Social Work Commons^™

Ohio Recovery Housing: Resident Risk And Outcomes Assessment, Elyjiah Potter, Bivin Sadler

SMU Data Science Review

Addiction and substance abuse disorder is a significant problem in the United States. Over the past two decades, the United States has faced a boom in substance abuse, which has resulted in an increase in death and disruption of families across the nation. The State of Ohio has been particularly hard hit by the crisis, with overdose rates nearly doubling the national average. Established in the mid 1970’s Sober Living Housing is an alcohol and substance use recovery model emphasizing personal responsibility, sober living, and community support. This model has been adopted by the Ohio Recovery Housing organization, which seeks …

The Overture! Then Is Here-And-Now: Hindsight Is Twenty, Twenty?, Elena Kydd

Music Therapy Theses

My existence and presence as a Black woman and graduate scholar in music therapy have allowed me to share my experience of racial trauma and oppression in the hallways of GCSU’s music therapy program. Autoethnography is the method I use to write my thesis on the relationships between Blackness, pedagogy, and music therapy. Thus, I perform an evocative autoethnographic study that allows me to share my personal experience of racial trauma and oppression within the culture of music therapy and to critique the larger social structures of whiteness that disenfranchise and dominate me and other Black student music therapists (SMTs). …

The Circle Of Insight: A Process For Deepening Ignatian Imagination, And Inviting Hope, Anthony Nicotera

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

Former Jesuit, educator, scholar, clinical social worker, peace and justice activist and advocate, and co-director of Seton Hall University’s Catholic Social Thought (CST) in Action Academy and NYU’s Post-Master’s Certificate Program in Spirituality and Social Work, Dr. Anthony Nicotera shares his Circle of Insight framework as a tool for deepening Ignatian imagination and inviting hope. The Circle of Insight’s See, Reflect, Act process, inspired by CST, and curated and created by Dr. Nicotera over twenty-five years of spiritual, social justice, and social work advocacy and practice, including teaching social justice courses and engaging in nonviolent civil resistance, builds on Ignatian …

Stress Management Experiences Of Msw Graduates Transitioning From College To Child Welfare, Danielle Linette Young

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Psychotherapists’ Connection With College Students Diagnosed With An Anxiety Disorder And Cannabis Use Disorder., Kervil Durand

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Phenomenological Study On The Meaning Of Play In Theraplay®, Rana Hong, Hyunjung Shin

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

This study explores Theraplay, a distinct approach within play therapy, to clarify the essence and meaning of play as it emerges in therapeutic contexts. Using a phenomenological methodology, the study applies free imaginative variation to uncover the essential structures of play in Theraplay. Drawing on Edmund Husserl's concepts of intentionality (Noesis-Noema), the analysis interprets video data to illuminate lived experience within therapeutic interactions. The study is further informed by existential and hermeneutic perspectives, including Martin Heidegger, Max van Manen, and Hans-George Gadamer, incorporating concepts such as the hermeneutic circle, epoche, intersubjectivity, and intertextuality. Findings identify key characteristics of play in …

Veterans In Crisis: Identifying And Reducing Suicide, David C. Cole, Natalie A. Perkins, Lindsay Gietzen, Zohair Hussain, Dione M. Cole

Pacific Journal of Health

The base of this Integrative Review is built on the foundation of information from research by Ramchand (2021), “Veterans are committing suicide at a rate twice the non-veteran.” (p.2) and “From 2005 to 2018 the suicide rate went from 20% to 32%” in the veteran population. (p.3). According to Ahmedani et al. (2019), “The majority of persons committing suicide (71.2%) had received health care in the 180 days prior to their death.” (p.6). This review analyzed and organized the findings to spotlight 4 common themes that lead to a better understanding of best practices. Eligibility criteria started with the PICOT …

Navigating Professional Paradigms: Transactional Sex, Behavior Change, And Structural Responses In Uganda, Shelley K. White, Hugo A. Kamya

Journal of Social Work in the Global Community

Professional paradigms within social work and related social service fields have been critiqued for being behaviorally focused, thereby obscuring and perhaps excusing structural determinants of health and well-being. Recent initiatives in international social work have aimed to align theory, practice, education, and research with sustainable development, reflecting the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, which aim to address structural determinants. Our qualitative research examined responses to transactional sex among Ugandan youth through in-depth interviews with 23 professionals working in social services with youth who were vulnerable to HIV. Through thematic content analysis, using deductive and inductive analysis, we examined the demographics …

