The Advanced Generalist: Social Work Research Journal
The Advanced Generalist: Social Work Research Journal is an online-only peer reviewed student, practitioner, and faculty research journal. The mission of the journal is to disseminate high quality research that is closely aligned with Wichita State University School of Social Work advanced generalist perspective. Advanced generalist practitioners possess a broad range of practice skills. They employ an eclectic and disciplined approach, and are committed to evidence-based practice. Social Work at Wichita State University builds on this understanding of advanced generalist practice by advancing four educational themes: social justice, cultural competency, multidimensional practice, and empowerment. These themes are woven together to develop the school's model for advanced generalist practice. The model incorporates the values and multiple role capability the social worker brings to each intervention. Whatever the setting or client, advanced generalist practitioners are prepared to bring evidence-based practice skills to bear in each intervention. The complex and changing practice environments require effective practitioners to have the ability to fulfill multiple practice roles, including: administrator, advocate, broker, case manager, lobbyist, policy practitioner, researcher, supervisor, therapist, and more. For more information see the journal departmental website.
Wichita State University School of Social Work
The Effect of a Personalized Playlist on Older Adults with Dementia
Dementia is a disease that corrodes one's cognitive abilities such as their memory, affecting around 5 million people in the United States. While there is currently no treatment available to cure dementia, music therapy was found effective to help reduce its symptoms. Based on the Music and Memory program, this study is aimed to examine the impact of listening to a personalized music playlist on observable behavior, memory, and mood of older adults with dementia. The Music and Memory program was applied to 6 older adults with dementia at a Retirement Center in Northwest Ohio. The findings indicated that listening to a personalized playlist had a positive outcome on improving moods and decreasing disruptive behavior of participants, with more increased eye contact, smiling, face relaxation, and responsiveness. This study suggests that personalized music is an effective intervention tool; therefore, social workers should take on the roles of educators, evaluators, brokers, and advocators in applying Music and Memory program to clients with dementia.
Copyright (c) 2016 Elizabeth Wagner, HeeSoon Lee, Derek Mason
Teaching Inclusion and Discourse: A Classroom Demonstration from Nepal
While a cornerstone of any democracy, efficacious civic discourse and the ability to come to reasonable compromise seem to occur rarely today. This paper suggests that higher education may be a place to teach such skills, describes a two-fold approach of lecture and class exercise, and reports on student results from a case example. Lecture on concepts based on Habermas' lifeworld and ideal speech situation, with an emphasis on the relationship of these two terms to that of deliberative justice, was provided to graduate students in Nepal before engaging them in a class exercise deliberating about a social issue relevant to the local context. Both quantitative and qualitative results indicated that students understanding of the material significantly improved through the method of presentation. This pedagogy may be one way to increase civic discourse and engagement in society.
Copyright (c) 2016 Helen Morrow, Laura A. Lowe
Strategy Development to Support LGB Individuality in the Workplace
Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals are challenged daily regarding the lack of emotional support from employers in acknowledging cultural differences. The LGB population is at high risk for heterosexist discrimination despite new employment laws that protect individuals from termination based on sexual orientation. Previously completed research indicated that LGB employees who felt supported emotionally in the workplace showed a higher rate of future employee recruitment, increased productivity, quick adjustment periods for new employees, decreased stress, and were committed to their agency. The purpose of this research study was to develop strategies to help the LGB population feel supported in the workplace. The strategies were identified from anonymous surveys completed by employees in the developmental disability support field. The study participants are members of the Advancing Strong Leadership program for North Carolina Developmental Disability (DD) Professionals. Participants shared their personal perceptions of how supportive their agency is for the LGB population. The results showed that 86.36% of the survey participants felt a change could be made to their agency to help increase support and acceptance for LGB employees. There were 16.6% of the employees that identified as LGB from public and non-profit agencies. The results suggest strategies for improving agency climate for LGB workers.
