Social Work Commons^™

Internal Family Systems (Ifs) Therapy: Non-Pathologizing Healing For Inner Peace, Sylvia Hill

Issues in Religion and Psychotherapy

Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy is a new approach to healing of the wounds and burdens caused by trauma, neglect and other relational injuries. The history of the development of IFS is outlined. The basic assumptions of IFS are shared. The roles parts take on in response to trauma are explained. The process of working with parts to bring about healing are described. Research on IFS is listed followed by a brief discussion of how IFS can fit within a Christian framework. Two case studies are provided to illustrate IFS being used in conjunction with Christian beliefs.

Inspiring Macro Practice Through Rural Social Work: Teaching Notes On Experiential Learning, Dana C. Branson

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Experiential learning is the cornerstone of social work education and has been shown to be highly beneficial to students, especially with increased self-confidence in skills, interest in similar work post-graduation, cultural humility, application of theory to practice, problem solving skills, and critical thinking. Additionally, experiential learning opportunities support the nine competencies of social work education and provides students with an opportunity to try out their budding skills with the guidance and supervision of seasoned social workers. This paper discusses an innovative course project that allowed a group of social work students to engage in macro-level social work practice and grant …

The Covid-19 Pandemic As A Catalyst For Integrated Global Mental Healthcare And Tuberculosis Care, Alexander L. Chu, Aneeta Pasha, Carmen Contreras, Leonid Lecca, Annika C. Sweetland, Jerome T. Galea

Social Work Faculty Publications

Mental disorders are common among persons with tuberculosis (TB), and the COVID-19 pandemic has only amplified the mental and physical health consequences of this deadly synergy. Here, we call to attention the immense vulnerability of people with TB to mental disorders during the pandemic and highlight the unique challenges and opportunities that the pandemic brings to the future integration of global TB and mental healthcare. We argue that the pandemic era is an ideal period to accelerate this integration and we provide research and policy recommendations to actualise this urgent need.

Hearing Aid Loan Program For Hearing Loss At The End Of Life, M. Courtney Hughes, Diane Schecklong, King Chung

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

This article describes a hearing aid loan program to provide free amplification devices for patients at the end of life to help them communicate more effectively at this critical time. It includes steps for establishing such a program, addressing challenges, and the role of the informal caregiver throughout the intervention. Healthcare professionals and social workers are encouraged to develop similar programs and use the information here as helpful suggestions to consider for their programs.

Decision-Making And Christianity: Black Queer Women's Mental Health, Deborah Coffy

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This study investigated how Christianity affects Black queer women's decision-making regarding seeking mental health services. Those who felt they met the inclusion criteria completed a Basic Demographic Survey. After vetting these individuals, eleven female participants—who are both Black and queer—were asked to participate in an individual semi-structured qualitative interview. The interview focused on one's journey with mental health, societal and relationship influences, Black and LGBTQ+ identity, influences from conservative, traditional, or mainstream Christianity, and sense of self. Although Christianity may not have directly impacted most of the women in this study to seek mental health services, Christianity did have an …

Predicting Alcohol Consequences Using Family History And Audit-C Scores, Victoria Ell, The Spit For Science Working Group, Karen Chartier Phd, Msw

IRBEH/Spit for Science Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Does Ethnic-Racial Discrimination And Alcohol Use Predict Anxiety Symptoms In Female Black And Latine College Students, Paloma Rodriquez Saucedo, Arlenis Santana Phd, Johanna Pasquel, Chelsea D. Williams Phd

IRBEH/Spit for Science Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Early Onset Age Of Regular Alcohol Use In Indigenous Persons, Angel Lewis, The Spit For Science Working Group, Amy Adkins Phd, Karen Chartier Phd, Msw

IRBEH/Spit for Science Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

School Stability And Foster Care Youth, Noah Thomas, Victoria Cashio, Muna Saleh, Philip Lee, Florence Martinez, Jamie Cage Phd

IRBEH/Spit for Science Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Relational Disruptions And Mental Health Among Sexual Minority College Students During Covid-19, Nia Warren, The Spit For Science Working Group, Traci Wike Phd

