Social Work Commons^™

Cultivating Resilience : Antidotes To White Fragility In Racial Justice Education, Katherine E. Roubos

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative study explores what skills, tools and approaches may be helpful antidotes to white fragility in racial justice education. This study is in response to the challenge posed by white fragility, as defined by Robin DiAngelo (2011) in which white people experience such extreme emotions in response to learning about racism in the USA that they become either defensive such that they are unable to engage in a learning experience, or so swept up in guilt or shame that they require substantial emotional tending in order to continue to engage in the educational experience. Robin DiAngelo frames this phenomenon …

Resilient Open Heart : An Exploration Of Compassion Fatigue, Compassion Satisfaction, And Spiritual Practice With End Of Life And Palliative Care Clinicians, Nathalie J. Rodriguez

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This quantitative study sought to explore how participation in spiritual practice related to self-reported levels of compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction amongst a sample of 55 mental health clinicians in the end of life and palliative care field (EOLPC). The study used an online questionnaire to assess for levels and types of participation in spiritual practice. Additionally, the study utilized the Professional Quality of Life Scale Version V to measure compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, and burnout. The findings of this study demonstrated that participants had lower than average levels of compassion fatigue and burnout. Participant levels of compassion satisfaction were …

How I Got Over : Young African American Men Tell The Story Of How They Achieved Academic Success : A Descriptive Study, Rebecca M.C. Ramer

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

African American males fall behind their White counterparts in almost every measure of academic success. College completion rates for Black males are the lowest among all racial/ethnic groups in the United States. This exploratory study interviewed 13 African American men who were currently enrolled in college or who had graduated college. The goal of the study was to identify factors that these successful men identified as having contributed to their academic achievement. Thirteen men between the ages of 18 and 40 who identify as African American participated in semi-structured interviews that were recorded and then analyzed using a grounded theory …

"Stop Resisting!" : An Exploratory Study Of Police Brutality And Its Impacts On Black And Latino Males, Their Communities, Mental Health And Healing, Manuel A. Ortiz

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to explore the impacts of police violence on Black and Latino males and their communities while also examining avenues of healing that could be helpful for survivors. Generally, this study focused on this question: What is the potential mental health effect of police brutality on Black and Latino males and what are avenues for healing for those affected? Twelve individual participants who identified as activists, advocates, or organizers in the Bay Area of Northern California participated in qualitative interviews that explored the impact of police violence and healing avenues. Participants were asked …

"Resisting Disconnection" : An Exploratory Study Of Transgender Adults' Experiences Of Community Support And Resilience, Aj Metthe

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative study collected narrative data from transgender adults about their experiences of community support from other transgender individuals and about their experience of their own resilience. Due to previous research findings about the marginalization of transgender populations, particular attention was paid to narrative data that explicitly suggest structural oppression. Narrative data were collected from two samples drawn from adult transgender populations. One sample (N=12) participated in hour-long semi-structured individual interviews (Interview Sample [IS]). Another sample (N=4) participated in a Focus Group [FGS]) conducted at a transgender conference in the northeast.

The major findings that emerged from participants’ reports of …

Clinicians' Experience Of Diagnosing Children With Oppositional Defiant Disorder (Odd) And Pediatric Bipolar Disorder (Pbd), Lenni Marcus

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Much of the research indicates that diagnosing children with mental illness is a murky issue that has serious implications. Mostly absent in the literature regarding pediatric mental illness is the clinician’s experience of diagnosing children. This study will help to address this gap by investigating clinicians’ experience of diagnosing oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and pediatric bipolar disorder (PBD) in children across treatment settings. Specifically, this study will investigate (1) how clinicians understand the etiological factors contributing to children’s symptoms; (2) how clinicians are affected by mental health care policies and systems; (3) and lastly, how clinicians perceive both their personal …

Differential Diagnosis Of Emerging And Young Adult Disorders : A Case Vignette Study Of Ptsd And Psychotic Disorders, Elizabeth L. Liepold