Simulation and Interprofessional Education in Social Work Practice
Interprofessional Education (IPE) can be defined as two or more professions learning with, from and about each other to improve collaboration and the quality of care (Hutchings, Scammell, & Quinney, 2013, p. 359). A theoretical framework for IPE is explored along with various applications for advanced generalist social work practice. Finally, an IPE healthcare simulation training with a group of master's level social work students and undergraduate nursing students from Wichita State University is described, with potential implications for practice and education.
A Call for Social Work Students in Mine Action
For too many, physical and psychological trauma are the unfortunate consequences of living in post- conflict regions where landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) continue to litter roads, farmland, and other critical infrastructure. Master's level social work students can be engaged on micro, mezzo, and macro levels to assist such victims of conflict by engaging in mine action sector activities like psychosocial rehabilitation, mine risk education (MRE), and advocacy efforts to mitigate the effects and eliminate the use of ERW. We propose a field education plan in which social work students can engage in this vital work through international fieldwork placements. Such activities benefit international students, local communities and organizations, and the cause they serve. With fresh ideas and great enthusiasm, students have the potential to not only influence the course of the global crisis of landmines and ERW, but to reap the professional and personal rewards of participating in the international mine action sector.
Copyright (c) 2016 Ethan Haymovitz, Cameron Paine-Thaler
Film Review: Portraits of Professional Caregivers
The documentary film Portraits of Professional Caregivers is comprised of many meaningful narratives of child welfare workers, firefighters, law enforcement officers, social workers, psychologists, hospice staff, nurses, and doctors. Their stories reveal how helping professionals, while assisting clients or patients, may witness traumatic events, or be exposed to aversive details of a traumatic event, and as a result, they may be profoundly affected. Empathy is a characteristic that allows a caregiver to be attuned to their clients and their situations, and this compassion and understanding may increase a professional's risk of developing secondary traumatic stress, burnout, or compassion fatigue. In addition to the documentary's heartfelt narratives, new and inspiring ideas about self-care, coping, safety plans, and supportive organizational structures are outlined that are designed to promote and sustain the health and well-being of caregivers.
Saul Alinsky's Rules for Radicals is a monumental and foundational text for social leaders who desire to affect change within organizations, communities, and society (Alinsky, 1971). In this text, the author outlines thirteen rules that he believes are essential to organizing an effective social movement. I will address the rules which I find to be most and least applicable to social work professional ideals. Additionally, I will discuss what I consider to be the important aspects of the book which can be applied to social work practice. Finally, I will discuss how the book theme applies to our current social and political environment in the United States.
A Book Review of Generation Unbound: Drifting into Sex and Parenthood without Marriage
The book, Generation Unbound: Drifting into Sex and Parenthood without Marriage, Sawhill advocates for a new line of thought when viewing the ways to reduce poverty caused by single motherhood. Essentially, she advocates for more reliable and accessible forms of birth control. Her prescription for this reduction is for the Affordable Care Act to include more reliable and long term forms of birth control, for Medicaid coverage for family planning services, for the use of social media to educate younger generations. Her goal is to change social norms towards sexual relationships, and to increase public discussion of the important role that birth control can play in reducing child poverty and improve social mobility. Sawhill wants to take the pregnancy out of sex by blending personal responsibility with increased access to and information about birth control.
Advanced Generalist Field Education: Providing Elements for an Evolving Social Work Profession
Social work practitioners require competence in advanced generalist practice skills to provide appropriate social services to clients with various problems in a complex society. Competent advanced generalist practitioners utilize a variety of skills and knowledge to provide appropriate micro, mezzo, and macro interventions. The authors suggest that it is through the field practicum experience that students develop, practice, and determine their passions in social work. Social work field practicum is the foundation of social work education. It is through field practicum that students learn the skills to practice.