IRBEH/Spit for Science Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

How Is Ethnic-Racial Identity Affirmation, Exploration, And Resolution Related To Flourishing In Emerging Adult Students Of Color?, Johanna Pasquel, Chelsea D. Williams Phd, Arlenis Santana Phd, Paloma Rodriguez Saucedo, Amy Adkins Phd, Herb Hill Ed.D

IRBEH/Spit for Science Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Addressing The Health Of Children In Foster Care, The Rees-Jones Center For Foster Care Excellence

White Papers and Policy Briefs

Studies have shown high rates of physical, developmental and behavioral health concerns along with high rates of health care utilization, among children and adolescents in foster care. In 2016, the Rees-Jones Center for Foster Care Excellence produced a white paper entitled, Addressing the Health and Safety of Children in Foster Care (Children’s HealthSM, 2016), which drew attention to some of these needs and made recommendations for promoting improved health-related outcomes for this population. Much has changed during the last six years, and the purpose of this current white paper is to highlight progress made, draw attention to new and continuing …

Empowering Kinship Caregivers In Texas: A Call To Action For Policy Change, The Rees-Jones Center For Foster Care Excellence

White Papers and Policy Briefs

Kinship care refers to the care of children and adolescents by relatives or close family friends, who are referred to as fictive kin. These relationships can be formal, meaning the child has been removed from a parent and placed by Child Protective Services (CPS) into the care of a relative or family friend, or informal, meaning the relationship occurs without any involvement from CPS. This brief focuses on the former and uses the term kinship care to refer to formal kinship caregiving.

For questions about this publication or others, please email [email protected]

childrens.com/fostercare

Exploring An Unrecognized Grief: A Quantitative Study Of Older American Parents Whose Only Child Has Died, Yongqiang Zheng, Jeongah Kim, Leslie G. Wuest

Faculty Publications - College of Social Work

In the United States, older parents who have experienced the
death of their only child constitute an extremely understudied
group. Based on a conceptual framework developed from
Worden’s “mediators of mourning,” this cross-sectional study
hypothesized that older bereaved parents who experience
severe grief symptoms would differ from those with less
severe grief on age, time since death, attachment style, coping
strategy, social support, and spirituality. It further aimed to
investigate the association between the above factors and
aggravated or alleviated grief symptoms. A sample of 183
bereaved adults over age 50 was recruited and an online sur-
vey was utilized …

Understanding Social Care, Teresa Brown, Kevin Lalor

Books/Book chapters

As the English writer L. P. Hartley noted in opening his 1953 novel The Go-Between, ‘The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there’. The previous edition of this book was published in 2013, and indeed Ireland then was in many ways a substantially different place. It was a country that had suffered the ignominy of being ‘bailed out’ by our European partners after the trauma of the financial crash that had commenced in 2008. Hard to believe now, but commentators bemoaned the excessive level of construction of houses and hotels, marriage equality for LGBTQ+ people was still …

Case Manager Perspectives On Transition Services For Youth With Intellectual Disabilities, Alecha Davis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Youth with intellectual disabilities have poorer outcomes during the transition period from school to adulthood. Very few studies were found that examine the perspective of the human service case manager. The perspectives of human service case managers were examined regarding the services that are needed to help youth with intellectual disabilities transition effectively. The study's purpose was to determine the services available and those needed to help support the transition from school to work, college, or in living independently for youth with intellectual disabilities. The theoretical framework for this study was Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory used to explore the errors …

Clinicians' Perceptions Of Telehealth Services During The Covid-19 Pandemic In Virginia, Johnetta Hill Guishard

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The onset of COVID-19 introduced unprecedented changes to how U.S. public health services were delivered. Many public and private agencies faced mandatory closures, social distancing mandates, and rapid transitions to telehealth interventions and treatment. Mental health clinicians witnessed disruptions in continuity of care and an increase in mental health risks overall. Although some studies have been conducted to survey clinicians’ perceptions of the usefulness and ease of use of technology-based interventions, knowledge about mental health clinicians’ experiences and perceptions in Virginia was sparse. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore how mental health clinicians in Virginia described …

