Social Work Commons^™

Dr. Jennifer Greenfield, Anit Tyagi

DU Undergraduate Research Journal Archive

Interview of Dr. Jennifer Greenfield.

Former Foster Youth Who Become Child Welfare Workers, Candace Watts, Shantel Ortega

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Former foster youth who become child welfare workers are an asset to the child welfare system because of the combination of their lived experience and professional experience in child welfare, which allows them to understand the circumstances of their clients on a deeper level. This study seeks to uncover the reasons why former foster youth become child welfare workers. There are three main questions that our study seeks to know: What factors lead former foster youth to become workers in child welfare? Do these workers have any advantages because of their past personal experiences with child welfare? And do child …

Perception Of Parentification: A Qualitative Study Of Hispanic Families In Southern California, Kaylin Lopez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Previous research has not thoroughly studied parentification in California. This study seeks to fill this gap by exploring how is child parentification is perceived among Hispanic families in the High Desert region of California. Guided by the premises of Bowlby’s Attachment Theory and Erikson’s Psychosocial Development Theory and utilizing a qualitative approach, this study conducted semi-structured interviews with six Hispanic Americans residing in California’s High Desert area (N = 6). Thematic analysis of the data generated six major themes: (1) children as a resource in the household, (2) parentification requires parental consent, (3) parentification depends on child’s age, (4) parentification …

Intersections Between Social Work And Public Administration: A Case Study Of Urban Water Poverty, Katherine M. Lindsey

Social Work Theses

Despite infrastructure advances, water testing, and environmental policies, there are still areas in the United States that lack clean water. Some communities are negatively impacted by policies, location, socioeconomic status, water obtainment methods, and racial, ethnic, or cultural differences. Social workers desiring to intervene may not know where to begin. To identify potential interventions, this case study examines how the community of Green Tree Estates gained access to clean water through advocacy efforts and community organizing. This community, located within a large city in Texas, is a previously annexed, small mobile home community consisting of a Hispanic, Spanish speaking population …

Fostering Resilience Amongst Social Workers In The Social Work Field, Rocio Patino, Yesenia Rojas

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The high burnout levels and low retention rates of social workers prove to be significant problems for social service agencies across the country who are experiencing employee shortages and providing a less than adequate grade of customer service as a result. This quantitative study assesses the deficiency of resilience-based skills amongst MSW graduate students who are currently employed/interning within the social services agencies across Southern California State Counties in hopes that these deficiencies may be addressed in the future. This cross-sectional study utilized an exploratory research design and consisted of a self-administered questionnaire which was electronically provided to its participants. …

Intervention Program To Increase Preparedness For Life After High School, Melisa Garcia

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

In Monterey County, too many skilled-labor positions are not filled by local youth, negatively impacting long-term well-being, stability, and success. This capstone project was implemented at Learning for Life Charter School (LFLCS), an alternative middle and high school for at-risk youth. There is a lack of preparedness among LFLCS seniors for postsecondary life. This is an intervention program aimed to increase preparedness among graduating seniors. Participants are expected to identify a post-graduation plan; the intermediate and long-term expectations are that more LFLCS graduates will pursue their identified plan, increasing individual and community well-being, stability, and success. Of 50 LFLCS seniors, …

The Importance Of Self-Care Among Hospice Social Workers, Lillianna Gomez, Divina Perez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Social workers in general face daily challenges, but social workers in the field of hospice face unique daily stressors. The purpose of this study was to investigate what self-care methods hospice social workers use to combat burnout and compassion fatigue. One hundred hospice social workers were surveyed. Researchers used two scales to measure participants’ current self-care methods and their current quality of life. Researchers used two tailed Pearson test to analyze relationships between self-care and burnout as well as self-care and compassion satisfaction. Researchers also utilized various SPSS tests to analyze the relationship between demographics and self-care method. Participants reported …

Foster Care Experience, Group Support, And Life Outcomes: A Qualitative Study, Alameta James

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This research study utilizes the perspectives of foster care alumni to explore the effectiveness of the child welfare system. Based on experiences with general and peer related services while in foster care, participants were asked to evaluate and discuss how interventions they received contributed to areas of their life, including adult independent living. The study used an exploratory method with a qualitative approach to search for categories and themes related to the services, interventions, and activities implemented with foster youth and the effect that had on their lives. Interviews were deduced into six categories: demographics, therapeutic services, education, social support, …

A Need For Support Services Among Hispanic First-Generation College Students, Evelyn Arellano, Jessica Cazares Armenta

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Hispanics are the largest minority group in the United States, yet the retention and graduation rates among Hispanics continue to remain low. This study examined some of the barriers and social challenges that Hispanic First-Generation College Students experience. The main objectives addressed low retention rates, low graduation rates, discussed unique cultural issues, and looked at the most prevalent challenges that this population endures while trying to successfully achieve higher education.