Copyright (c) 2015 Debbie Willsie, BreAnn Collins
Practice Experience and the New Social Work Professor: Implications for Advanced Generalist Programs
The need for social work practice experience to become more effective social work instructors has been the subject of much controversy for several years. The goal of this study is to advance the conversation about whether new faculty, who are highly experienced social work practitioners, have a necessary prior skill set to more effectively teach advanced practice courses than new inexperienced professors. Data was used from 488 student assessment of teaching surveys for eight new faculty teaching at an advanced generalist social work program at a mid-west university. Findings suggest that practice experience increases the quality of practice-oriented teaching. Implications for advanced generalist social work programs pertaining to the recruitment and sustainment of clinician-scientists are discussed.
Advanced Generalist Practice and Research
Social work practitioners are required to have the competence of advanced generalist practice skills to provide appropriate social services to clients with various problems in a current complex society. For the competence of advanced generalist practice, one of the essential components is gaining research knowledge and skills to provide appropriate interventions. Social work practitioners need to have research skills to utilize many scientific research publications and to directly evaluate unique client needs, effectiveness of the delivery system, and intervention results in a articular environment. Research skills will improve the accountability of their research knowledge and skills for future evidence-based advanced generalist practice.
The Relationships among Emotional Abuse, Parent and Caregiver Instability, and Disrupted Attachment on Juvenile Sex Offending Status
The treatment needs of youth who are convicted of sex offenses and the needs of their families, have received little attention in research literature. This study examined the impact of several issues, such as family instability, emotional abuse and parental attachment, on juvenile sex offending status, with a research population of over 500 juvenile sex offenders. The impact of emotional abuse was determined to be significantly correlated with juvenile sex offending status, as was the impact of several variables of parent and caregiver instability. Parental attachment was not found to be a significantly correlated variable to juvenile sex offending status. Implications for social work practice, as well as research and treatment, are included.
Combating Trafficking as an Advanced Generalist Social Worker
Drawing upon personal, professional, and academic expertise in the areas of runaway, homeless, and street youth, as well as domestic sex trafficking, the author of this article provides readers with a raw and transparent look into to how she, as an Advanced Generalist Social Worker, was led to join the anti-trafficking movement. The complexities of domestic sex trafficking are illustrated through a story that demonstrates the repeated and cyclical trauma that is frequently endured by those subjugated to sex trafficking. Furthermore, the various dimensions of Advanced Generalist Social Work Practice that are needed to address domestic sex trafficking are discussed.
Copyright (c) 2015 Karen Countryman-Roswurm
Defining Advanced Generalist Social Work Practice Knowledge, Skills, and Values
Social work education at the baccalaureate and foundation level of master programs is structured around a generalist practice perspective. Advance practice in social work education is defined and conceptualized through the curriculums of master of social work programs. This essay provides a definition of advanced generalist practice through the lens of the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) ten Education Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) practice competencies.
Social work practitioners require competence in advanced generalist practice skills to provide appropriatesocial services to clients with various problems in a complex society. Competent advanced generalist practitioners utilize a variety of skills and knowledge to provide appropriate micro, mezzo, and macro interventions. The authors suggest that it is through the field practicum experience that students develop, practice, and determine their passions in social work. Social work field practicum is the foundation of social work education. It is through field practicum that students learn the skills to practice.
Copyright (c) 2015 Debbie Willsie, BreAnn M. Collins
Combatting human trafficking as an Advanced Generalist social worker
Social work practitioners are required to have the competence of advanced generalist practice skills to provide appropriate social services to clients with various problems in a current complex society. For the competence of advanced generalist practice, one of the essential components is gaining research knowledge and skills to provide appropriate interventions. Social work practitioners need to have researc skills to utilize many scientific research publications and to directly evaluate unique client needs, effectiveness of the delivery system, and intervention results in a particular environment. Research skills will improve the accountability of social work practitioners and increase the satisfaction of clients. Thus, this author suggests that social work students need to actively participate in research projects to maximize their research knowledge and skills for future evidence-based advanced generalist practice.
