Jedediah E. Bragg

Social work practice is grounded in the symbiotic relationship between macrosystemic community work and direct practice with individuals; however, following a resurgence in emphasis on evidence-based clinical social work in higher education, research on community-building efforts within social work has waned. Among sexual and gender minority populations (SGM), research has indicated a vast array of negative outcomes associated with added stressors, such as stigma, discrimination, and marginalization impacting the population. As such, this study attempts to re-focus the attention of social work practice on the importance of building community, especially for SGM populations. Via a multi-group analysis, the relationship between community (positive social institutions), hope, and flourishing was explored in both the cisgender-heterosexual population and that of the sexual and gender minority population (n = 586) within the United States. Results indicate that there are differences with positive social institutions directly impacting flourishing and indirectly through hope, whereas among the cisgender-heterosexual population, positive social institutions impact flourishing indirectly through hope, and not directly. As such, it is imperative that social workers focus on building strong supportive communities for SGM populations in order to directly and indirectly impact their overall flourishing and wellbeing.

Camp has proven to be an effective positive youth development strategy for children and youth who experience trauma and adversity. However, training camp counselors who are prepared to meet the needs of trauma-exposed youth in these settings are less understood. This pilot evaluation study provides the results of a social simulation-based training for counselors who will work with children who have witnessed family violence through Camp HOPE America. Survey data (N = 76) and content analysis from video recorded training sessions in simulation that used standardized actors and scenarios from the 1st year (n = 37) were conducted. Repeated measures ANOVA results indicated statistically significant improvements from pre- to post-instruction simulation in counselors' hope scores (p < .001); their knowledge and confidence in recognizing and reporting physical/sexual abuse, and self-harming behaviors (p < .001); as well as significant increases in their knowledge and confidence in de-escalation, preventing difficult situations, and building campers' hope (p < .001). Further, analysis of simulation videos suggests that camp counselors used new skills from the training during the simulation experience. Participants showed gains in knowledge, confidence, use of skills, and an overall increase in hope after completing the simulation training.

While hope is an established strength within the catalog of positive psychology virtues and a theoretically established concept in economic development (Lybbert & Wydick, 2018 Lybbert, T. J. , & Wydick, B. (2018). Poverty, aspirations, and the economics of hope. Economic Development and Cultural Change , 66(4), 709–753. https://doi.org/10.1086/696968 [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] ), little applied research has considered the role of positive social institutions in maintaining hope under duress, especially among financially marginalized populations. Mattering is a social-psychological construct defined as an awareness that we are a significant part of the world around us (Elliott, Kao, & Grant, 2004 Elliott, G. , Kao, S. , & Grant, A.-M. (2004). Mattering: Empirical validation of a social-psychological concept. Self and Identity , 3(4), 339–354. https://doi.org/10.1080/13576500444000119 [Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] ). The authors tested the relationship between hope, spirituality, and three-dimensions of mattering (awareness, importance, and reliance), with adults experiencing income volatility while participating in an urban economic mobility intervention. Results indicate that subjects experiencing economic marginalization were more hopeful when they felt others chose to rely on them, even after taking personal spirituality into account. These findings suggest the importance of relationships and specific types of social connectedness in the expression of hope for economically marginalized individuals.

Approximately 45,000 people die by suicide annually in the United States with over 60% seeking help in the year leading up to their death. Of students receiving suicide-specific training in their degree programs, nearly two-thirds feel inadequately prepared for practice with suicidal clients. This study explores the outcomes of an educational pilot study (N = 29) integrating didactic instruction, readings, role-plays, and simulation for teaching suicide intervention skills. The Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality (CAMS) framework is used as a guideline to develop knowledge, skills, and confidence in working with clients who are suicidal. Repeated measures ANOVA results indicate statistically significant improvements in students’ knowledge and Counseling Self-Estimate Inventory (CSEI) scores overtime (p <.05). Moreover, CSEI and the subscale of dealing with difficult client behaviors showed statistically significant improvements from pre-simulation to post-simulation (p <.05). While an abundance of research exists regarding the use of simulation within medical education, a limited amount of research examines the relevance of simulation within graduate education for helping professionals (e.g., counselors and social workers). These results suggest an added benefit of high-fidelity simulations in the training of helping professionals to develop clinical suicide intervention skills.