A qualitative approach was utilized to gather data. A total of ten participants were recruited and placed in two focus groups. These focus groups were conducted virtually due to national …

Adverse Childhood Experiences And Life Outcomes Among Social Workers, Kazandra Dominique Farrell

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) constitute a public health threat by increasing the risk of chronic health conditions in adulthood. This study asked two relevant questions: 1) How do social workers with a history of adverse childhood experiences deal with ACEs-related trauma? 2) What are factors influencing social workers' response to adverse childhood experiences-related trauma? Embracing a mixed-methods research approach, this study recruited a sample of 35 social work professionals (N = 36). Spearman Rho Correlation and Mann-Whitney U Test results show no statistically significant relationships between age, gender, ethnicity, education, social work experience and impact of social work on personal …

Coping Skills Amongst Social Workers, Sandra Quezada

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This research study used a questionnaire to identify coping behaviors and feelings of social workers dealing with work related stress. The purpose of this research was to identify the most used coping behaviors of social workers. Data was collected from thirty-six participants who had access to southern California social worker blogs. Findings were that over half (63.9) of participants used emotion focused behaviors such as “growing as a person” and “discuss feelings with someone” as a coping behavior. The findings contribute to coping research, but this research also identifies social workers as not using enough coping behaviors. Recommendations for social …

The Impact Of Religion And Spirituality On County Child Welfare Workers, Celeste Ramos, Sonia Magdaleno Ayamel

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study aims to identify and analyze how county child welfare workers can utilize their own religious and spiritual beliefs to alleviate some of the work-related stress. In addition, the study will examine how participating in religious or spiritual support groups will benefit county child welfare workers. The findings may encourage social workers to rely on their respective religious and spiritual beliefs while dealing with difficult situations.

Integrating Neuroscience Research Into Social Work, Esteban Solis

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Historically, the field of social work has implemented a bio-psycho-social perspective to conceptualize mental illness, and to further investigate how biological, psychological and social factors contribute to client circumstances. Although, the biopsychosocial model aims to emphasize all three areas, in social work, psycho-social realms receive more attention while biological factors—particularly neurological ones receive less. Research and recent findings from neuroscience can enhance social work’s understanding of mental health and improve education, training and practice. However, very limited literature of cross-disciplinary collaborations between social work and neuroscience exists and the rationale for that is unclear. This study seeks to fill this …

Inter-Agency Collaborations Among Mental Health And Law Enforcement Professionals In San Bernardino County During Covid-19: A Qualitative Study, Sonya Mcisaac

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

As first responders, law enforcement officers and mental health professionals are constantly sought after regarding the delivery of critical services to people in need. However, the COVID-19 pandemic brought almost everything to a halt. It is therefore important to understand how social services were delivered during the crisis. It has been assumed in the literature that interprofessional collaboration is an important service delivery framework. However, because COVID-19 is a relatively recent public health phenomenon, relevant studies on interprofessional collaboration between law enforcement officers and mental health professionals are scant, if not non-existent. This qualitative study addresses this gap by exploring …

Self Care And Burnout Among Child Welfare Workers During The Coronavirus Pandemic, Stephanie Carranza, Claudia Castillo

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The study was designed to explore associations between burnout and self-care practices among child welfare social workers and how they were impacted during the Coronavirus pandemic. The researchers completed a qualitative study with research participants by completing interviews via Zoom. All research participants composed of current and former child welfare social workers. Through the data gathered, the researchers found that there were no associations between burnout and self-care practices during the pandemic. It was concluded that burnout has remained consistent regardless of self-care practices prior and during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Social Work Allyship: Exploring White And Bipoc Perspectives At Predominately White Institutions Within The Southeastern Conference, Aubrey Franke

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the experiences of allyship through the perspectives of White and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) social work students at primarily White universities within the Southeastern Conference. The study includes 10 semi-structured interviews with Bachelor and Master’s level social work students. The findings from this study present necessary characteristics and qualities for effective social work allyship. Interestingly, BIPOC students emphasize the importance of informed action, while White students share relational qualities such as empathy and willingness to learn. The findings also show that some BIPOC students experience performative allyship from White social work students. BIPOC participants …

