Coping with Trauma-Related Dissociation by Boon,S., Steele,K., & Van Der Hart,O.

An innovative classroom laboratory program on social work practice with groups is presented. The program was developed by the author and conducted as a major part of an undergraduate social work practice course. The general objective of the program was to develop basic competence in group leadership for the beginning social work student. The program was conducted and evaluated with about 40 undergraduate students. The results are reported in the paper. In general, student response to the program was very positive and enthusiastic. While the program was conducted with undergraduates, it cnn be used at the graduare level as well, particularly with students who have had little prior social work education or experience.     

Beyond words: The psychodynamics of a therapy in silence with a twelve-year-old girl

This paper unravels the treatment benefits of continued work with a 12 1/2 year old girl who remained silent during the therapy. The multiplicity of meanings that silence represented for the patient are innumerated. In addition, the utilization of therapeutic tools such as movement therapy and countertransference are discussed in relation to the psychodynamics of the patient's silence. The paper shows how the therapist and the patient were able to reach a core self-space from which to develop and grow.     

Ego Psychology and Self Psychology in social work practice

Ego Psychology and Self Psychology are compared by examining how each theory would imply different treatment techniques. These differences are discussed at both a theoretical level and in terms of their applications to the same case. At the level of theory, Mahler's and Kohut's views are compared along five dimensions: definition of the problem, motivation, conflict, the nature of the therapeutic process, and the therapist's role in that process. At the level of technique, specific attention is paid to when the differences aid or impede the therapeutic process.     

Relational Equity as a Design Tool Within Making and Tinkering Activities

This article focuses on the partner-like relations that emerge between undergraduates and youth as they engage in “Making and Tinkering” activities in an afterschool learning ecology, and illustrates the potential for designed tinkering activity to produce relational equity among participants. Grounded in sociocultural theory, but leveraging theoretical contributions from learning sciences and tinkering research, we draw on ethnographic data across one year to examine how the social organization of Making & Tinkering activities provides necessary social conditions for “feedback-in-practice” and consequential learning. Analyses of interactions reveal how more symmetrical intergenerational relationships serve in the design of equitable learning spaces.     

Lesbian,Gay, Bisexual,Transgender, Queer,and Questioning Youths' Perspectives of Inclusive School-Based Sexuality Education

Sexuality education is perceived as one way to prevent unhealthy sexual behaviors. However, current sexuality education materials are not tailored to fit the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) youth, and many have been critiqued for disenfranchising these populations. This study solicited the perspectives of LGBTQ youth on their experiences with school-based sexuality education in order to create a framework of LGBTQ-inclusive sexuality education. Five semistructured focus groups (N = 30 LGBTQ participants) were conducted to investigate the sexuality education experiences of LGBTQ youth and to solicit youth suggestions for improving the inclusiveness of sexuality education curricula. Results indicate that LGBTQ youth perceive current sexuality education as primarily “exclusive,” although examples of “inclusive” sexuality education were provided. In addition, participants provided suggestions for creating a more inclusive experience, such as directly discussing LGBTQ issues, emphasizing sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention over pregnancy prevention, and addressing healthy relationships. Educators and policymakers can use these ideas to help improve the quality of sexuality education—not only to make it more inclusive for LGBTQ youth but to make sexuality education more inclusive for all young people.