Eliminating Monitor Overuse (Emo) Type Iii Effectiveness-Deimplementation Cluster-Randomized Trial: Statistical Analysis Plan, Rui Xiao, Christopher P. Bonafide, Nathaniel J. Williams, Zuleyha Cidav, Christopher P. Landrigan, Jennifer Faerber, Spandana Makeneni, Courtney Benjamin Wolk, Amanda C. Schondelmeyer, Patrick W. Brady, Rinad S. Beidas, Enrique F. Schisterman

Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Deimplementing overused health interventions is essential to maximizing quality and value while minimizing harm, waste, and inefficiencies. Three national guidelines discourage continuous pulse oximetry (SpO₂) monitoring in children who are not receiving supplemental oxygen, but the guideline-discordant practice remains prevalent, making it a prime target for deimplementation. This paper details the statistical analysis plan for the Eliminating Monitor Overuse (EMO) SpO₂ trial, which compares the effect of two competing deimplementation strategies (unlearning only vs. unlearning plus substitution) on the sustainment of deimplementation of SpO₂ monitoring in children with bronchiolitis who are in room air.

Methods: …

Families Of Terminally Ill Cancer Patients, Jenna Aalbers, Grace Laman

Student Projects

Cancer is an illness that does not only impact the patient, but also the people around them. It can be especially difficult for families who are affected as it impacts the lifestyles of everyone. Approximately 1.9 million new cancer cases are expected each year to occur in the United States, so this is an issue that will continue to be prevalent. (American Cancer Society, 2022). Research has shown that there are many effective methods that can be used to help families. This includes methods such as family-based dignity intervention (FBDI), meditation, and open communication strategies. It is important for social …

Families With Fathers In Minimum Security Prison: A Family Treatment Approach To Treating Families With Fathers In Prison, Alexandria Davis, Madison Schrack

Student Projects

The population of those in prison is increasing, and many of those who are in prison have families. Much research has been done on the effect prison has on prisoners, but not as much has looked at the children and what the effect is of having a parent, specifically their father, who is absent in prison. It is important to understand the possible behaviors, risks, and challenges that children face. This research essay looks at what it is like for children between the ages of 5 and 10 to have a father in minimum security prison while also examining the …

Working With Latinx Immigrant Families In The United States: A Culturally Informed Structural Family Therapy Approach, Bailey Brown, Rebecca Los

Student Projects

As the Latinx population in the United States steadily grows, it is imperative that mental health practitioners grow their understanding of this population to be able to provide culturally competent services. There is a unique set of stressors faced by Latinx immigrants in the United States, especially Latinx immigrant youth. These stressors pose a disruption to Latinx immigrant family systems, leading to internalizing and externalizing symptoms. To better understand the stressors Latinx immigrants face and their impact on families, research was conducted on this population's statistics, characteristics, common issues, problems, and risk factors. In addition, research was conducted on approaches …

Food Insecurity: Bringing Awareness Of Food Insecurity In Sioux County, Alexandria Davis, Grace Laman, Rebecca Los, Madison Schrack

Student Projects

Food is crucial to survival and maintaining a healthy lifestyle; however, not everyone can access and afford food. People may have difficulty due to poverty, location of grocery stores, or societal issues. Research was conducted to understand the numerous aspects of food insecurity in adults, children, and families across America. It was also intended to create awareness of food insecurity in Sioux County.

Social Work And The Platform Economy: A Labor Process Theory Analysis, Lauri Goldkind, Barbara Pohl, Lea Wolf

Social Service Faculty Publications

Therapy is now available via digital platforms brokering relationships between practitioners and clients. Licensed clinical social workers contract with direct-to-consumer digital platforms to provide tele–mental health services. We employ labor process theory (LPT) to explore the interpersonal work of therapy as a labor arrangement, arguing that the core theory of LPT is useful for analyzing the overlapping clinical and material dynamics of conducting social work in online environments. We extend LPT analyses of gig work to the behavioral health field. Although platforms attract social workers by promising autonomy, the managerial controls that platforms exert and the emotional labor that social …

How Covid-19 And Racial Justice Protests Influenced Social Workers’ Perceptions Of Policy And Political Participation, Amy Krings, Maria V. Wathen, Teresa Kilbane

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

Drawing on political opportunity theory, this study examined how the political context created by the COVID-19 pandemic and Black Lives Matter protests influenced social workers’ perceptions about social welfare policy and political participation in the summer of 2020. Authors conducted a thematic analysis of the open-ended survey responses of 120 social work practitioners. Regarding perceptions of policy, respondents reported that they experienced new awareness about the breadth and depth of structural racism in the United States; that they held pessimistic views of the government’s ability to mitigate harm associated with the pandemic or racial injustice; and that structural change, including …