Conceptualizations Of Love In Social Work: A Naturalistic Inquiry, Galen Perkins

Thinking Matters Symposium

Love is recognized as healing, transformative, and emancipatory, and yet, conceptualizations of love are largely absent in social work—a field guided by core principles such as social justice, self-determination, and service. The limited number of studies on love in social work describe love as critical consciousness or a liberatory ethic to be practiced. Primarily participatory in design, these studies speak from the perspective of practitioners. The purpose of this study is to continue inquiring about how love is known among social work practitioners; in particular, we are asking the question, “how do licensed clinical social workers (LCSWs) conceptualize love in …

Social Work Experiences Of Moral Distress Amid Covid-19, Megan Tritt

Social Work Doctoral Dissertations

Social work professionals often experience stressful and emotional situations while also facing organizational barriers. The social work profession is empowered by an ethical commitment to diffuse tensions that emerge between competing values in conflict. Many of these situations are complicated by ethical concerns and constraints related to the very institutions that are designed to help. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has transformed the framework through which we view ethical dilemmas and presented morally challenging dilemmas out of the control of any professional in service to people during this time. The term moral distress was popularized in the field of …

Spring 2022 Training For Licensure Supervision, Andrea Reynolds

Title III Professional Development Reports

The 2022 Spring Training for Licensure Supervision was held virtually over four, four-hour sessions. This training sought to educate on six domains: supervisory relationship and process, supervision of supervisee’s practices, professional relationships, self-care, evaluation, and lifelong learning professional responsibility. There were twenty-six participants from across the state of Missouri, all of whom are Licensed Clinical Social Workers seeking to become licensure supervisors. The training highlighted the need for more qualified licensure supervisors in the state of Missouri. Many participants also expressed their desire to further connect with other licensure supervisors within the state.

Domestic Violence In Immigrant Communities: Case Studies (Polish), Ferzana Chaze, Bethany Osborne, Archana Medhekar, Purnima George

Books

This document contains excerpts from the book Domestic Violence in Immigrant Communities: Case Studies by Dr. Ferzana Chaze, Dr. Bethany Osborne, Ms. Archana Medhekar and Dr. Purnima George that have been translated into Polish so that a wider audience can access them. The book is a freely accessible educational resource to be used in training with social work and legal practitioners.

The translated case studies in this document are real life stories of immigrant women who have experienced domestic violence in Canada. The cases emerged from closed legal case files handled by Archana Medhekar Law Office and reflect the stories …

What Is Race-Based Trauma And Why Does It Matter?, Julie Luong

MSW Capstones

Systemic racism continues to be prevalent in our society today, especially with the exponential rate of Asian Americans experiencing racial discrimination and microaggressions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since post COVID-19, members of the Asians and Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) community are more susceptible to experience violence, such as serious physical injuries or death. Misinformation from political leaders are a contributing factor for the anti-Asian hate crimes and violence post COVID-19. This problem is extensive where members of the AAPI community are now concerned for their own overall safety and physical well-being. A workshop will incorporate an overview of …

Investing In The Social Work Profession Benefits The Health And Well-Being Of Us All, Jill Craig, Kayla Jacobsen, Mackenzie Erickson, Madison Lanning

Master of Social Work Student Policy Advocacy Briefs

Social workers are the backbone of Minnesota's human services and mental health system. Social workers worked diligently to assist people in receiving health care, connecting to community resources, and overcoming grief and loss throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Social workers are a versatile workforce serving Minnesotans in every sector of our society: hospitals, mental health centers, schools, social service agencies, community centers, and politics and advocacy. Minnesota has an aging social work workforce that must be replenished. However the high cost of getting a social work degree, especially in relationships to pay, is a hinderance to people entering and staying in …

A Pandemic Road Map: Creating Social Work Student Wellness Plans In Field Placement, Susan Reay

Social Work Faculty Publications

During the unprecedented early stages of COVID-19, few protocols were established to support overall student wellness in social work field placements. In response to the overwhelming need for a contextual framework to promote wellness and determine the next steps in mitigating health risks, faculty developed a unique solution in a dynamic situation. Rooted in the university-sponsored dimensions of wellness, BSW and MSW students developed wellness plans that were integrated into the field placement course. These plans were intended to enhance students' ability to evaluate their well-being and encourage them to plan wellness activities. The wellness plan was critical in determining …

The Role Of Social Work In Residential Aged Care Facilities: Evaluation Of A Pilot Program In Australia, Jodie L. Lee Ms, Michael Splawa-Neyman Mr, Fiona Mcdermott Associate Professor