The integration of evidence-informed practices in social work education can be difficult given the crowded curricula of most Master of Social Work programs, particularly for advanced standing MSW students who launch directly into advanced concentration year coursework after obtaining their Bachelor of Social Work (BSW). Several factors impact decisions about the integration of evidence-informed curricula, including the time, location, and order of infused material and choosing curriculum content that can be applied across a range of professional settings. Social workers frequently encounter clients who are reluctant to change or are mandated to receive social work services. Practitioners need the skills to engage and empower those clients toward change. This paper reports on the evaluation of a tripartite training module on Motivational Interviewing (MI) for advanced standing MSW students, which is centered around social simulation. Results of one-way repeated ANOVAs highlighted statistically significant increases in students’ knowledge about MI, as well as enhanced Counselor Self-Estimate Inventory scores from pre-simulation to post-simulation, lending promising substance to social simulation as an effective, useful method in the education of advanced standing MSW students.

Despite the growing amount of research among the sexual and gender minority population, there remains little to be seen little in the direction of competencies within helping professions mandating the inclusion of this material in academics. As such, among researchers is confusion in the terms sex, gender, gender identity, and sexual orientation leading to erasure of certain subsets of the population. Using Queer Theory as a guiding principle, researchers can begin allow individuals more freedom in their ability to identify via using more inclusive methods. Participants (N = 628) completed an online survey which included two methods of assessing sexuality (a standard format and a more inclusive format). Results of this study indicate there was a statistically significant difference (p < .0005) in the number of those identifying as sexual and gender minority using the two methods. Moreover, 172 more individuals were identifiable as SGM using the more inclusive method. Using a more inclusive method has the potential to impact not only the ability to estimate the size of the SGM population, it can lead to more accurately tailored social programs and lead to a better understanding of the pervasive discriminatory behaviors directed toward the community.

The course Social Work With Sexual and Gender Minorities was offered as a summer social work elective in the Master of Social Work (MSW) program at a Midwestern university over two consecutive years. The purpose of the course was to provide students with a broad overview of the needs facing sexual and gender minority (SGM) populations and to prepare them for social work roles ranging from research, practice, and advocacy. One-way repeated measures ANOVAs were used to test for changes in students’ self-reported levels of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) clinical skill development and general knowledge regarding practice with SGM populations. Results show significant increases in self-reported levels of LGBT clinical skill development and also in general knowledge related to practice with SGM populations. A content analysis of students’ responses on course evaluations revealed five themes: satisfaction with the course, recommending others take the course, acquisition of new information, importance of the information to practice, and the usefulness of the simulation assignment.

A sound theoretical foundation is a necessary element of social work education that prepares students to confront the challenges of practice with critical knowledge of the human experience. Queer theory is a strength-based framework for understanding sexual and gender identities that fall outside of the current social norms, and offers a highly relevant and useful pathway for the education of social work practitioners. Despite its utility for enhancing understanding and acceptance of gender and sexual minority (SGM) people, it is underutilized in social work compared with other disciplines. Additionally, this study reports on the gender and sexual identities of social work students and their endorsement of help-seeking behaviors related to issues of gender and sexual nonconformity. These empirical-based perspectives undergird the tenets of queer theory and support its application in research endeavors aimed at better understanding the human experience. A theoretical and empirical-based argument is made for the queering of HBSE to strengthen both explicit and implicit curricula in social work education. This study expands on the limited usage of queer theory within social work and directly challenges the normative and binary nature of sexual and gender identity evident within the professional literature and implications for education and research are offered.

Purpose: To evaluate mindfulness meditation as an antecedent of reductions in stress and increases in hope. Method: A quasi-experimental design (N = 46; meditation group, n = 23; comparison group, n = 23) using a community sample was used to evaluate the impact of mindfulness meditation on stress and hope. A path analysis was also used to model a directional relationship between meditation participation and increases in hope mediated by reductions in stress. Results: The data indicated that the meditation group exhibited significantly higher hope and lower stress than the comparison group. The path analysis indicated that reductions in stress fully mediated the relationship between mindfulness meditation and increases in hope. Discussion: The data support that meditation can increase hope via stress reduction. The results suggest a need for further research into mindfulness meditation and hope, especially since increasing hope is a fundamental aim of strengths-based practice.

Since the United States Census Bureau began collecting data regarding grandparents raising their grandchildren, the American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) population has had the highest proportion of families led by grandparents as the primary caregivers of their grandchildren. Despite this, research into AI/AN grand-families is limited. To begin to fill this gap, this qualitative study of 49 AI/AN grandparents raising grand-families (GFs) was conducted in an urban area with one of the highest AI/AN populations in the United States. Results indicated that loss and trauma within the middle generation is a central theme for GF formation. Such GFs also reported using a variety of services spanning state, tribal, and urban AI/AN programs, with educational support as a primary need articulated for their grandchildren. Surprisingly, enculturation was not mentioned as a primary driver of GF formulation. The study suggests a need for further exploration of the needs of urban-based AI/AN GFs, and that service providers must be aware of such issues when working with AI/AN GFs.