A Qualitative Analysis Of Catholic Mental Health Services In Texas For School-Age Children And Adolescents, Dylan R. Benson

Social Work Theses - Archive

Introduction: This study’s purpose was to provide a snapshot of what mental health services are available to school-age children and adolescents in the state of Texas that are provided by the Catholic Church and Catholics, and to provide feasible recommendations for improvements concerning said services. This study also aims to dispel the stigma against mental healthcare provision by licensed professionals that still exists in some areas of the Catholic Church by displaying the intersection between having faith and the ability to provide care to everyone regardless of faith or lack thereof. Methods: This study used a qualitative research method due …

Preparing Students For Social Work Practice With Grieving Clients, Lisa Battle

Social Work Theses - Archive

Social workers will encounter grief, death, and dying in their professional careers. Whether or not it is integral to the practice setting, it is integral to life, and clients in all settings will be impacted by grief and death. Rapidly increasing research in this area has uncovered grief and death as an important competency that new social workers are lacking (Pomeroy et al., 2019). This shortfall impacts social workers through increased risk of vicarious grief and trauma, and their clients through decreased level of care provided (Richmond et al., 2021). Extricating social workers and clients from this burden is a …

Former And Present Military Service Members' Perceptions Of The Use Of Psychedelic Substances For The Treatment Of Mental Health Conditions, Chloe Seay

Social Work Theses - Archive

Now more than ever, Americans are experiencing a serious mental health crisis. However, it can be asserted that veterans are even more in need of effective interventions to address mental health concerns. Veterans experience disproportionally high rates of anxiety, depression, substance abuse disorders, PTSD, and death by suicide. They often do not find significant symptom reduction from traditional mental health intervention methods. Psychedelics are re-emerging as an option for mental health treatment, however our knowledge of veterans’ attitudes toward the use of psychedelics for treatment for various mental health conditions is currently limited. This work presents the results of an …

Health Care Quality And Health Care Access Disparities Among Racial And Ethnic Populations With Comorbid Mental And Physical Health Conditions, Amanda Lee Ryan

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

This study reports the individual and county-level factors associated with racial and ethnic disparities in the ED and inpatient utilization rates and discharge status for adult individuals with chronic mental illness (CMI) and comorbid medical conditions. Social determinants at the individual and county levels associated with rates of higher risk discharge statuses, and the extent to which these account for heterogeneity in acute care utilization and post-acute care plans were also assessed. Despite the significant literature in racial and ethnic disparities, and emergency department and inpatient admission utilization, there remains gaps in the literature regarding individuals with chronic mental illness …

School Social Work 238 Exam Preparation: Resources And Handouts, Leticia Villarreal Sosa, Tiffany Nelson, Brenda Coble-Lindsey, Annette Johnson, Giesela Grumbach

School of Social Work Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Enhancing Recovery With The Use Of Animals, Christina Martinez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Avenues is a program designed to help adults lead happier and more productive lives by overcoming mental health and chemical dependency challenges. The problem is, participants are not fully prepared for independent living following these programs. The plan was to provide participants a therapeutic approach to gaining hands-on experience while combating symptoms of mental illness with the use of animals, with hopes that participants would be better prepared for life after leaving the program. If the project met the expected outcome, the agency would see a lower rate of participants returning to the program and a higher success rate of …

Texas School Social Workers: Demographics, Work Characteristics, Job Satisfaction, And Work Barriers And Facilitators, Astrid Gandaria

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the demographics, and job, services, responsibilities, barriers, facilitators, and satisfaction of Texas school social workers. A survey was emailed to Texas school social workers identified on a state list. A convergent parallel mixed method design was used to compare and discuss quantitative and qualitative data obtained. The data reveal consistency with existing school social work literature related to demographics and provided novel information on work characteristics, job satisfaction, work barriers and facilitators, and program preparation of school social workers. The data shows school social workers are highly involved …

Organizational Supports For Evidence Use In Child Welfare, Emmeline Chuang, Crystal Collins-Camargo, Bowen Mcbeath, Monica Perez Jolles

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Despite its importance to achieving positive outcomes for vulnerable children and families, use of evidence by child welfare managers and practitioners remains limited. This study describes four types of organizational supports that child welfare agencies may use to facilitate evidence use. Data collected in 2016 from a six-state sample of private child welfare agencies are used to examine agency investment in different supports for evidence use and their association with managerial evidence use. We also identify contextual, organizational, and managerial factors associated with agency investment in these supports. Findings suggest that technical infrastructure is necessary but not sufficient for promoting …

Analysis Of Trauma Screening As A Potential Predictor Of Congregate Care Placement As A Key Factor In Caseworker Decision Making, Amy Louise Perricone