Social Workers’ Philosophical Attitudes Towards Harm Reduction Services In Housing First Organizations, John Gay Woolley

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractOver the past three decades, harm reduction has gradually become more prevalent among social workers and is now viewed as an instrumental approach in treating people with drug and alcohol problems. Although there have been several studies that described how harm reduction approaches were applied in Housing First (HF) settings, there are few studies that have described social workers’ perspectives of their philosophical attitudes regarding harm reduction in HF settings. The purpose of this study was to understand social workers’ perspectives of their philosophical attitudes toward harm reduction services and how those attitudes were apparent in their interactions with substance-using …

Ambiguous Loss Feelings Amongst Caregivers Of Operation Enduring Freedom Veterans, Stephanie T. Spann

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This quantitative study compares the possible relationship between ambiguous loss and the stress level of caregivers of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) veterans who served in combat. Injured servicemembers need caregivers to assist them in caring for their physical and mental health needs. This study examined whether there is a relationship between the perceived ambiguous loss among caregivers of OEF injured veterans and the stress level experienced by caregivers. The theoretical framework for this study is the ambiguous loss theory. The methodology used to test the hypothesis is a quantitative correlational design to compare ambiguous loss variables amongst caregivers of injured …

College Experiences Of Female Students With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Cleo Patrick

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThis study, using feminist trauma theory as the conceptual framework, addressed a gap in the literature about female university students’ experiences with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) related to the academic and social supports needed for college success and degree completion. Nearly 30% of college students will drop out during their 1st year in school. Research suggests that personal histories of simple and complex traumas may be influential factors contributing to dropout rates. There are limited programs or resources in colleges and universities to address the needs of students struggling with past traumas aside from routine student counseling. The purpose of …

Caucasian Social Workers’ Cultural Competence Regarding Advance Care Planning Among Southern African Americans, Lisa Mitchell

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Caucasian social workers who work in healthcare and implement advance care planning (ACP) may not be competent regarding African Americans’ reluctance to complete advance directives. Research is lacking on how Caucasian social workers in Louisiana are increasing their cultural competence regarding the interplay of historical trauma, past medical mistrust, and spiritual beliefs on African Americans’ use of ACP. This study explored how Caucasian social workers are increasing their cultural competence regarding the interplay of historical trauma, past medical mistrust, and spiritual beliefs on African Americans’ use of ACP. The conceptual framework that guided this study was the cultural competence model. …

Digital Discontents: Freedoms And Constraints In Platform Social Work, Lauri Goldkind, Barbara Pohl, Lea Wolf

Social Service Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Development Of A Conversational Agent For Individuals Ambivalent About Quitting Smoking: Protocol For A Proof-Of-Concept Study, Uma S. Nair, Karah Yeona Greene, Stephanie Marhefka, Kristin A. Kosyluk, Jerome T. Galea

Social Work Faculty Publications

Background: Cigarette smoking is the leading preventable cause of disease and death in the United States. Despite the availability of a plethora of evidence-based smoking cessation resources, less than one-third of individuals who smoke seek cessation services, and individuals using these services are often those who are actively contemplating quitting smoking. There is a distinct dearth of low-cost, scalable interventions to support smokers not ready to quit (ambivalent smokers). Such interventions can assist in gradually promoting smoking behavior changes in this target population until motivation to quit arises, at which time they can be navigated to existing evidence-based smoking cessation …

Retention And Viral Suppression Among Adolescents Newly Initiating Antiretroviral Therapy In Adult Hiv Care In Lima, Peru: A Retrospective Cohort Study, Miyu Niwa, Eduardo Matos, Carly Rodriguez, Milagros Wong, Renato A. Errea, Alicia Ramos, Liz Senador, Carmen Contreras, Jerome T. Galea, Andrew Lindeborg, Carlos Benites, Sonya S. Shin, Leonid Lecca, Molly F. Franke

