Social Work Commons^™

Portfolio And Appendix Chris M. Larson, Chris M. Larson

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

Abstract:

This is a collection of assignments and reflections of my work throughout the course of the Masters in Social Work program at the University of Montana. Included are assignments reflecting on the Indian Child Welfare Act, housing, barriers to care for Non-White and female veterans within the VA clinic, the quality of care in nursing homes, American Drug policy, confidentiality in the YWCA, training on interventions based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, cost benefit analysis of in home care programs, and a proposal for my practicum site Missoula Aging Services. It has reflections on the five elements of advanced practice, …

Housing Options As We Age, Michele Dinman, Jeff Brandt, Logan Fox

Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging

Almost 75% of adults ages 50 and older want to stay in their homes and communities as they age. This is referred to as “aging in place.” Our homes and communities can help us feel safe and give us a sense of belonging and connection. Furthermore, our living situations effect our health and quality of life as well as our ability to live independently. Changes in our physical, psychological, social, and financial well-being later in life can affect our abilities to age in place. Finding the best housing based on our resources, interests, and needs is important for living well …

Job-Training Programs For Older Americans, Byeongju Ryu, Cal J. Halvorsen

Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging

The traditional notion of retirement—stopping work completely to focus on personal pursuits in one’s golden years—is not guaranteed. In the United States, three in four adults plan to work past age 65. Many older adults continue working due to financial necessity, including rising healthcare costs, insufficient retirement savings, and gaps in pension coverage. Low-wage workers, in particular, may struggle to retire at all, forced to keep working to afford basic necessities such as housing and food. Older adults also seek employment for their personal health and well-being, such as staying physically and mentally active, finding a sense of purpose, and …

Toward A Nuanced Understanding Of Health And Human Services Students' Perceptions Of Autism, Leslie A. Meskin, Annemarie Connor, Sarah Fabrizi, Ann Tilman, Joanna Salapska-Gelleri, Noelle Balsamo

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

Continually increasing rates of autism necessitate research-informed preparation of pre-service professionals who will work with this population. This mixed-method study examined health and human services students’ autism knowledge, bias, and interaction to inform training and education needs. Results extend the extant literature suggesting autism knowledge and interaction are necessary but insufficient in mitigating bias. Specifically, the nature of prior interaction, positive or negative, shapes both bias and proclivity for additional interaction. Lastly, self-reflection was identified as a latent and potentially impactful factor in shaping a more nuanced and less biased understanding of autism. Recommendations for education and research are discussed.

Syllabus: Ssw Field Instruction 3, Katrina Hannan

Open Educational Resources

Designed to integrate social work knowledge, skills, and values, these courses utilize ecosystems and strengths perspectives alongside a cultural competence model to develop foundational practice competencies for entry-level social work practice. As core elements of the educational program, they bridge academic learning with practical application, enabling students to apply classroom knowledge in real-world settings. The practicum experience emphasizes strategies for engaging with diverse populations, advocating for human rights, and promoting social and economic justice. This hands-on experience fosters the development of practice skills that enhance social well-being and prepare students for effective, ethical social work across micro, mezzo, and macro …

Factors Impacting School Social Workers’ Trauma-Informed Support Of Students With Disabilities, La Kisha Miles-Sneed

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Children with disabilities in underserved New Jersey communities are disproportionately exposed to trauma due to compounding systemic inequities. This basic qualitative study explored how school social workers support these students through special education case management. Grounded in disability critical race theory, the trauma-informed schools framework, and ecological systems theory, the study addressed the primary needs of trauma-exposed students with disabilities and the supports and challenges school social workers face in meeting those needs. Semi-structured interviews with 9 school social workers revealed core student needs: emotional and relational safety, access to school-based mental health services, trauma-informed individualized education program (IEP) supports, …

Understanding Of Internalizing And Externalizing Behaviors Among Youth Who Are Racial Minorities: Identification Of Race-Specific Violence Protective Factors, Caleb Kim, Rana Hong, Hien Nguyen, Raheleh A. Fakhrabadi

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

This study examined how ecosystemic factors—gender, exposure to community violence, attachment to parents, children’s hope, commitment to school, and concern about community safety—affect internalizing and externalizing behaviors among African American, Latinx, and Asian American youth (N = 212) in Chicago. Additionally, this study tested whether CH served as a moderating factor in the relationship between concern about CCS and internalizing and externalizing behaviors among youth who are racial minorities. Hierarchical multivariate regression analyses found that the effects of ecosystemic factors varied depending on the youth’s racial contexts. The moderating effects of CH were found to reduce internalizing and externalizing behaviors …

Land Struggles, Resistance, And Mutual Protection Along The Colorado-New Mexico Border: The Sacred Right Of Self-Preservation, José A. Rivera Ph.D

