Barbra Teater

AN ANTI‐STIGMA APPROACH TO WORKING WITH PERSONS WITH SEVERE MENTAL DISABILITY: SEEKING REAL CHANGE THROUGH NARRATIVE CHANGE

Self‐stigma is the process whereby individuals expect to be discriminated against by society and in turn hold prejudicial beliefs about themselves. Self‐stigma is particularly difficult for persons with severe mental disability (SMD) as they often experience stigma from the public and, thus, allow the public stigma to foster self‐stigma. Public and self‐stigma are theorised to be comprised of stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination. This paper proposes that in order to decrease self‐stigma among persons with SMD, social work and mental health practitioners need to intervene on an individual and/or societal level to dispute stereotypes, prevent prejudices and combat discrimination. We propose an individual‐level, anti‐stigma approach utilising social constructivism, adaptive systems theory and narrative therapy to empower persons with SMD to reconstruct their sense of self that is free from stigma.

A Qualitative Evaluation of the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program The Recipients' Perspectives

Research and evaluations on social programs often fail to consider the clients’ perspective, yet such perspectives are critical to ensure that the programs and policies best meet clients’ needs. Through individual interviews, this qualitative evaluation of the implementation of the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program, in a Midwestern city, USA, explored the recipients’ perspectives in relation to the program’s implementation and ability to meet their needs. The data analysis revealed detailed experiences in regard to program rules and priorities, stigma, and recipients’ outcomes, and recommendations in regard to customer service, understanding recipients’ circumstances, and program rules. Implications for social work practice and housing administrators are discussed, and evidence for clients’ experiences and perspectives in program evaluation is provided.

Exploring Smoking Prevalence, Quit Attempts, and Readiness to Quit Cigarette Use Among Women in Substance Abuse Treatment

Client questionnaires from 38 gender-specific substance abuse facilities throughout Ohio were analyzed to explore smoking prevalence, quit attempts, and readiness to quit cigarette use. The analysis revealed 79.7% of women used cigarettes at the time of the survey, 33.5% of current smokers had made at least one quit attempt within the past 12 months, and 55.2% of current smokers reported either contemplating or preparing to make a quit attempt. A multinomial logistic regression revealed that clients who experienced a past quit attempt were more likely to be in the contemplation and preparation stages and clients who smoked 30 out of the past 30 days were least likely to be in the preparation stage. Clients who reported smoking between 10–15 cigarettes a day were more likely to be in the contemplation stage than those who reported smoking <10 cigarettes a day. A three-pronged approach that examines the physiological, emotional, and social components of addiction is recommended.

Residential Mobility of Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program Recipients: Assessing Changes in Poverty and Racial Composition in Neighborhoods

Abstract The Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program is the largest federal low-income housing program serving 1.8 million households nationwide. The HCV program serves to promote economically mixed neighborhoods (deconcentration), residential mobility among the recipients, and desegregation. This study evaluates the locational outcomes of the HCV program recipients in Columbus, Ohio from 1999–2005 against the programs policy goals of deconcentration and desegregation by examining the change in poverty and change in racial composition from pre to post-move neighborhoods. The results reveal that the mobility of recipients does not predict a change in poverty and a recipients race does not predict a change in racial composition in neighborhoods. The findings suggest that the HCV program policy goals of deconcentration and desegregation are currently being met in Columbus, Ohio.

Influencing State Legislators: A Framework for Developing Effective Social Work Interest Groups

Social workers can affect current and future state legislation through membership and involvement in effective interest groups. Although prior studies examine traits and characteristics of effective interest groups, the data are gathered from interest group self-reports or case studies and many fail to solicit the perspectives of political decision makers. Qualitative data collection methods are used to gather the experiences and perspectives of nine state legislators on effective interest groups. The data analysis revealed five emerging themes and three subthemes, which together form a framework for developing effective interest groups. Implications for social work education, practice, and research are discussed.

Solution-focused therapy in an Emergency Room setting: Increasing hope in persons presenting with suicidal ideation

• Summary: One-third or more of persons presenting to Emergency Rooms (ER)/Accident and Emergency departments in psychiatric emergencies report experiencing suicidal ideations. A critical task for hospital-based practitioners is to assess the lethality of the situation to determine whether the person should be hospitalized. Practitioners often employ standardized assessment instruments to assist in determining the suicidal risk factors, yet such measures often fail to recognize or consider the following: 1) the relative importance of the therapeutic process in creating meaningful therapeutic change; 2) the quality of the therapeutic encounter in the ER; and 3) follow-through with the community referral process. • Findings: This article proposes the use of the actual ER encounter between client and practitioner to work with suicidal risk factors that are amenable to immediate therapeutic change. Using a therapy approach that can positively impact a clients level of hopelessness and allow for the assessment of suicide risk can work to ensure that an appropriate hospitalization disposition is reached. • Application: This article details how the use of solution-focused therapy provides one avenue for assessing suicide risk and how the therapeutic intervention, which has not been subjected to the scrutiny of empirical research, can serve as an opportunity for increasing hope.

Key processes, Ingredients and Components of Successful Systems Collaboration: Working with Severely Emotionally or Behaviorally Disturbed Children and Their Families

Systems collaboration has repeatedly been cited as a component of successful social service delivery. Through qualitative data, this study explored the process involved in inter-agency collaboration when providing Integrative Family and Systems Treatment (I-FAST) for families with severely emotionally or behaviorally disturbed children. Data were collected through a series of eight focus groups with 26 agency collaborators across 11 counties in Ohio. Data analysis revealed two emergent phenomena: the process of developing collaboration, consisting of making initial contact, a trial period and developing trust; and the key ingredients of collaboration, focusing on interpersonal and professional qualities. Implications of each theme are discussed.

The Looking-Glass Self: Looking at Relationship as the Mechanism of Change in Case Management of Persons With Severe Mental Illness

Community mental health case management has been an important source of support for persons living with a severe mental illness (SMI) since the shift from hospital-based to community-based services, and it is considered to be a central component of the recovery-based model of care. Fostering a strong and positive relationship between case managers and consumers is important to good case management practice. The ascendance of recovery in the mental health paradigm has invigorated the need for collaborative relationships that open up space for consumers to move toward recovery. Using Cooleys metaphor of the looking-glass self, we examine the consumer-case manager relationship and how it helps create a new, recovery-oriented self in SMI consumers. Understanding this relationship as an important mechanism of change provides a useful model for understanding the impact of case managers on the lives of SMI consumers.

A place to call "home": Exploring the experiences of Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program recipients in their efforts to find housing

A policy goal of the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program consists of enabling recipients to select housing and neighborhoods of their choice through the promotion of residential mobility, yet prior evaluations of the program have failed to explore the experiences of recipients with regard to finding housing. This study incorporated qualitative data collection methods to gather the experiences and perspectives of HCV program recipients in their efforts to find housing. The data analysis revealed six prominent steps, which together illustrate the housing search process of the recipients. Implications for social work practice with recipients and housing service providers are discussed with particular focus toward implementing housing counseling services.

Why do I dread looking old?: A test of social identity theory, terror management theory, and the double standard of aging

ABSTRACT Outward appearance is one of the means by which age is determined, and fear of looking old may stem from fears about social identity and death. This study explored how social identity theory and terror management theory may help to explain the dread of looking old. University students from the United States, England, and Australia (N = 1,042) completed a questionnaire regarding their attitudes about aging and older adults. Results indicated that sex, age, beliefs about personal aging, and death anxiety explained 30.4% of the variance for participants’ dread of looking old. Theoretical hypotheses were supported by our findings.