The relationship of sexual abuse to symptom levels in emotionally disturbed girls

This research study examined symptom levels and sexual abuse status of emotionally disturbed girls in residential treatment. Sexually abused girls had poorer self esteem, higher levels of anxiety, and a trend toward more depression than the nonabused girls on self-report measures. Measures completed by the residents' therapists also found sexually abused girls as being more symptomatic in a number of areas.This research was made possible by a grant awarded to both authors from the Faculty Research and Innovation Fund of the University of Southern California and a Rhoda G. Sarnat Junior Faculty Endowment to Dr. Mennen.     

Communities under fire: Empowering families and children in the aftermath of homicide

This article presents an empowerment approach to clinical services for families and children surviving homicides. Narrative theory is used to integrate child, family and community interventions. The article presents a framework for the examination of narratives and guidelines for co-constructing narratives that empower children, families and communities.     

Self-nurturing: A cognitive behavioral treatment approach for the borderline client

Self-nurturing is a cognitive behavioral treatment approach specifically developed and used in clinical work with borderline clients. The client is taught to recognize and differentiate both the underdeveloped reality ego and developmentally arrested child components of the spilt-ego structure by their affective and behavioral characteristics. The therapist systematically lends ego strengths to the underdeveloped reality ego which is utilized as the good enough parent to re-parent the child ego state. The reality ego is strengthened in the process and the client's maladaptive behaviors dramatically decrease.     

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.     

Triage and Ethics: Social Workers on the Front Line

ABSTRACT

This article highlights the results of an international qualitative study examining the impact of terrorism and other disasters—both human-made and natural—on social work agencies and their labor force. The study was conducted with focus groups of social workers in health care and social service settings. The major research question concerned the impact of disaster—both natural and human-made—on agencies and social work practitioners. Focus was placed on the ethical dissonance experienced by social workers under pressure to prioritize how services and resources are distributed to those in need.     

An Anguished Relationship: The White Aged Institutionalized Client and the Non-White Paraprofessional Worker

Surprisingly little has been written about the polarization between the white, aged, institutionalized client and the nonwhite paraprofessional despite the pervasiveness of this phenomena and its adverse effects. This paper explores the discrepancy between cultural values and practice. The ethnocultural factors that influence conflict and provide the background of behavior which is determined by programming that the person carries around with her/himself are discussed. In sum, some pithy questions highlight the view that changed managerial attitudes, more innovative staff development techniques, and changed practice interventions are needed to obviate an intractable wrong.     

Clinical Treatment of Substance Abusers: Past, Present and Future

With an estimated 9?% of the population in the United States having a substance use disorder, it is a rare social worker that has not encountered a substance abuser or a family member of one in his or her clinical practice. This article provides a brief history of social workers?? role in the treatment of substance abusing clients, an overview of the current, evidence-based treatment approaches and some of the issues that will be impacting this field in the future. A case study is used to illustrate some of the dynamics of substance abusing individuals, the impact on the family and effective treatment approaches.     

A community based approach to clinical services for children of substance abusers

This paper presents children of substance abusing parents as incurring risk factors that place many in need of social work intervention. The strength of this approach lies in integrating community resources as sources of corrective emotional experiences in clinical intervention.