A Phenomenological Study of the Office Environments of Clinical Social Workers

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 38-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamie K. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Social Workers ◽  
Phenomenological Study ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Clinical Social Workers ◽  
Psychotherapy Practice ◽  
Office Space ◽  
Therapy Room ◽  
Client Behavior ◽  
Office Environments ◽  
Insight Into

Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore the meaning and uses of the office space among licensed clinical social workers in private practice. Background: Previous research suggests the importance of the office space in clinical practice in regard to therapeutic alliance, client behavior, and the well-being of the therapist. However, therapist offices contain much variation in design. This study looked further into specifically how the therapy room is important through the perspective of the licensed clinical social workers in order to identify common themes. Methods: Seven licensed clinical social workers in private psychotherapy practice were interviewed in their offices. Phenomenological research methods were used to explore and analyze their experiences. Results: While the offices contained many physical differences, the intentions behind the designs were similar. Three themes emerged regarding how participants used and designed their spaces. First, participants used their offices to provide care for clients and themselves. Second, participants used their spaces to communicate therapeutic messages and to reveal and/or conceal aspects of themselves. Third, participants also used their space in direct practice. Conclusion: This phenomenological study provided insight into the importance and use of the psychotherapy office space. These findings may be helpful for therapists designing or redesigning their own practice spaces.

scholarly journals BEHAVIOR THERAPY PRINCIPLES, RECENT DEVELOPMENTS AND CONTRIBUTIONS

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (01) ◽  
pp. 116-121
Author(s):  
Lilian Chemutai Kimaiyo ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Behavior Therapy ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Clinical Social Workers ◽  
Behaviour Therapy ◽  
Therapy Approach ◽  
Recent Developments

Psychotherapy is the use of psychological methods through regular interactions (counselling sessions) with clients to help them change behaviour and overcome problems with the aim of improving their well being and mental health. Psychotherapists may be psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers or professional counsellors. This paper examines Behaviour Therapy approach which is one form of psychotherapy available for use by practitioners. It outlines the key ideas of behavior therapy, recent developments in the field and contributions in the field of behavior medicine.

scholarly journals Arab American Adolescents’ Responses to Perceived Discrimination: A Phenomenological Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danielle Balaghi ◽  
Evelyn Oka ◽  
Dorinda Carter Andrews
Keyword(s):  
Racial Discrimination ◽  
Phenomenological Study ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Arab American ◽  
Risk And Resilience ◽  
Resilience Theory ◽  
American Muslim ◽  
Member Checks ◽  
Insight Into

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scholarly journals Organizational Context and Healthcare Reforms: What Effect on the Professional Distress of Canadian Social Workers and Social Service Provision?

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maude Lévesque ◽  
Lilian Negura
Keyword(s):  
Social Workers ◽  
Service Provision ◽  
Organizational Context ◽  
New Public Management ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Clinical Social Workers ◽  
Organizational Constraints ◽  
Healthcare Reforms

This study examined the lived experience of Canadian clinical social workers in light of the organizational context in which they work. The literature indicates an alarming rise of occupational psychological distress in social workers, which aligns with the rise of the neoliberal ideology within the Canadian healthcare sector. While we know that organizational constraints and structural reforms affect social worker’s workplace well-being, it remains unclear how these changes are represented by front-line practitioners and how they affect the provision of social services in healthcare settings. To deepen our understanding of this issue, we conducted a thematic analysis of thirty semi-directed interviews with social workers currently practicing in three Canadian cities (Ottawa, Moncton and Winnipeg). Discussions of daily work life, responsibilities, autonomy and subjective understandings of the social worker’s role revealed which organizational constraints were the most significant in everyday practice and how they relate to their professional identity and mandate. Provincial healthcare reforms were generally found to have negative effects on clinical social workers, whose struggles for recognition were impaired by the fundamentally neoliberal ideologies behind the large-scale restructuring of service provision, themselves at odds with the humanistic principles of social work. Our findings further suggest that structural changes under the New Public Management frame could be detrimental to both the quality of services provided by clinical social workers and their well-being. Overall, this investigation highlights the importance of organizational improvements in the workplace through systemic changes that would concurrently target managerial expectations, resources allocation, autonomy, work-life balance and respect for professional values.

