The practice of deliberative policy analysis in the context of political and cultural challenges: lessons from Thailand

ABSTRACT

This article draws upon insight from a study of those involved in introducing deliberative policy analysis in Thailand at the city scale and presents lessons for both policy practitioners and scholars. The design of each deliberative forum differed, depending on lessons learned from previous forums and the consensus that emerged as a result of deliberation amongst forum facilitators. The underlying principle of this kind of deliberative design is to make deliberative processes authentic, by avoiding coercion, inclusive, by engaging stakeholders who bring forth different ideas, and impactful. To make these forums more exciting, deliberative practices are often linked to other attractive discourses, such as those surrounding smart cities, creative spaces and inclusive development. The case of Thailand sheds light on emerging challenges involved in the practice of deliberative policy analysis in the context of both national political regimes that are not democracies and those in the East.     

Learning to listen and look: the shift from the monitorial system of education to teacher-led lessons

ABSTRACT

This article discusses the relationship between the senses, power and educational change. A case study of a significant shift in instruction methods will be used to show how educational change is related to both the senses and to power. The monitorial system of education, as developed by Bell and Lancaster in the early 19th century, was a system that facilitated the instruction of large numbers of pupils by just one teacher. Most of the instruction was conducted by pupils, older and/or more experienced children, whereas the teacher had an overarching responsibility for overlooking the “machinery” without teaching much himself. In the second half of the 19th century the method was replaced by a new method in public elementary schools. From now on teacher-led lessons came to be the norm for what mass education should look like. This momentous change meant, among other things, that the relationship between pupils and teacher was transformed as the teacher increasingly was supposed to hold lessons, whereas the pupil to a greater extent became associated with listening to and closely observing a lesson.     

A Different Kind of Holding Environment: A Case Study of Group Work with Pediatric Staff

ABSTRACT

This paper reports a nearly two-year intervention with staff at a major urban pediatric facility. The authors worked as trainers and consultants for two groups–the Emergency Department (ED) and Chronic Care units (CC). Following two days of training about grief and loss, highlighting skill building for work with traumatized and grieving children and parents, the consultants worked to develop teams which could provide a Winnicottian holding environment for staff. The efficacy of this staff training is analyzed and support needs of staff members are identified. Findings include varied willingness to make use of group support. Chronic care participants are more likely to express willingness to engage in on-going support for one another, while ED staff members seem to prefer structured, educational training and episodic support. The holding environment of the processing groups must be adapted to fit the needs of the medical sub-culture.     

Grief and Intellectual Disability

Abstract

People with intellectual disabilities are living longer, which in turn leads to a higher probability that they will experience significant loss due to the death of someone they know. This paper describes a systemic therapeutic model, ROC, which combines bereavement therapy with training and support for staff. On reporting the effects of the ROC model, it is noted that changes over time in the type and nature of referrals has shown the ther apeutic value of the program. The author makes a case that the best way to detect and possibly prevent serious emotional problems in this population is to provide training and support in dealing with death and related issues for the service network surrounding these individuals.     

The challenge of quantifying national well-being: lessons from the Measures of Australia's Progress initiative

ABSTRACT

In recent decades, the use of gross domestic product (GDP) as a proxy for national well-being has been criticised on the grounds it excludes important social and ecological considerations. Several alternatives have been proposed that promise to generate more comprehensive and balanced quantitative measures of well-being, but all of these alternative indicators remain contested and controversial. This paper critically reviews Australia's contribution to this effort: the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ (ABS's) Measures of Australia's Progress initiative. Unlike many other alternatives to GDP, the Australian initiative does not settle on one measure but uses expert-mediated public consultation to establish a ‘dashboard’ of indicators. In so doing, this model makes explicit the serious challenges confronting efforts to coherently define and measure progress in late modernity. In its attempt to integrate diverse views on national progress, the ABS has created an ambiguous tool that is not being taken up in public and political discourse.     

