THE SYSTEMIC TREATMENT OF SHAME IN COUPLES

Shame remains largely a hidden phenomenon in the treatment of couples. It can manifest itself as a determining factor in events ranging from entrenched blaming to missed appointments. Although there is a growing body of literature on individual shame dynamics and, to a lesser extent, on couple and family shame dynamics, there is little written on how to incorporate these theories into treatment. This paper offers working definitions of shame, proposes a systemic definition of shame as seen in couples, reviews the literature on coule shame dynamics, and explores issues of therapeutic stance and treatment techniques in working with shame in couples therapy.     

Episiotomy practice in the Middle East: A Lebanese teaching tertiary care centre experience

Problem

There is lack of data on the rate of episiotomy in Lebanon and the study’s hospital.

Research in practice: Promoting the dialogue

This paper describes and discusses a research dissemination project undertaken by participants in the Leicester University School of Social Work Child Protection Studies programme. The initiative was designed to enable experienced social workers to share with others findings from their recently completed research projects, to encourage other health and social care practitioners to engage in research activities, and to promote links with employers. Past and current students worked with staff to mount a successful national conference attended by eighty people which promoted discussion of a number of important child protection topics. It encouraged participants to continue with further research and dissemination activities. It also promoted the setting up of a partnership between the course team and local employers to run a programme of day events to bring relevant recent research findings to the attention of social work practitioners and first line managers.     

Quiet please, there's a lady on stage: : Centering the person with dementia in life story narrative

This paper is drawn from a larger study based on traditional qualitative thematic methods, which explored the use of secondary biographical stories as a strategy in conversation with an older person who has dementia. The aim of this paper is to re-examine the data to facilitate further discussion in gerontology about the ways in which the ideals of Kitwood's (1997) personhood and narrative inquiry can be used keep life story of the person with dementia intact. By drawing upon narrative writers such as Mishler (1986), Gee (1991), Ramanathan (1995) and Riessman (2004, 2007), we describe a methodological approach utilising structural and thematic forms of narrative analysis to keep the person with dementia ‘centre stage’ in their own life story narrative. This paper demonstrates that by integrating a person-centred approach to interpretative and structural narrative analysis, people living with dementia can be the centre of their own story and communicate with their community what is important and why it is worth telling.     

Preparing for Elite Political Participation Simulations and the Political Socialization of Adolescents

Objective. We ask: How do socialization experiences shape adolescent perceptions of and the performance of gender in political leadership roles? We examine a political simulation, Model United Nations, which attracts academically motivated students aspiring to elite roles in politics and government. Methods. Using observational and survey data, we explore adolescent behavior in the simulation as both a learning experience and as a reflection of students' perceptions of leadership behavior. Results. Three critical observations emerge. First, the Model United Nations is a domain in which young women do not play an equal part. Female delegates take far fewer speaking turns. However, contextual factors, including membership on a committee that deals with less masculine issues and on a committee with a female chair, increase the likelihood of female turn‐taking. Second, though participants come to the event with very similar motivations, young women leave less satisfied with their personal effectiveness than do young men. Finally, female delegates are judged less favorably by themselves and others and thus as less successful in the simulation. Conclusions. These findings have normative implications for the recruitment of young women to politics.     

"Shielding" the Knowledge Transfer Process in Human Service Research

Knowledge utilization studies aim to understand the pathwayswhereby research moves from a specific set of producers to aspecific set of consumers. Broadly speaking, two sets of explanationsexist: (1) the engineering model, which focuses on the inevitabilityof science in advancing knowledge, and (2) the socio-organizationalmodel, which stresses the importance of communication betweenand among groups as the critical factor in promoting utilization.This study asks both research managers at the Department ofHealth and Human Services and representatives from a particularset of consumer organizations to elaborate on the qualitiesof the research process that make knowledge most useful to them.We find that the qualities valued in both communities signalconvergence around a novel third approach—the shield model—inwhich aspects of the original two models reinforce a powerfulprofessional norm of objectivity that shelters the knowledgeproduction and transmission process from external politicalpressures.     

Identifying Attributes of Relationship Management in Nonprofit Policy Advocacy

Relationship management has been identified as an important activity for policy advocacy, but little is known about the strategies that human service administrators use to develop and maintain relationships with policymakers. This exploratory study aimed at identifying attributes of relationship management strategies that are associated with policy advocacy outcomes. Data were gathered from a sample of 333 nonprofit human service providers in Florida. Controlling for organizational size, the findings indicated that several established dimensions of relationship management were associated with policy advocacy success: networking, sharing of tasks, and assurances. Post hoc analyses found that the relationship between policy advocacy success and the domains of access and openness were respectively mediated by networking and sharing of tasks. Implications for nonprofit administrators and researchers are discussed.     

The Canadian agency for the oversight of research involving humans: a reform proposal

In this paper, I propose the creation of a Canadian agency for the oversight of research involving humans. I describe first a series of significant problems with Canada's current system of oversight. I then argue for the creation of a national-level agency, covering all research involving humans, with three branches (policy and standards, education, and compliance). Of particular note, the proposed compliance branch consists of a number of independent national and regional Research Ethics Boards (i.e., REBs no longer reside within institutions). There is also an Audit Committee and a Non-compliance Committee (with supporting staff of auditors and compliance officers) to ensure compliance with the policies and standards set by the Policy and Standards Branch. Finally, I answer a series of "frequently asked questions" about the proposed agency design such as "What about 'local context'?" and "Why not have a system of accreditation of institutional REBs instead?" In sum, radical reform is needed and, in this paper, I present a proposal for such reform.