Faculty Publications

Mutual protection societies proliferated in the American Southwest during a period of rapid social change, 1870-1930, coincident with significant changes in the region’s political economy and increased competition for land and water resources. To resist encroachment and protect their natural resources, hispano communities in Colorado and New Mexico organized mutual benefit and protective associations known as mutualistas, with a large number concentrated in the San Luis Valley of Colorado as well as in many rural counties of northcentral New Mexico. The Costilla Valley of New Mexico is a prototypical hispano settlement initially established as part of the expansive Sangre …

Collaborative Anti-Racist Perinatal Care: A Case Study Of The Healthy Birth Initiatives–Providence Health System Partnership, Roberta Hunte, Susanne Klawetter, Monique Gill, Desha Reed-Holden, Kevin Cherry

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article describes a case study of the partnership between Healthy Birth Initiatives, a community-based organization (CBO) and Black-led public health nurse home visiting program, and the maternal health division of the Providence Health System located in the Pacific Northwest. This study’s purpose was to explore the formation, significance, and impact of this partnership from the perspectives of staff and leadership members from both organizations. We conducted a case study through qualitative interviews with staff, participant observation, and debrief of leadership meetings. We completed a hybrid deductive–inductive thematic analysis of the data, followed by member checking with study participants and …

Abolition And Social Work: Dismantling Carceral Logics To Build Systems Of Care, Durrell M. Washington, Brittany Ribeiro Brown, Diana Ballesteros, Rebecca Lynn Davis

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Social work has historically operated as an extension of the carceral state, embedding policing, surveillance, and punishment into youth-serving institutions under the guise of care. This paper examines carceral seepage—the infiltration of punitive logics into social work practice—across child welfare, education, and juvenile legal, revealing how these systems function as interconnected circuits of criminalization rather than support. Using abolitionist frameworks, we critique social work’s complicity in punitive interventions and address common concerns about safety, scalability, and sustainability. Instead of reforming oppressive institutions, we argue for a fundamental transformation of social work, advocating for non-carceral models such as community-led crisis response, …

A Strategy For Implementing Automatic Enrollment In Trump Accounts, Jin Huang, Michael Sherraden, Lissa Johnson

Center for Social Development Research

In the summer of 2025, the United States created the framework for a national asset-building initiative, but the success of the Trump Accounts policy depends in part on effective implementation. This brief pres­ents a two-step strategy for ensuring that all eligible U.S. children will be able to participate in the program. Leveraging existing federal infrastructure to create capacity for automatic enrollment, this strategy would enable the policy to avoid the high costs and low participation rates of programs with opt-in enrollment structures. The operational model would be built on two foundational components: a centralized Trump Accounts Fund and an automated …

Practitioners’ Perspectives On Preventing Environmental Gentrification In Chicago, Illinois, Usa, Tania Schusler, Amy Krings

School of Environmental Sustainability: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Pollution cleanup, green space creation, and other improvements to environmental quality in cities are important to urban sustainability. However, because they occur within a political economic context characterized by structural racism, urban greening initiatives can intentionally or unintentionally reproduce racial, economic, and social inequities through environmental gentrification. We explored possibilities for improving environmental quality without displacing or excluding long-term residents including people of color, the poor, and members of other marginalized groups. We conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with community organizers, environmental justice advocates, urban planners, housing specialists, and others who held deep expertise through their lived and professional experience in …

Patterns Of Resilience, Patterns Of Tragedy: Perspectives From Inside And Outside To Theorize Beneficial Interventions Serving Urban African American Youth Struggling With Community Violence, Katherine Tyson Mccrea, Kevin Miller, Amzie Moore, Heather L. Watson

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

Community violence, defined as violence perpetrated in community as opposed to home settings, is a salient social problem, causing terror and tragedy, especially in urban, low-income communities of color. Interventions supporting youth struggling with community violence have been insufficiently studied and theorized, especially from strengths-focused, culturally relevant standpoints in the context of contemporary social policies. This paper outlines psychodynamic theoretical models for services that have been developed via participatory research and provided for 19 years for over 1000 youth. Then, to understand how youth make use of the programs from an “inside” perspective, four intensive case examples are described. From …

Financial Shocks, Emergency Savings, And Hardship Among Low-Wage Workers, Haotian Zheng, Stephen Roll, Mathieu Despard

Center for Social Development Research

For many households, particu­larly those with limited income or financial resources, medical emergencies, car repairs, sudden job losses, and unexpected expenses can quickly precipitate financial hardships. Emergency savings provide a buffer that allows households to manage disrup­tions and avoid reliance on options that incur high-interest debt. Addressing the lack of emergency savings is not just a matter of individual responsibility; it also poses a broader policy challenge with implications for public welfare. Drawing upon data from the nationally representative Workforce Economic Inclusion and Mobility survey, this brief reports on low-wage households’ experiences with shocks, savings, and hardships. It also discusses …

