Compulsive gambling: Structured family intervention

Family intervention has been an effective procedure for getting alcoholics into treatment for more than twenty years. Now this technique is being used with compulsive gamblers. Because the gambling disorder is so easy to hide, the patient seems to be further into the illness by the time the family seeks help. Furthermore, because the gambling offers intermittent rewards, the denial in both the patient and family appears to be stronger than found with most alcoholics.During the intervention it is important to tell the compulsive gambler why the help of a professional was sought; what changes have been observed by family members and friends as a result of his/her gambling; how family relationships have been affected; what is feared will happen if he/she doesn't get help; and what each family member hopes will happen once the gambler is in recovery.Most concerned persons enter family interventions with the sole purpose of getting the gambler into treatment. However, since this is a family disease, ethically the primary goal of family intervention needs to be to getsomeone into treatment, if not the individual suffering with the disease then one or more of those concerned persons suffering from it.     

Making the Transition from Welfare to Work: Employment Experiences of CalWORKs Participants in the San Francisco Bay Area

ABSTRACT

This study describes welfare-to-work participants in the San Francisco Bay Area, support services, experiences with the CalWORKs program, and predictors of employment status in the wake of welfare reform. Findings indicate that many are working and more Stayers and Recidivists than Leavers are using food stamps and Medi-Cal. Multivariate analysis reveals that race and financial supports were the significant factors contributing to employability, defined as the ability to secure employment despite the need to supplement earned income with welfare payments. To help people stay off of welfare, case management services are needed to help participants maintain employment and increase job skills. In addition to expanding our understanding of human behavior within the social environment of poverty, implications for practice and policy are identified.     

Going Local: Working in Communities and Neighbourhoods Pierson,J.

This article addresses the development of a pedagogic model for teaching social work with groups. The model was developed against a backdrop of the reported decreasing status of social work with groups within the profession. The place of curiosity as a motivating factor in teaching social work with groups is explored and the role of the educator in fostering such interest is addressed.     

Online Donation Experiences,Donation Awareness,and Intention of Future Donation Among Teenagers in South Korea

Younger generations have become less likely to donate than older generations. Online fundraising might be a solution to encourage young donors. This study examines the mediating effects of online donation on the donation awareness of teenagers, as well as the pathway from online donation to an intention to donate in the future. Using data collected from 287 teenagers through an online survey, the study found that online donation experience has positive effects on the frequency of future donation, mediated by donation awareness. These results suggest that nonprofit organizations should consider online donation platforms to be important fundraising mechanisms in encouraging young donors. Future research is need in order to develop the theoretical models of online donation as well as investigate the applicability of the models, especially for young generations.