The elder abuse and neglect phenomenon in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish society: social workers’ perspectives

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (9) ◽  
pp. 1403-1412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tova Band-Winterstein
Keyword(s):  
Social Workers ◽  
Phenomenological Study ◽  
Elder Abuse ◽  
Deep Understanding ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Orthodox Jewish ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Elder Abuse And Neglect ◽  
Jewish Society ◽  
Abuse And Neglect

ABSTRACTBackground:In the last 30 years, elder abuse and neglect has been recognized as a social and health-related problem. The aim of this paper is to describe the phenomenon of elder abuse and neglect in a separatist faith-based society (ultra-Orthodox Jewish society—UOJS).Methods:A qualitative-phenomenological study with 28 social workers who underwent in-depth semi-structured interviews based on an interview guide consisting of the following items: visibility of the elder abuse and neglect phenomenon in the ultra-Orthodox society, and dilemmas and sensitive issues that arise when working with this population.Results:Three main themes emerged: (1) Between the commandment to honor one's parents and concealment patterns: Cultural barriers to exposing the abuse and neglect phenomenon; (2) “Life is demanding:” The unique expression of abusive and neglectful behavior in the UOJS; (3) Culturally related dilemmas when intervening with cases of elder abuse and neglect.Conclusions:Ultra-Orthodox Jewish cultural belief is a differentiating component in the context of elder abuse and neglect. Social workers need to develop a deep understanding of the unique characteristics of the phenomenon and cultural sensitivity to cope with it to address the well-being of older ultra-Orthodox Jews.

scholarly journals DOES PERCEIVED LONELINESS MATTER FOR DIVERSE OLDER MEN AND THEIR PROSTATE-SPECIFIC-ANTIGEN TESTING BEHAVIORS?

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S641-S641
Author(s):  
Tamara J Cadet ◽  
Shanna L Burke ◽  
Jamie Mitchel ◽  
Kyaien Conner ◽  
Frances Nedjat-Haiem
Keyword(s):  
Prostate Cancer ◽  
Cancer Screening ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Prostate Cancer Screening ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Older Men ◽  
Clinical Social Workers ◽  
Screening Participation ◽  
Cancer Screening Participation ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Evidence suggests loneliness is associated with poorer health practices and fewer health promoting behaviors, yet may be associated with greater use of the healthcare system. This dichotomy highlights the lack of understanding in the literature about the relationship between the experience of loneliness in early disease detection behaviors, such as prostate cancer screening and appropriate clinical interventions to support older men. Utilizing a series of logistic regression models, this investigation examined the relationship between loneliness and prostate cancer screening in 2008 and 2012 among White, Black, and non-Hispanic men, ages 50-74 years, (n= 4,875 for 2008 and 7.063 for 2012). The data source as the Health and Retirement Study. Findings indicate that White men were less likely to participate in PSA screening in 2008 if they felt left out or isolated. There was a reduced likelihood of screening among Black men who feel as though they have a lot in common with those around them in 2012. Utilizing approaches such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, and solution-focused practice, clinical social workers can have shared decision-making conversations to understand this phenomenon. Clinical social workers have unique training in the person-in-environment model that emphasizes the biological, psychological, social, and spiritual factors that influence behaviors such as cancer screening participation, that can help to understand men’s experiences, feelings or needs related to cancer screening participation. Given the lack of focus on men’s, this study provides formative data to test interventions to increase the well-being of older men.