The Qualitative Report

In some international settings, social workers are employed within aged care settings. However, in Australia, social workers rarely work in residential aged care facilities. In an innovative program, an Australian health network employed a social worker in an aged residential care facility from 2010 to 2011. In this research we examine and evaluate this program. Qualitative semi-structured interviews with nine key stakeholders and data extraction from medical records were conducted. Data from medical records and interview transcripts were coded and themes extracted using thematic analysis. Thematic analysis identified five key themes reflecting the roles performed by the social worker. These …

An Interpretive Phenomenological Study Of Women’S Struggles, Hopes And Reasons For Participation In Professional Power-Based Community Organizing In Chicago, Mary Dungy-Akenji

Dissertations

Mary K. L. DungyLoyola University Chicago AN INTERPRETIVE PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY OF WOMEN’S STRUGGLES, HOPES AND REASONS FOR PARTICIPATION IN PROFESSIONAL POWER-BASED COMMUNITY ORGANIZING IN CHICAGO Professional power-based community organizing is a practice of grassroots change in which paid organizers guide community members as they band together to make demands on elite groups to redistribute resources (Bobo et. al, 2001; Sites et al., 2007). Conflict-based tactics may be utilized to demand structural improvements from key stakeholders, usually towards progressive political ends that build towards a more just society (Bobo et. al 2001; Wilkinson & D’Angelo, 2019). Community organizing has some roots …

Comparing Empathy Quotient Scores And Self-Care Scores Among College Students, Rhonda Morgan

Selected Full-Text Master Theses Collection 2018-

Current research is lacking on the association between empathy and self-care. This cross-sectional research study polled Long Island University (LIU) students (N = 102) with an electronic survey regarding their personal self-care practices scores and their empathy quotient scores. Demographic questions of financial burden perception, student status (graduate vs. undergraduate), and type of student (athlete vs. non-athlete) added to our understanding of empathy and self-care. Analysis of data occurred with simple linear regression and Independent Samples t-Tests. Significant results indicated students with higher empathy quotient (EQ) scores had higher self-care practices scores, and college NCAA student athletes had higher self-care …

The Origin And Evolution Of The Term "Social Work", Wade Luquet, Stephen Monroe Tomczak

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The origin of the term “social work” has long been misattributed to the 1907 work of economist Simon Patten. While Patten’s contribution to social work is important, though mostly forgotten, the term had been used long before regarding the work of nuns and settlement workers. Quoting archival and historical findings, this article traces the origin, evolution, and widespread use of the term “social work.” The words of the early founders of social work are utilized to tell the story of how the work of persons doing “the social work” of the church or settlement evolved into the name of the …

The Impact Of Agency Culture On A Supervisor's Modeling Of Self-Care To Social Workers, Lacey Maxwell Godsby

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Supervision is a field standard in which experienced social workers assist other social workers by modeling practical skills and teaching self-care standards. However, an agency's culture has the potential to negatively affect a supervisor’s ability to model self-care to social workers in a mental health setting, which can in turn increase the risk of burnout and the potential for harm to the agency including decreased employee retention, decreased employee satisfaction, and lower quality client care. The purpose of this project was to explore how agency culture affected a supervisor’s ability to model necessary self-care techniques to social work professionals. Another …

School Social Workers’ Perceptions On Bullying In Elementary Schools, Anna Marie Gustafson Clum

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The social problem of bullying in schools has been an area of study among researchers, but there is a gap on how school social workers can help. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore elementary school social workers’ perceptions on bullying, contributing factors of bullying, and organizational culture on bullying. Sociocultural theory aided in interpretation of results and understanding the social problem of bullying. Nine elementary school social workers participated in semi structured telephone interviews. The phone interviews were analyzed using open coding methods, in vivo codes and phrases, categories, and themes. The study’s findings revealed that …

Social Work Participation In Living Donor Education To Organ Transplant Candidates, Mary Rzeszut

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Living donor transplantation (LDT), despite its documented benefits, does not occur as often as deceased donor transplants (DDT). Transplant social workers are an integral part of the transplant interdisciplinary team and are well trained in conducting psychoeducation. This action research study involved examining social work practice challenges that transplant social workers experience that prohibit them from conducting effective LDT education. The study was guided by family problem solving theory, social cognitive theory and the Afrocentricity perspective to determine how transplant candidates and families can best learn information to discuss and recruit potential living donors. The research questions were about roles …