Dissertations

The placement of foster care children into congregate care (CC) facilities has been debated regarding whether CC can provide safety and healing, or if it is harmful and retraumatizing to children. In recent years CC has come under scrutiny due to high per diem costs and increasing reports of abuse and even death of children. In response, the federal Families First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) was enacted in 2018 with a goal of reducing the number of children in CC. Since then, efforts have been implemented nationwide to achieve this goal. This study explored the value of statewide trauma screening …

Exploring Burnout And Work Engagement In The United States Refugee Resettlement Policy-Practice Domain: A Qualitatively Driven Mixed-Method Study., Eva X. Nyerges

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Refugee resettlement workers are crucial actors within refugee resettlement, supporting newcomers’ acculturation into a new society. Little is known about the comprehensive range of organizational characteristics that impact workers’ experiences of burnout and work engagement. This qualitatively driven mixed-method study using Constructivist Grounded Theory analytic techniques aimed to develop a holistic understanding of the organizational elements influencing burnout and work engagement among refugee resettlement workers. Further, the study aimed to illuminate the mechanisms by which job demands and resources influence burnout and work engagement. In-depth qualitative interviews with 22 refugee resettlement workers operating in a southeastern state of the United …

Crisis Migration Adverse Childhood Events: A New Category Of Youth Adversity For Crisis Migrant Children And Adolescents, Beyhan Ertanir, Cory L. Cobb, Jennifer B. Unger, Teresa Celada-Dalton, Amy E. West, Ingrid Zeledon, Patrizia A. Perazzo, Miguel Ángel Cano, Sabrina E. Des Rosiers, Luis H. Zayas

School of Social Work Faculty Publications

The present article proposes an extension of the concept of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) to apply to crisis migration - where youth and families are fleeing armed conflicts, natural disasters, community violence, government repression, and other large-scale emergencies. We propose that adverse events occurring prior to, during, and following migration can be classified as crisis-migration-related ACEs, and that the developmental logic underlying ACEs can be extended to the new class of crisis-migration-related ACEs. Specifically, greater numbers, severity, and chronicity of crisis-migration-related ACEs would be expected to predict greater impairments in mental and physical health, poorer interpersonal relationships, and less job …

Chinatown Outreach - Targeted Resources For The Unhoused Population, Jesus Herrera

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Addressing housing insecurities is one of The Epicenter’s pillars while utilizing a new federal grant. The Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program is the division implementing the project that will consist of outreach through a mobilization team. Housing insecurities are not only a city issue but a statewide one and YHDP is designed to help reduce those insecurities and improve a client’s quality of life while providing food, clothing, hygiene packs, and resource information to improve their livelihood. To assess the effectiveness of our deliverables it consisted of tallying, informal dialogues, and data analysis. The most important measure is that we were …

Food Insecurity At Los Abuelitos, Rosalina Duran

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Food insecurity among the senior population is a social problem that can cause malnutrition, chronic conditions, and death. CHISPA Housing Management and Community Services is a non-profit organization that builds low-income senior housing in Monterey County and provides senior hot lunches to its residents. The causes of food insecurity are a lack of income, chronic conditions, and transportation issues. The consequences of food insecurity are the deterioration of their physical and mental health. This capstone project is an assessment that consists of gathering data on the residents who reside at the Los Abuelitos Townhome housing rather than taking advantage of …

Model Of Evidence-Based Practice: Children Experiencing Domestic Violence In Rural Areas, Linden Sutton, Mckenzie Kurtz

Student Projects

Domestic violence is often something that occurs between an abuser and a victim. However, children are also deeply affected by any type of abuse that they witness or experience. More specifically, children in rural areas face more challenges and barriers preventing them from experiencing the freedom to simply be a child. This study examined theories and interventions to treat children experiencing domestic violence. The researchers developed a treatment curriculum based on solution-focused brief therapy to address this population. Overall, solution-focused brief therapy is an effective treatment for children who have either witnessed or experienced domestic violence in a rural setting.

Domestic Violence In Sioux County: Raising Awareness And Stimulating Empathy, Jenna Aalbers, Bailey Brown, Kenzie Kurtz, Linden Sutton

Student Projects

Domestic violence is a pertinent problem in Sioux County, Iowa, yet community members tend to be unaware of its existence and relevance. That is because it operates in a sly cycle, largely undetected by those outside the family. There is a general lack of public discussion and understanding about domestic violence, which tends to be viewed as a private, family matter. Despite this, the impacts of domestic violence extend beyond the family, and there are systemic factors that serve as barriers and risk factors for domestic violence survivors. This paper highlights the conditions of domestic violence in general as well …