric Social Work Competency Scale II. Participants reported their …

Reducing Juvenile Justice Involvement Through A Childhood Truancy Intervention, Bret James Blackmon

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study employed a mixed methods design to evaluate an elementary school truancy intervention in terms of reducing rates of juvenile delinquency over six years. Few (n = 11) participants became involved in the formal justice system, so the intervention’s effectiveness was measured by re-referrals for continued truancy. The regression discontinuity design was used to compare the intervention group to the comparison group. The intervention group received intensive case management and the comparison group received a warning letter. A regression discontinuity design using multivariate logistic regression indicated that the intervention did not reduce the likelihood of subsequent re-referrals, and the …

Volunteer Retention At The Baton Rouge Crisis Intervention Center, Robyn Eileen Keegan

LSU Master's Theses

This study explores the relationship between increased supervision and volunteer retention at the Baton Rouge Crisis Intervention Center. Due to the agency’s anecdotal evidence of a downward trend in volunteer retention between 2011 and 2012, the researcher began examining the groups and performing an intervention to increase retention. Specifically, this study looked at the differential effect of increased supervision on two nonequivalent comparison groups. The researcher hypothesized that increased supervision of the volunteers would result in a greater percentage of volunteers fulfilling their 72-hour commitment to the agency, increase the speed with which they completed the commitment, and increase the …

Food Landscapes: A Case Study Of A Cooking And Art- Focused Program For Teens Living In A Food Desert, Jessica R. Norris

Theses and Dissertations

This study constructs themes and propositions about the experiences of youth participants in the fall 2013 Food Landscapes program at the Neighborhood Resource Center in Richmond, Virginia. During the program, youth participated in cooking-based volunteerism with adults with disabilities and created short videos about their experiences. In this study, I analyzed pre- and post-program participant interviews, twice-weekly program observations, and facilitator reflections to understand how Food Landscapes affected youths’ conception of community engagement and communication strategies. This case study offers insight into how youth experience after-school programming of this design. Based on my findings, youth develop and rely upon a …

Making Space For Dying: Portraits Of Living With Dying, Elise Lark

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

In Making Space for Dying: Portraits of Living with Dying, I describe the everyday lived experience of dying and the care culture within freestanding, community-based, end-of-life residences (CBEOLR) utilizing portraiture and arts-based research. I craft four case studies into “portraits,” based on interviews, on-site visits, up-close observation, and field notes. In the person-centered portraits, I reveal the inner landscape of two terminally ill women, with data represented in poetry. In the place-centered portraits, I “map” the social topography of two CBEOLRs to illustrate how lives and care of the dying are emplaced, from the perspectives of community leaders, …