Defining Advanced Generalist social work practice knowledge, skills, and values
Parent-child Relationships in a Homeless Shelter: Promoting Play
The challenges faced by families with young children who are homeless as well as the resources available to them have changed very little in the past 25 years since the passing of the McKinney Vento Act. Homeless children are at great risk for negative outcomes. This study examined the efficacy of the implementation of an evidence-based treatment intervention: Filial Play Therapy, to mediate the negative impacts of shelter living. A standardized, evidence-based curriculum, which promotes positive attachment between parent and child, decreases stress for both parent and child, and increases self-esteem in children was implemented with six homeless parents at a homeless shelter. The results of this intervention are reported and suggest recommendations for future research.
Copyright (c) 2015 Fredi Giesler, Lenore Wineberg, Lisa Mader
A Book Review of Trauma-Informed Practices With Children and Adolescents
Trauma-Informed Practices With Children and Adolescents provides practical approaches to working with children and adolescents that combines research from leading trauma experts and translates it to techniques that are simple to implement in practice. According to Wilcox, the trans-disciplinary approach in this book is infused with a strength-based perspective and the latest research in developmental neuroscience to produce a comprehensive text on best trauma-informed practices (TIPs) for working with children and adolescents.
Review of the Book: Beginnings, Middles, & Ends
The book Beginnings, Middles, & Ends by Ogden W. Rogers provides a 100 story reflective understanding of social work. The book is divided into the three major sections; the powerful and mysterious beginnings; the hard work and confusion of the middles; and the sadness and surprise of the endings. Dr. Kindle suggests that the text must be mixed with the readers' own insights and experiences to form meaning. He recommends this book without reservation while claiming it is an exceptional model of reflective social work practice which will leave the reader committed to deeper levels of self-reflection in their practice.
A Book Review of Justice Denied: What Americans Must Do to Protect Its Children
The book Justice Denied: What Americans Must Do to Protect its Children provides a stark contrast between the rights of victims and perpetrator by providing real-life stories of domestic violence, abuse, and sexual assault cases and how the criminal justice system often biases the offender. Gutzmann asserts that this book is an excellent preparation for those entering the child welfare field and that readers will be moved to support change in our civil and criminal justice systems.
The Effects of Parental Incarceration on the School Behavior of Poor Urban Black Children
Children whose parents are incarcerated experience emotional traumas that are harmful to their social competence and overall well-being. When parents go to prison, children's lives become traumatic, distressed, and unstable. Young children who are unable to articulate their emotional distress instead manifest disruptive behaviors in school. Poor black children who display disruptive behaviors in school are at especially high-risk for exclusionary discipline practices, such as suspension and expulsion. These practices have been shown to negatively impact the development of their social and emotional competence and further impede their academic achievement. The HOPE Project was a 3-year pilot project that provided school-based therapeutic services to black children with incarcerated parents. The children were enrolled in three elementary schools located in an urban, poverty-impacted community. Program evaluation findings suggest that intense age-appropriate therapy conducted in schools is a helpful intervention for reducing negative in-school behaviors and increasing the social and emotional competence of poor, urban black children to keep them engaged in school. The findings have important implications for social work practice in the school setting with children who have parents that are incarcerated.
Copyright (c) 2015 Sheridan Quarless Kingsberry, Natalie Fountain, Stephen Juarez
15 Youth Defendants with ADHD and the Criminal Justice System: A Qualitative Analysis of Court Decisions
The literature suggests that more than 60% of young offenders in the USA and internationally are screened positive for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). However, little scholarly attention is given to the role a defendant's diagnosis of ADHD plays in court proceedings and decisions. The current exploratory qualitative study involves thematic content analysis focused on twelve court decisions dated from 2000-2011, from various jurisdictions, involving young defendants with ADHD. The findings suggest courts' interpretation and treatment of the defendant's ADHD diagnosis varies across cases, jurisdictions, and phases of the legal procedure. Evidence regarding the diagnosis was not sufficient, in itself, for the courts to make decisions that incorporate consideration of the disorder's impact on the defendant's functioning or treatment needs. When experts testify about the impact of ADHD on a case-relevant behavior or aspect of the defendant's functioning, the court is more likely to take the disorder into consideration in its decision than when experts' testimony simply states that the defendant is diagnosed with the disorder. Courts' considerations for the defendant's diagnosis of ADHD were reflected mainly in decisions to adjudicate the defendant as a youth and in sentencing decisions. The findings suggest a need for greater collaboration and communication among professionals in the criminal justice and mental health systems, in order to better understand the role of ADHD in relationship to the various phases of the adjudicative process and to better serve the needs and rights of young defendants with ADHD.