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The present study investigated the diagnostic decision-making process of clinical social workers. The study sought to explore how they distinguish between psychotic symptoms, such as hallucinations, and post-traumatic stress symptoms, such as flashbacks, in emerging and young adults. One objective of this study was to understand clinician diagnostic choices in order to increase diagnostic accuracy with young adults who may be particularly vulnerable to first episode psychosis. Sample. The study’s sample included 105 licensed clinical social workers, who actively practiced in the United States. Methods. The study used an exploratory - descriptive design implemented through an online survey. The …

Beats, Rhymes, Life & Resilience : Hip Hop Therapy With Youth Of Color : A Project Based Upon An Investigation At Beats, Rhymes And Life Inc, Emily S.L. Schwartz

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study seeks to understand if participation in Therapeutic Activity Groups (TAGS) at Beats Rhymes & Life helps young people to develop greater resilience. In this paper, resilience is defined in two parts: the ability for participants to engage their inner strengths and characteristics to overcome adversity and the capacity to identify and utilize community and interpersonal resources. This study consists of a quantitative analysis to create a revision of the program’s existing pre/post treatment survey and examine resilience as reported by ten youth participants.

The findings revealed that participation in TAGs had a statistically significant impact on participant’s ability …

The Prevalence Of Problem Gambling In The Chinese Community Of San Francisco With A Focus On Exploring Treatment Access, Vivian Hui, Linfang Zhao

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Problem gambling, as a significant mental health issue, has been sparsely researched, especially in how it affects Chinese immigrants. Since the 1999 study by Selina Toy and Annie Wong, limited research has been conducted on the prevalence of problem gambling in the San Francisco Chinese community. New data is greatly needed to demonstrate that problem gambling is still prevalent in the Chinese community. The purpose of this study was to utilize the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) to measure the prevalent rate of problem gambling in San Francisco’s Chinese community in comparison to a similar study conducted 16 years ago …

Adult Adoptees And Considerations Of Parenthood : An Exploratory Study Examining Adoption Experiences And Effects, Katherine E. Green

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This exploratory, qualitative study sought to investigate how the experience of adoption affects an adoptee’s decision to start a family (or not). One reason to conduct this study was to isolate a particular developmental stage – entering parenthood – to observe deliberations related to the experience of being adopted. This study adds to the limited but growing body of research dedicated to adult adoptees with the aim of assisting clinicians in the field of social work to enhance their knowledge about the experiences of adopted people, especially those who are considering starting a family.

The study was conducted by interviewing …

Social Work Professional Ethics, As Affected By The Concept Of The Wounded Healer : An Investigation Into The Gatekeeping Practice Of Clinical Social Work Supervision, Cristina B. Bloom

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The objective of this exploratory qualitative study was to assess how the field of social work currently maintains and preserves professional social work ethics in the clinical practice field. This study sought to understand how, in a field where the self is one of the main tools utilized, the field ensures that the practitioner’s self is fit to practice and to do so ethically. This is of particular significance in a field that research indicates that high percentages of people are attracted to because of challenging personal life experiences (Lackie, 1982; Marsh, 1988; Vincent, 1996). More specifically, this study centered …

Decision-Making Process : A Mixed Methods Study Of Somatic Awareness Use By Psychodynamic Clinicians In The Treatment Of Trauma-Related Disorders, Mary P. Curry

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This exploratory study examined clinical experiences and perspectives of psychodynamic clinicians on assimilative integration of neurobiologically informed somatic awareness and somatic interventions for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other trauma related disorders. Using an online mixed-methods study survey, quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed. The primary study cohort respondents (N=156) met all study inclusion criteria and an excluded study sub-cohort respondents (N=56) met partial criteria. Psychodynamic relational practice and neurobiological concepts are formulated from the perspective of assimilative integration. The results, derived from integrating both data sets, reveal clinically relevant elements of the decision-making processes …

Exploring Sexual Assault Prevention And Education Programs On College Campuses, Anastacia Marie Webb