Mental Health Services For Older Hispanics/Latinos: Incorporating Culture And Context Into Clinical Approaches To Care, Denise Longoria, Romeo Escobar, John M. Gonzalez, Luis R. Torres-Hostos

School of Social Work Faculty Publications

This article discusses older Latinos and their use of mental health services. A brief history of utilization and the contributing factors, including access to services, barriers, and acceptability of mental health services, are included. Sekhon et al.’s theoretical framework of acceptability is discussed in the context of Latino clients. The authors adapt the framework and apply the elements to work with older Latinos and their families. Common stereotypes and faulty assumptions about older Latinos are examined as the Latino population grows and changes in levels of education, language, family structure, roles, religion, and alternative practices continue. Core values for working …

Effectiveness Of A Classroom-Based Stress Awareness And Coping Skills Program Among Adolescents From Diverse Backgrounds, Adriane Van Zwoll

Dissertations

The ongoing youth mental health crisis in the United States, worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic, has highlighted the urgent need for accessible and effective school-based interventions. This dissertation evaluates the effectiveness of Stress Less: Resilience for Success™, a single-session, classroom-based stress awareness and coping skills program implemented by NAMI Metro Suburban in diverse middle and high schools in the western suburbs of Chicago from 2018 to 2024. Using the CDC’s Framework for Program Evaluation, this study analyzes secondary data from 7,225 pre-test and post-test surveys and is complemented by qualitative informational interviews with current and former NAMI staff and volunteers …

Influences On Suicidality And Suicide-Prevention Needs For The Autistic Community: Qualitative Insights From Multiple Perspectives, Anne V. Kirby, Kristina Feldman, Wilhelm Clark, Amber N. Darlington, Alissa Atisme, Bobbi Duncan-Ishcomer, Rachel Kripke-Ludwig, Andrea Joyce, Whitney Lee, K. Rodriguez, Zack Siddeek, Kavitha Murthi, Brooks Keeshan, Hilary Coon, Christina Nicolaidis

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Autistic individuals are disproportionately likely to experience suicidal thoughts, feelings, and actions. Addressing suicidality is also a high priority of autistic community members. The goal of this study was to understand broad influences on suicidality and suicide-prevention needs for the autistic community. Using a community-based participatory research approach, we conducted a reflective thematic analysis of qualitative interviews with 16 autistic adults, 8 family members, and 14 mental health providers. Themes summarizing influences on suicidality and suicide-prevention needs centered on three broad thematic concepts: (1) Pervasive negative societal attitudes and social experiences have a lasting impact on autistic people's feelings of …

Families Experiencing Domestic Violence Related Homelessness, Brittany Miller

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Homelessness in the United States remains a persistent issue despite legislative efforts to address it. Single parents navigating homelessness encounter unique challenges in accessing stable housing and essential services, with domestic violence often serving as a significant contributory factor. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of practitioners regarding the needs of single parents navigating domestic violence-related homelessness. The empowerment theory provided the framework for this study, and data were obtained from focus groups with leaders and administrators who work in the areas of homelessness, economic security, and family violence. The study’s findings revealed significant gaps …

Path To Parenthood For Medical Residents And Fellows: The Impact Of Leave Policies On Parent Trainees At Oregon Health And Science University, Eline Lenne, Marie Soller, Gillian Lashen, Stephanie Dukhovny, Alinda Reimer, Susanne Klawetter, Emily Carter

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Residents and fellows in graduate medical education (GME) programs across the USA often complete training during childbearing years, presenting challenges for pregnant and parenting trainees balancing work and family. Institutional policies must better support these trainees. Previous studies show supported trainees experience reduced burnout, better health, and improved patient outcomes.

This study assessed the experiences and unmet needs of pregnant and parenting GME trainees and presents their recommendations for improved support.

Methods: Using a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design, we examined the unmet needs and challenges of pregnant and parenting trainees, and their recommendations for improvement. We distributed a survey to …

Old Frames On New Media: Health Misinformation In Black Digital Communities, Merriah Croston

Brown School Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Growing evidence suggests that health misinformation has the potential to proliferate on social media. However, our understanding of the problem’s magnitude continues to evolve. Despite several studies on health misinformation and Black communities in the United States (U.S.), few of these studies characterize misinformation within digital settings. This dissertation seeks to address this gap by: 1) synthesizing the literature on health misinformation and Black communities to identify prevalent misinformation topics and claims, characteristics of exposure to and belief in these topics and claims, and successful intervention strategies; 2) quantifying and characterizing the volume of COVID-19 misinformation on Black Twitter during …