‘She Made You Feel like There’s Hope’: Gaining a Better Understanding of How Children Negotiate Their Relationships with Social Workers from Their Own Accounts

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Gorin ◽  
Mary Baginsky ◽  
Jo Moriarty ◽  
Jill Manthorpe
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Local Authorities ◽  
Signs Of Safety ◽  
Relational Resilience ◽  
Children’S Accounts ◽  
Care Innovation

Abstract Recent years have seen a re-emergence of international interest in relationship-based social work. This article uses children’s accounts of their relationships with social workers to build on previous research to promote children’s safety and well-being. Interviews were undertaken with 111 children aged six- to eighteen-years old across ten different local authorities in England, as part of the evaluation of Munro, Turnell and Murphy’s Signs of Safety pilots within the Department for Education’s Children’s Social Care Innovation Programme. The interviews reveal four key findings: that children look for care and reciprocity in their relationships with social workers and this can be achieved through listening and small acts of kindness; that they are adept at recognising aspects of social workers’ verbal and non-verbal communications which indicate to the child whether they are listening and interested in them; that there are times in which children are particularly vulnerable especially if parents are resistant to engagement or children’s trust is broken; and that children actively use their agency to control their communication and engagement. The article concludes by highlighting children’s relational resilience and the importance of ensuring opportunities for children to develop new relationships with social workers when previous relationships have broken down.

“God, why?”: The Experience of Mothers from the Israeli Ultra-Orthodox Sector after their Child’s Disclosure of Sexual Abuse

2021 ◽  
pp. 088626052110219
Author(s):  
Aiala Szyfer Lipinsky ◽  
Limor Goldner
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Phenomenological Study ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Initial Step ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Drawing Task ◽  
Qualitative Phenomenological ◽  
Qualitative Phenomenological Study

Studies dealing with the experiences of non-offending mothers from the general population and minority groups after their child’s disclosure of sexual abuse are scarce, and studies on mothers from the Jewish ultra-Orthodox community are non-existent. This study takes an initial step in filling this gap by exploring how the normalization of sexual abuse shapes these mothers’ experiences. A qualitative phenomenological study was conducted on a sample of 21 mothers from the ultra-Orthodox sector whose children had been sexually abused. It consisted of in-depth, semi-structured interviews of the mothers followed by a drawing task on their experience. The analysis of the interviews yielded four central themes: the role of social stigmatization and religion on the mother’s ability to share her child’s abuse; the effect of the disclosure on the mothers’ mental state and maternal competency; the mothers’ ongoing experience in the shadow of this unprocessed/unresolved trauma; and the mothers’ coping strategies, including acceptance, faith, and meaning making. The findings highlight the influence of the tension between the need to adhere to religious norms and preserve the social fabric and the need to enhance mothers’ and children’s well-being.

scholarly journals Long COVID and the role of physical activity: a qualitative study

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. e047632
Author(s):  
Helen Humphreys ◽  
Laura Kilby ◽  
Nik Kudiersky ◽  
Robert Copeland
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Telephone Interviews ◽  
Semistructured Interviews ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Insight Into

ObjectivesTo explore the lived experience of long COVID with particular focus on the role of physical activity.DesignQualitative study using semistructured interviews.Participants18 people living with long COVID (9 men, 9 women; aged between 18–74 years; 10 white British, 3 white Other, 3 Asian, 1 black, 1 mixed ethnicity) recruited via a UK-based research interest database for people with long COVID.SettingTelephone interviews with 17 participants living in the UK and 1 participant living in the USA.ResultsFour themes were generated. Theme 1 describes how participants struggled with drastically reduced physical function, compounded by the cognitive and psychological effects of long COVID. Theme 2 highlights challenges associated with finding and interpreting advice about physical activity that was appropriately tailored. Theme 3 describes individual approaches to managing symptoms including fatigue and ‘brain fog’ while trying to resume and maintain activities of daily living and other forms of exercise. Theme 4 illustrates the battle with self-concept to accept reduced function (even temporarily) and the fear of permanent reduction in physical and cognitive ability.ConclusionsThis study provides insight into the challenges of managing physical activity alongside the extended symptoms associated with long COVID. Findings highlight the need for greater clarity and tailoring of physical activity-related advice for people with long COVID and improved support to resume activities important to individual well-being.

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