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This exploratory study was undertaken to better understand the sexual assault prevention and education programming currently in place on college campuses. Additionally, this study sought to understand barriers to implementing programming and the impact that the recent national attention on sexual assault has had on this work. Ten professionals who are involved in sexual assault prevention programming on college campuses were interviewed using semi-structured interviewing. Participants were from a variety of educational settings across the country. This study found that the biggest obstacles faced in implementing preventive programming are a lack of time and money, with an overwhelming need for …

Presenting Image/Presenting Symptoms : Clinicians' Diagnoses Of Black Women In The Therapeutic Space, Kim Teresa Dubose

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This was a mixed methods study that used both random and non-random purposive snowball convenience sampling. The purpose of the study was to investigate whether clinicians issue more severe psychotic DSM diagnoses (schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorders) to Black female clients than to White female clients when implicitly primed with cultural archetypes unique to Black women. The research questions were, “Do clinicians issue more severe and stereotype-consistent diagnoses to Black female clients than they do to White female clients;” and “Is there a difference in reaction time in clinician diagnosis of severe psychotic disorders between a clinically-identical Black female vignette and …

Engaging Employers As Partners In Subsidized Employment Programs, Sarah Taylor, Sarah Carnochan, Gina Pascual, M J. Austin

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The majority of studies of subsidized employment programs for public assistance recipients and low-income, unemployed individuals have focused on employment and earnings outcomes for participants. As employers are key stakeholders in a subsidized employment program, engaging them effectively is essential. This paper reports on interviews with 81 employers in four Northern California counties regarding their experiences in working with employees in a subsidized employment program. The findings focus on marketing, program structure, and suggestions for program improvement.

Review Of The Hero's Fight. Patricia Fernandez-Kelly. Reviewed By Katrina Bell Mcdonald, Katrina Bell Mcdonald

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Patricia Fernandez-Kelly, The Hero’s Fight. Princeton University Press (2015), 422 pages, $21.00 (hardcover).

Review Of Feeling Lonesome: The Philosophy And Psychology Of Loneliness. Ben Lazare Mijuskovic. Reviewed By Nancy Goldner., Nancy Goldner

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Ben Lazare Mijuskovic, Feeling Lonesome: The Philosophy and Psychology of Loneliness. Praeger (2015), 203 pages, $60 (hardcover).

Guardians Of Chastity And Morality: A Century Of Silence In Social Work, Elizabeth O'Neill

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Reflecting the social norms of the late 1800s and early 1900s, much of social work practice aimed to promote moral sexual behavior and penalize deviance. Even following the widespread adoption of psychoanalytic theory in the United States, social work persisted in having a poorly defined role with regard to issues of sexuality. In the 21st century, the profession continues to largely limit its involvement in matters of sexuality to those practice situations where deviance and public health concerns predominate. Limited topical exposure in peer-reviewed publications and the lack of broad-based human sexuality education for social workers perpetuate the invisibility of …

Assessing Access To Social Services In Emerging Systems: A Conceptual Approach, Steven G. Anderson, Meirong Liu, Xiang Gao

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

There has been considerable concern about systemic factors that serve as access barriers for vulnerable groups in need of services, but conceptual and empirical work related to such issues have been limited. This article presents a new conceptual approach for considering and assessing access, which we call the “Funnel Framework”. The framework is explicated abstractly, and is illustrated with use of the U.S. child care subsidy system. We argue that the framework can usefully guide the analysis of access to any social benefit system, and can be helpful to administrators and program developers as they design and implement benefit systems.

Susu: Capitalizing Development From The Bottom Up, David Stoesz, Isabella Gitau, Richard Rodriguez, Frank Thompson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Susu, a common way of saving money in the majority of developing countries, has migrated to developed nations. Originating in the 18th century in Ghana and Nigeria, susu is an indigenous method of microfinance, benefiting poor and minority groups. Significantly, susu relies on social capital as collateral, enhancing solidarity and building community. When American public assistance programs deny benefits to immigrants, susu becomes an important source of savings. The differentiation of susu from other savings strategies in the United States is explored.