Marilyn Peterson Armour

Finding A Place in the World: The Experience of Recovery from Severe Mental Illness

This hermeneutic phenomenological study of 45 adults with serious and persistent mental illness (SPMI) examines the experience of recovery over 3 years. After a brief review of the results from the first two phases, this article reports the findings from the third phase of the recovery process. Five essential themes are identified: (1) reintegration in the community; (2) reintegration with family and friends; (3) reintegration with the case manager; (4) reintegration with oneself; (5) barriers to social inclusion. Findings highlight the unmet needs for consumers in their relationships with case managers and barriers to inclusion at the macro level. Implications for practice include the delineation of client and case manager tasks specific to each essential theme.

Journey of family members of homicide victims: a qualitative study of their posthomicide experience.

Family members of homicide victims are a neglected population whose posthomicide experience is shaped by the social milieu and primacy of the states agenda for justice. Themes derived from interviews with 14 families about their lived experience are analyzed and explored through the lens of social constructionist theory, and implications for clinical practice and policy are presented.

Using Context to Build Rigor Application to Two Hermeneutic Phenomenological Studies

There is no single guideline to assist researchers in creating high quality research within qualitative methods. This article proposes that rigor requires both a determination of actual or possible vulnerabilities and strategies that begin with an examination of the study itself rather than with a predetermined list of standardized practices. Two studies demonstrate how an inductive approach to rigor conducted within the framework of a particular qualitative approach, e.g. hermeneutic phenomenology, can produce greater thoroughness and understanding of a paradigms epistemological assumptions. The studies include the lived experience of survivors of homicide victims, and women in substance abuse recovery.

Victim Forgiveness in Restorative Justice Dialogue

Abstract The burgeoning interest in the healing potential of victim forgiveness has predictably pulled the field of restorative justice into the limelight because of its ability to achieve emotional repair for crime victims in ways that influence a forgiveness response. This article delineates the unique dimensions of forgiveness in restorative justice, reviews the empirical literature on forgiveness in restorative justice programs, and makes recommendations about how to research forgiveness in ways that protect the uniqueness of each victim’s process and guard against the imposition of moral or religious prescriptions to forgive.

African americans and recovery from severe mental illness

ABSTRACT This hermeneutic phenomenological study examined the lived experience of African-American persons recovering from serious and persistent mental illness (SPMI). Semi-structured interviews were conducted at three time points (6, 12, and 18 months) with nine African Americans with SPMI. A culturally sensitive perspective informed the data analysis. Interviews were transcribed, read, and coded to cluster thematic aspects in each case and across cases. Atlas-ti was used to recode transcripts and retrieve quotes to dimensionalize each theme. Four themes were identified: (1) striving for normalcy, (2) striving to stay “up,” (3) coping with the consequences of illness, and (4) leaning on the supports that watch out for and over me. Findings were anonymously reviewed and critiqued by African-American research clinicians. Implications for practice include sensitivity to the intersection of racial oppression and stigma specific to mental illness, attention to meso- and macro-level needs, and clients positive responses to collaborative and personalized relationships with mental health professionals.

Victims of Severe Violence in Mediated Dialogue with Offender: The Impact of the First Multi-Site Study in the U.S.

A small but growing number of jurisdictions across the U.S. offer victims of severe violence, including homicide, the opportunity to meet in a mediated dialogue session with their offender if they so desire. Such meetings are victim initiated and involve extensive preparation of the parties. This article reports on an intensive qualitative five-year study of mediated dialogue participants in two of the first states in the U.S. to do so, Texas and Ohio. Descriptions of the two programs and key characteristics of participants are provided, along with outcome data related to the experience of both crime victims and offenders in mediated dialogue in the context of severely violent crime.

Meaning making for survivors of violent death

Restorative and Clinical Essentials. Raphael, Stevens, Dunsmore, Clinical Theories of Loss and Grief. Bonanno, Grief, Trauma, and Resilience. Salloum, Rynearson, Family Resilience After Violent Death. Lord, Spiritual Essentials. Currier, Neimeyer, Fragmented Stories. Armour, Meaning Making for Survivors of Violent Death. Chefetz, Considering Medication Use in the Wake of Traumatic Experience. Restorative and Clinical Interventions. Ochberg, Exorcising Ghosts. Shear, Gorscak, Simon, Treatment of Complicated Grief Following Violent Death. Murphy, Evidence-based Interventions for Parents Following Their Childrens Violent Deaths. Rynearson, Correa, Favell, Saindon, Prigerson, Restorative Retelling After Violent Dying. Malkinson, Geron, Intervention Continuity in Posttraffic Fatality. Davies, Salloum, What About the Very Young Child? Cohen, Mannarino, Treating Childhood Traumatic Grief. Rynearson, Favell, Belluomini, Gold, Prigerson, Restorative Retelling with Incarcerated Juveniles. Community Outreach and Intervention After Disaster and Warfare. Benedek, Ursano, Mass Violent Death and Military Communities. Allen, Tucker, Pfefferbaum, Community Outreach Following a Terrorist Act. Shahani, Trish, Healing After September 11. Rasras, Mitwalli, Sehwail, Group Therapy for Palestinian Family Members After Violent Death. Rynearson, Closing Thoughts.

Pathways to Self-Sufficiency: Successful Entrepreneurship for Refugees

ABSTRACT This study examined the successes and challenges of refugee entrepreneurs by interviewing 50 refugees, service providers, and technical assistance providers. Qualitative data analyses revealed that successes and challenges occurred both at the individual and family levels as well as at the community and agency levels. The findings underscore the need to acknowledge the importance of the personal characteristics of the individual entrepreneurs, to deal with the competing factors revolved around family commitments, to encourage agencies to provide sufficient literacy and financial training, and to have community collaborations for capacity-building.

Real-world assignments for restorative justice education

Academic coursework on restorative justice is rapidly emerging in professional schools. As members of applied disciplines entrusted to serve the public good, students must be readily able to transfer classroom-based learning into real world application. This paper describes a weekend intensive, multidisciplinary graduate school course and how three ‘real world’ assignments are used to integrate restorative justice values, principles, and practices. The assignments include interviews with criminal justice representatives, group projects that propose restorative justice practices for addressing social issues and legal cases, and participation in community-based programs. The assignments use processes grounded in experiential learning theory to underscore various dimensions of restorative justice. They also convey and deepen the understanding of restorative justice principles and practices while at the same time develop a sense of moral agency in students.

Reintegrating Children Into the System of Substitute Care: Evaluation of the Exceptional Care Pilot Project:

This pilot study presents findings from a project to evaluate a program initiated by a state child welfare agency for its most hard-to-serve youth (N = 46). This emerging population is so dangerous and unmanageable that they are difficult, if not impossible, to place or treat. One state responded to this challenge by providing exceptional care through two residential treatment facilities who followed a no-eject, no-reject policy. Outcome data show that 85% of children had reductions in state-designated level of care and movement to less restrictive treatment placements. Differences in Childrens Global Assessment Scale scores for Cohort 1 were statistically significant (t = –4.947, df = 24, p < .001). Staff assessment interviews delineated target behaviors, putative causes, mechanisms for change, and outcomes for children who successfully completed the program.