Social Work Commons^™

Parenting Support Groups Outcomes, Christina Howell

Graduate Research Papers

According to the American Psychological Association 48% of parents find their stress to be completely overwhelming as compared to 26% of other adults. Sixty percent of parents struggle to focus, and 41% of parents report feeling so stressed that they cannot function (American Psychological Association (APA), 2024). In this study three questions are addressed 1) Are Online parenting support groups successful at supporting caregivers and children? 2) What are the outcomes for caregivers and their children when their caregivers participate in parenting support groups? 3) Are parenting support groups successful at supporting caregivers who have experienced trauma? The findings of …

Exploring The Lived Experiences Of Chronic Absenteeism Among Undergraduate Students At A Historically Black University: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Patrick Whitehead, Ronald Leonhardt, Malisha Mishoe, Dorene Medlin, Emily Woodruff, George Darrisaw

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

This research examines chronic absenteeism at an American public, historically Black university. Chronic absenteeism, which became a problem during and following the COVID-19 pandemic, has contributed to rising failure rates and a 34% graduation-to-retention rate among students. Using the interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) method, the authors, who are college instructors, interviewed 13 students with histories of absenteeism. Student cases were analyzed separately and together to identify relevant absenteeism themes. Significant themes include life conflicts (such as a flat tire or illness), lack of perceived relevance of courses (such as courses that fall outside of a student's major), and lack of …

An Introductory Guide To Trauma Informed Care, Isabella Fallon

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project will consist of researching and analyzing at least 30 scholarly and government publications about trauma-informed care (TIC), resulting in a literature review at between 20-25 pages in length. TIC encompasses direct practice with clients, assessment tools, organizational structure and policy, as well as governing documents that impact service delivery. This literature review will build on the work of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach, focusing on providing practical examples of the physical and mental impacts of trauma, trauma-informed frameworks, trauma-informed tools/assessments, and trauma-informed policy, while analyzing and …

Social Work Professional Portfolio, Anthony Hoffer

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Msw Portfolio, Amy Sanders

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

MSW Portfolio through the lens of "otherness".

Msw Portfolio, Steven Asire

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

This work encapsulates my progression both throughout my time in the MSW program as well as my practicum and professional experience working in the mental health field. The portfolio applies past work and describes my progression from a micro lense in practice to a more holistic approach, including mezzo and macro levels of focus and how these progressions will influence my future work.

Psychological Impacts In Exercise Riders And Professional Jockeys Following Injury, Kelley M. Renner

Theses and Dissertations--Kinesiology and Health Promotion

One of the most well-known equestrian sports, horse racing, is not only a cornerstone of Kentucky’s economy, but also a vital part of its culture, with professional jockeys playing an essential role in the local communities and traditions that define the state. Despite its popularity and financial impact, mental health challenges within the sport have continually been shrouded in silence and ignored in research (Ball et al., 2007). Equally concerning is the high injury prevalence, and psychological impact of these injuries (e.g., psychological distress, depression, anxiety, loss of identity, and self-esteem (King et al., 2022; Losty et al., 2019; McConn-Palfreyman …

Savior To Ally: Exploring White Students' Decisions To Major In Social Work Through The Lens Of White Saviorism, Amy S. Dennison

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study explored how white students chose social work as a major and how white savior ideology reinforced or challenged students’ choices. The study contributes to a gap in the literature regarding white saviorism and social work education. Using a phenomenological approach, data were collected through semi-structured interviews from five undergraduate social work students at one Midwestern state university. Transcripts were analyzed thematically using Moustakas’ data analysis for phenomenology framework. The findings revealed that participants chose social work because of an intent to help others, as well as a desire for their work to have a meaningful impact. White …

Effect Of The Development Of Social Networks On Expansion Of Social Entrepreneurship: Moderating Role Of Digital Technology Infrastructure And Social Norms, Mahdi Maskani, Reza Mohammadkazemi, Fargol Saberi Qomi

AMTP Proceedings 2025

In today's era, social networks, which are an effective tool in promoting ideas and innovations, have met with global acceptance and popularity. The communication that is formed between people in society through them can be the basis for ideas and opportunities for social entrepreneurship and voluntary social activities, and it is expected that this global platform will be the basis for the expansion of social entrepreneurship. The study aimed to examine the effect of the development of social networks on the expansion of social entrepreneurship by explaining the moderating role of digital technology infrastructure and social norms. The findings revealed …

Using Geographic Interviews To Conduct Community Assessments—Insights For Msw Pedagogy, Danielle Maude Littman, Denae J. Cook, Amie Thurber

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Social work is predicated as a person-in-environment profession, but few tools presently exist for students to operationalize person-in-environment through assessment and systematic understanding. Geographic interviews, which combine spatial mapping and qualitative go-along interviews, are one possible tool with promise for application in the social work classroom. This teaching note describes the process of integrating geographic interviews as one data collection method MSW students could utilize in a community assessment assignment. We share learnings from student assignments (N = 8) and instructor focus groups (N = 4). We found that while there was a high level of student and instructor interest, …

Nuance As Praxis For Teaching About Mandated Reporting: Classroom Activities, Grace Pappas, Sam Harrell, Stéphanie Wahab

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

As social work instructors, we have observed students increasingly wanting to engage in critical conversations about mandated reporting. Few resources are available to support instructors in facilitating these conversations. This teaching note offers content and lesson plans for exploring mandated reporting as a moral duty, a harm, an ethical dilemma, and a legal mandate in the classroom. Together, these pedagogical tools can help instructors embrace nuance as a practice for teaching about mandated reporting.