Moving from Managing Organizations to Creating Social Enterprises: Entrepreneurial Social Work and Advanced Generalist Education
This article highlights the concept of social entrepreneurship and its relevance for advanced generalist macro social work education and practice. Macro practice courses that address organizations have traditionally focused on management, administration, and organizational leadership skill development. This article identifies some of the concepts and skills associated with social entrepreneurship and how incorporating a social entrepreneurship perspective into these courses can enrich advanced generalist organizational course content at the graduate level. By incorporating an entrepreneurship perspective, the opportunity exists for the creation of new social enterprises or the enhancement of existing agencies. The author discusses challenges and opportunities associated with redesigning a course curriculum using a social entrepreneurship perspective while being sensitive to the Educational Policy Accreditation Standards (CSWE, 2008), the Network for Social Work Management Human Services Management Competencies, and the National Content Standards for Entrepreneurship Education. The inclusion of social entrepreneurship content into advanced generalist education programs can provide practitioners opportunities for creating social enterprises geared towards promoting social change.
Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics in a Therapeutic Preschool: Implications for Work with Children with Complex Neuropsychiatric Problems
The two studies presented examine the use of the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics on the social-emotional development and behavior of 28 children participating in a therapeutic preschool program. Results from these studies indicate that the use of the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics approach to determine the nature, timing, and dose of developmentally appropriate activities and interventions within the context of a therapeutic preschool did improve the social-emotional development of the participating children. Interventions and activities were provided in the context of Filial Play Therapy as part of the therapeutic preschool environment. Six-month and 12-month follow-ups suggest gains in social-emotional development and behavior were retained. Implications for future use are discussed.
Copyright (c) 2015 Sharon Barfield, Christine Dobson, Rick Gaskill, Bruce D. Perry
A Book Review of Adopting Older Children: A Practical Guide to Adopting and Parenting children
Adopting Older Children is a guide to show families who are looking into adopting a child over the age of four how to go about it. Whether it is married families, single parents, African American, Caucasians, or gay/lesbian families this book illustrates different steps to not only go about the adoption process but also how to educate your friends and family about adoption, how to blend adopted and non-adopted children, what to do if your adopted child wants to know about their biological parents and how to get into contact with them. This book also explains the importance of knowing different cultures when you are adopting interracially. This book has three coauthors, Stephanie Bosco-Ruggiero, Gloria Russo-Wassell, and Victor Groza who have expertise in trauma, educational development psychology, and mental health, respectively. By reading this book you would get a better understanding of adoption and how it may benefit you personally.
Going Beyond Trauma Informed Care (TIC) Training for child Welfare Supervisors and Frontline Workers: the Need for system Wide Changes Implementing TIC practices in all Child Welfare Agencies
This article reviews current efforts to train child welfare workers in trauma informed practices and argues that trauma informed care adaptation and training must transcend case workers and supervisors in order for true systemic change to occur. This means establishing an agency vision, mission, policies, and procedures that result in the manifestation of trauma informed care in the agency's environment and in the practices of the administration and the staff. This article asserts that trauma informed care agencies will result in better outcomes for children and families served while preventing vicarious traumatization of agency staff. Additionally, within a trauma informed care setting, social workers and other advanced generalist practitioners are given the opportunity to search for opportunities to understand clients in the context of their lived experiences and join with clients and their families to empower them in a collaborative partnership focused on recovery.
Copyright (c) 2015 Kristin Heffernan, Pamela Viggiani