Improving utilisation of Māori land: Challenges and successes in the application of a participatory approach

Abstract

The limited impact of traditional extension techniques has resulted in the increasing use of participatory approaches to support interaction between Māori communities and scientists. This paper draws on the experience of a 5 year case study of such an approach among scientists and Māori on the East Cape. While supporting the value of a participatory approach, the paper argues that the adoption and use of such an approach must be viewed as an iterative process and one that challenges all participants, not only on operational detail, but on the ethical issues posed by such work. This paper highlights the value of a collaborative approach but questions the appropriateness of branding all such approaches as participatory research when used to support national policy initiatives. It concludes that participatory approaches challenge the scientists involved as much as the communities concerned and questions the validity of conventional measures of success in any evaluation of such work.     

“Build a wall”. “Tax a shed”. “Fix a debt limit”. The constructive and destructive potential of populist anti-statism and “naïve” statism

ABSTRACT

Populist surges, movements and parties often centre around radically simplifying policy proposals, sometimes anti-statist in intent (e.g. fix a limit to state borrowing in cash terms), and at other times pushing naïve statist solutions (e.g. build a giant wall to keep out migrants; or tax companies' activities in a given shed, not their profits). Most liberal political science condemns the crudity and often unrestrained vigour of populist “solutions”. But on occasion, they can have value in counteracting the increasing complexities that elites often build into public policies. Two case studies show populist pressure for simplification working effectively in one instance – the “tax shaming” campaign against multinationals avoiding corporation taxes; and engendering only disorder in another instance – the effort to enforce national debt limits in nominal terms in the USA.     

Interpreting the Countertransference Erection

Abstract

This essay examines the interrelationship between internal experience of therapists and that of their clients in the conduct of psychotherapy. The position taken is that of relational theory, and clinical case material is used to illustrate the discussion.     

Group Work vs. Casework in a Group: Principles and Implications for Teaching and Practice

SUMMARY

This paper examines the differences between group work and casework in a group. Examples of both are used to illustrate the distinction. Steps that are essential to maximize the value and benefits of the small group and to ensure that group work takes place are described and discussed.     

Mental Health Service Utilization Among Frail,Low-Income Elders

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the extent to which service providers in a community-based care program accurately identified and referred elders with symptoms of depression. Interviews were conducted with 79 frail, low-income elders, with the CES-D used to gauge depressive symptomatology. Reviews of their case files were then conducted to determine first, the extent to which case managers recognized depressive symptoms and second, the extent to which respondents who screened with significant symptoms were referred for mental health services. Results suggest an imperfect association between CES-D scores and case managers' perceptions and referrals. Less than 1/3 (31%) of those who screened for depression received counseling.     

The Ventilator Support of Patients with Neuromuscular Disorders

ABSTRACT

Health Professionals caring for patients with Mycosis Fungoides are often impressed by the wide variety and magnitude of the psychological and psychosocial issues centered around disfigurement. I will present an overview of Mycosis Fungoides and conclude with a recent case study that exemplifies these concerns and issues.     

Client Improvement and Working Alliance: Case-Manager Factors

ABSTRACT

To investigate working alliance and other factors in case managers' perceptions of client improvement, data were collected from 95 case manager–adult client pairs from community-based agencies. Per the multiple regression results, client improvement as perceived by case manager increased with level of working alliance as perceived by case manager, and with manager age and social work education at the bachelor's level and master's level. Such improvement decreased with level of client substance abuse as perceived by manager. No association was found between client improvement as perceived by case manager and four further tested factors: level of working alliance as perceived by client; homogeneous gender and ethnicity of client and case manager; case manager work experience; duration of client working with the current case manager. Implications for practice and education are discussed.     

The Therapist's Office

Abstract

The child patient makes use of the therapist's office, the actual physical space, in complex ways. The creative utilization of space in the here and now, and the unfolding therapeutic relationship in the context of space is explored. Three case vignettes illustrate the child's use of space in regaining a sense of psychological safety and continued developmental growth.     

Case Management with Displaced Survivors of Hurricane Katrina

Abstract

Case management is a staple of post-disaster recovery, but there is limited research on this topic. Utilizing in-depth interviews, observations, and document analysis, based on 78 interviews and attendance at approximately 50 public meetings, this longitudinal case study examined case management with displaced hurricane Katrina survivors in one host community between December 2005 and December 2006. Case managers identified, assessed, planned, linked, monitored, and advocated for survivors. They described engaging survivors and understanding their backgrounds and experiences as challenging. Lack of jobs, transportation, and affordable housing coupled with survivors' trauma and preexisting needs presented barriers to long-term recovery. Despite these difficulties, case managers felt positively about their efforts and identified coordination as a critical element for successful human/social services responses to natural disasters.     