The Adaptive Roles Framework: Trauma Adaptations And Identity Formation, Steffannie Roache

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Adaptive Roles Framework is a culturally grounded conceptual model that explains how individuals develop patterned behavioral, emotional, and relational strategies in response to family systems, culture, trauma exposure, and social environments. Rather than conceptualizing behavior through pathology or personality typology, the framework positions behavioral patterns as adaptive survival strategies, responses that increased safety, belonging, or stability within specific environments and were reinforced over time because they worked. The framework identifies seven adaptive roles observed consistently across individuals, families, workplaces, and communities: the Guardian, the Translator, the Assimilator, the Archive Keeper, the Time Jumper, the Intellectual Escape Artist, and the …

The Chitlins Effect: Distinguishing Cultural Resilience From Normalized Harm, Steffannie Roache

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Chitlins Effect is a practice framework developed to help behavioral health professionals distinguish between culturally rooted strengths and trauma-based patterns in the communities they serve. Named after a cultural example rooted in Black American history — where necessity became tradition, and survival became meaning — the framework describes how beliefs, behaviors, and coping mechanisms are transmitted across generations, becoming normalized within families, communities, and cultures even when those patterns carry harm. This paper introduces the conceptual foundation of the framework, situates it within existing research on historical trauma, intergenerational transmission, and social determinants of health, and outlines its application …

Divining Liberation: A Community Healing Curriculum For Uprooting Historical And Racialized Trauma, Steffannie Roache

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Divining Liberation is a structured community healing and workforce wellness curriculum designed to support individuals and groups in recognizing, naming, and uprooting the effects of historical and racialized trauma. The curriculum was developed by Steffannie Roache, MS, LPC, and delivered through Trauma Informed Oregon beginning in 2023. It is built on three conceptual foundations drawn from the author's earlier work: The Chitlins Effect (Roache, 2012), which examines how trauma-based beliefs become normalized across generations; cultural betrayal trauma theory; and trauma-informed care principles established through SAMHSA and OHA. The curriculum unfolds through four thematic parts (Recognizing the Roots, Uprooting Harm and …

A Dance Of War Or Love: Applying A Gendered Lens On The Lived Experiences Of Women Social Entrepreneurs In Nigeria, Grace C. Ihejiamaizu

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study explores the lived experiences of Nigerian women social entrepreneurs, using a qualitative methodology rooted in yarning circles, a culturally respectful, relational approach that foregrounds storytelling and co-construction of knowledge. Through this method, the research examines how these women navigate the intersections of gender, culture, power, and purpose within highly patriarchal and institutionally constrained environments.

The findings assert that Nigerian women social entrepreneurs are not static actors driven by fixed motivations, but dynamic changemakers whose goals shift as they gain access to resources, legitimacy, and social capital. The Cycle of Privilege framework helps us understand this evolution as an …

The Experiences Of Mothering With An Intimate Partner Violence-Related Brain Injury, Emily L. Sebben Miss

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

One in three Canadian women will experience intimate partner violence (IPV) in their lifetime, and 75% of them have a probable brain injury (BI) (Haag et al., 2022). Despite the recent growth of IPV-BI research, many survivors remain undiagnosed and many aspects remain unexplored. The experiences of being a mother with an IPV-related BI has been left untold. These gaps leave frontline workers with little guidance in supporting survivors who are specifically mothers. This research reports on a qualitative study exploring the lived experiences of mothering with an IPV-BI. The study uses a constructivist worldview and hermeneutic phenomenology to amplify …

International Students Practicing Their Wellbeing: Social Connections And Use Of Professional Mental Health Services, Lal Ruby Atesoglu

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

International students are a growing group of immigrants in Canada, and in particular in Ontario. Literature has consistently showed that international students experience unique mental health challenges, with reasons ranging from uncertainty about the future to having to cultivate social networks from scratch. Despite these stressors, they access professional mental health services at a lower rate than domestic students. Research has also shown that international students turn to their social connections to address their mental health concerns frequently. The aim of this study is to explore how international students utilize professional mental health services as well as their social connections …

Battling Oppression And Crafting New Identities: Case Study Of The Woman, Life, Freedom Movement In Canada, Kiana Habibagahi

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Iran’s Woman, Life, Freedom movement began in 2022, and Canada’s Iranian diaspora– the second-largest globally–continues to mobilise advocacy initiatives in its support. However, no studies have examined the movement’s implications on identity individually or collectively. These gaps fail to recognise the experiences of Iranian peoples in Canada who care deeply for the movement and have been historically marginalised. As such, using a qualitative and arts-based method, my project facilitates the retelling of experiences of young adult advocates (n = 4) in the Woman, Life, Freedom movement. Specifically, I inquired about the perceived development of their collective identities as advocates, along …

“We’Re Here, We’Re Queer, And We’Re Not Going Away” Student Policies And Lgbtq+ Students’ Experiences On Canadian Christian Campuses, Angela E. Gallo

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Research highlights that Christian campuses are often unwelcoming and hostile spaces for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other gender and sexually diverse (LGBTQ+) students. Yet, research, including emerging Canadian research, often overlooks how institutional policies shape LGBTQ+ students’ experiences. Further, little attention is given to the affirming experiences LGBTQ+ students encounter on Christian campuses. Through a collective case study of two Canadian Christian universities involving document analysis and interviews, I explored the discourses that school policies constructed concerning gender and sexuality, LGBTQ+ students’ experiences of exclusion and affirmation, and how policy, alongside other factors, shapes their experiences and well-being. …

Poetry Is Change: Close Reading In The Context Of Trauma Research, Maeve Cecilia Tobin Flusser

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.