Social Work Faculty Publications

Purpose: Published data on outcomes among adolescents newly initiating antiretroviral treatment in the Latin American context are sparse. We estimated the frequency of sustained retention with viral load suppression (i.e., successful transition) and identified predictors of successful transition into adult care among youth (aged 14–21 years) with recently acquired HIV in Lima, Peru.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted among 184 adolescents and young adults who initiated antiretroviral therapy in an adult public sector HIV clinic between June 2014 and June 2019. Sustained retention (no loss-to-follow-up or death) with viral suppression was calculated for the first 12 and 24 …

Re-Redlining Richmond? Holc Grades, Market-Driven Development, And Resident Satisfaction In Richmond, Va, Addy Cooley

Graduate Research Posters

This study investigates the relationship between historical redlining policies, contemporary market-driven community development strategies, and resident satisfaction and quality of life in Richmond, Virginia. The purpose of the study is to understand the limits of using market-driven indicators to create and evaluate community development plans that seek to correct historical inequities created by redlining. To do so, it compares data from redlining maps used by the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC) in 1937 to a 2017 real estate Market Value Analysis (MVA) and a 2014 citywide resident satisfaction survey. Results show a significant, moderate correlation between redlining grades and market …

Bibliography, Whitney Harper

Faculty/Staff Personal Papers

Bibliography of publications by Whitney Harper.

An Analysis On Mental Health In College Sports At A Small Faith-Based Midwest University, Terrence Jordan, Mckinley Egland-Young, Kendrick Maynor Jr.

Concordia Journal of Communication Research

Throughout universities around the world, every day, the mental health of college students is tested. Specifically, collegiate athletes may feel uncomfortable, or uncertain seeking out resources to assess their overall mental health. There are numerous reasons athletes may be either comfortable, or uncomfortable seeking out these resources. Some reasons can include being seen as a sign of weakness, there are no resources for athletes, or they are uncertain about what resources are available to them. The researchers chose to investigate the mental health of two different sports teams at a university. Specifically, the researchers explored these athletes and their mental …

Exploration Of The Reflective Supervision Relationship: Meaning Making, Communication, And Transformative Learning In Educational Environments, Elizabeth Betsy Stoelt

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Reflective supervision is ongoing professional development, often utilized by the social work field that originates from infant mental health supervisory practices. Reflective supervision increases one’s capacity to become aware and manage the strong emotions that are inherent in direct service work and understand relational dynamics within families and between professionals and family members. Using the 3 central tenets of collaboration, reflection and regularity, the goal of reflective supervision is to develop and maintain effective service delivery by understanding the practitioner’s positionality. This study utilized the practice of reflective supervision with five educators over a 10-week period of time. The goal …

Mediational Effect Of Teacher-Based Discrimination On Academic Performance: An Intersectional Analysis Of Race, Gender, And Income/Class, Eric Kyere, Saahoon Hong, Carolyn Gentle-Genitty

Founder’s College - Scholarship and Professional Work

Drawing on prior research, this study applies an intersectional framework to investigate discrimination in the context of teacher–student relationships and its influence on students’ academic outcomes. Outcomes assessed were inclusive of self-efficacy, school attendance, and grade point average (GPA). For this analysis, structural equation modeling was used with a cross-sectional sample of the Maryland and Adolescent Development in Context Study (MADICS) and the youth self-administered (YSA) questionnaires administered when the youth were in 8th grade (Wave 3). A total of 1182 students completed the survey, of whom 704 were selected for this study. Findings show teacher discrimination as a mechanism …

The Altavoces Project: A Digital Narrative Approach To Anti-Oppressive Social Work Research With Latino Youth, Jenn M. Lilly

Social Service Faculty Publications

Although digital narrative methods lend themselves well to participatory, action-oriented inquiry, these relatively new methods also raise questions about potential risks involved in using digital technologies to engage marginalized groups in social work research. This article examines the feasibility, challenges, and opportunities of using digital narrative methods in anti-oppressive social work research (AOSWR) by providing empirical insights from the AltaVoces project—an AOSWR project that used digital narrative methods to engage Latino youth. This case study demonstrates the compatibility and feasibility of digital narrative methods in AOSWR by examining to what extent the AltaVoces project: (1) used methods that center the …