Rituals and termination procedures

Abstract

The author discusses the therapeutic value and use of transition procedures in the ending phase of practice. These procedures can provide a vehicle for reaching the often contradictory and difftcult feelings that accompany termination. Knowledge about rituals is used to suggest a framework for understanding termination procedures. The author gives examples of procedures useful during termination and discusses potential pitfalls.     

An Elder Abuse Case Study

Abstract

This article explores elder abuse from the perspective of caregiver stress and domestic violence theories. The author proposes that the theory of caregiver stress has shaped the elder abuse laws and the practice field, raising some important questions for examination. The need for policymakers and practitioners to evaluate their applied theory(ies) so they may better advocate for needed changes in policies and laws is examined by using a case example. In conclusion, the author suggests that the elder abuse protection field must consider the underutilized concepts of domestic violence theory for policy development, case assessments, and intervention strategies.     

A Statewide Parenting Alternative Sentencing Program: Description and Preliminary Outcomes

ABSTRACT

The Washington State Legislature created the Parenting Sentencing Alternative in 2010, authorizing a substitute to total confinement for parents of minor children. The Alternative is designed to strengthen family bonds and improve parenting skills to encourage successful reintegration. An overview of the Alternative’s history, design, and implementation is presented, followed by preliminary results from an impact evaluation. A case study of a successful participant is presented, and implications for the findings are discussed.     

Seeing flowers through the mist: how social workers in disability services retrospectively view their educational experiences related to case management in Hong Kong

ABSTRACT

This article is principally designed to examine social workers’ retrospective views on their past educational experiences with case management in disability services to supply a deficiency that very little literature attention has been paid to how prior professional education shape their case management practice. Using qualitative methods, 13 social workers selected by purposive sampling were invited to participate in in-depth interviews. The qualitative data were analysed to generate some themes. Three themes found are “from ‘rarely heard of it’ to ‘remember it being referred to’”; “buy a lottery ticket before starting a field placement”; and “Ambiguity”. These themes indicate that social work education related to case management was lagging behind, which may exacerbate social work’s polarisation and lead to social workers’ confusion about their professionality. As a result, an urgent need for greater knowledge of case management in university education and in-service training should be addressed in Hong Kong.     

Group Benefit and Protection of Pediatric Research Subjects: Grimes v. Kennedy Krieger and the Lead Abatement Study

The Maryland Court of Appeals in Grimes v. Kennedy Krieger Institute was sharply critical of the lead abatement study conducted by this Institute, an affiliate of Johns Hopkins University. Grimes ruled that investigators might, given the facts of the case, have a special relationship with subjects, thereby creating a duty of care that could, if breached, give rise to an action in negligence. This ruling has implications for pediatric research practices and long-standing disputes among informed people of good will about what pediatric studies should be permitted.     

On the Value and Meaning of Trauma-Informed Practice: Honoring Safety,Complexity, and Relationship

ABSTRACT

In social work, as in other mental health fields, there has been a surge of literature regarding trauma-informed practice. Even so, the value and meaning of being a trauma-informed practitioner still call for further explication and analysis, especially in the realm of clinical social work practice. Approaching and engaging traumatized clients with a trauma-informed lens carry profound implications in the assessment, diagnostic, and intervention stages of treatment, and these implications warrant further unpacking. Additionally, it is critical to explore, through real-world case examples, the significance of working with a trauma-informed lens. This article develops a stage-based, relational definition of trauma-informed practice and argues that trauma-informed practice prioritizes client complexity, social context, and the therapeutic relationship throughout the assessment, diagnostic, and treatment process. In addition, it prioritizes the nuanced experiences and needs of the client, in particular the need for safety, above specific treatment modalities. In this way, it has vital importance to the field of social work. The significance of being trauma informed is considered at all stages of treatment and will be illuminated through practice examples and a longer clinical vignette.