Journal ArticleDOI
Substance abuse training and perceived knowledge: predictors of perceived preparedness to work in substance abuse
Rena Bina,Diane M. Harnek Hall,Angela Mollette,Alexa Smith-Osborne,Joohee Yum,Lynda R. Sowbel,Jayshree Jani +6 more
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Predictors of recent master of social work graduates' perceptions of preparedness to practice in the area of substance abuse are examined, and the findings support the need to include substance abuse education in social work curricula.Abstract:
As frontline mental health care providers, social workers need to be prepared to confront and properly manage substance abuse issues in practice. This study examined predictors of recent master of social work (MSW) graduates' perceptions of preparedness to practice in the area of substance abuse. A cross-sectional design was used, and 232 recent MSW graduates completed a mail-in survey (65.7% response rate). Respondents were more likely to perceive themselves as prepared to work with substance abuse issues if they received more formal academic training in substance abuse and had higher knowledge of substance abuse concepts and models. The findings support the need to include substance abuse education in social work curricula.read more
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Agency Level Interventions for Preventing and Treating Vicarious Trauma: A Qualitative Study
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to explore what types of strategies agencies are using to prevent and/or reduce vicarious trauma. To do this, five qualitative interviews were conducted with participants who work directly with individuals who have survived trauma. The findings showed mixed results, as some agencies employed multiple strategies, while others employed few. Agencies seemed to provide adequate benefits and training to employees, and to also encourage them to engage in self-care. While most agencies required supervision/consultation, only one agency encouraged staff members to discuss how they are being impacted by their clients’ trauma. Agencies also did little to manage caseload sizes, as only two participants said that their agencies work to be mindful of the number of trauma cases each staff member has on their caseload. While employees should be held accountable to taking an individual stance in preventing vicarious trauma, agencies also need to make conscious efforts to ensure that staff members are receiving adequate supervision/consultation, training, and benefits, and that they are also being encouraged to engage in self-care. If agencies do not provide adequate support to their employees, the wellbeing and work of their employees, as well as the care of their clients, could be jeopardized. PREVENTING VT AT THE AGENCY LEVEL 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. ABSTRACT...........................................................................................................2 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS........................................................................................3 3. INTORDUCTION..................................................................................................4 4. LITERATURE REVIEW........................................................................................7 Individual Strategies........................................................................................7 Agency Level Strategies.................................................................................12 5. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK...........................................................................15 Generalist Perspective...................................................................................15 Strengths Perspective....................................................................................16 6. METHODS..........................................................................................................18 Research Question.........................................................................................18 Sample............................................................................................................18 Procedure.......................................................................................................19 Human Subjects.............................................................................................20 Limitations of Study.......................................................................................21 Data Analysis..................................................................................................22 7. RESULTS............................................................................................................22 Supervision.....................................................................................................22 Training..........................................................................................................27 Self-Care..........................................................................................................30 Agency Policy and Procedures......................................................................32 8. DISCUSSION.......................................................................................................35 Supervision.....................................................................................................36 Training...........................................................................................................37 Agency Policies and Procedures...................................................................38 Self-Care..........................................................................................................39 Implications....................................................................................................40 9. CONCLUSION.....................................................................................................42 10. REFERENCES...................................................................................................43 11. APPENDIX.......................................................................................................47 PREVENTING VT AT THE AGENCY LEVEL 5 Agency Level Interventions for Preventing and Treating Vicarious Trauma: A Qualitative Study Working with survivors of trauma can have both positive and negative impacts on social workers. There tends to be something about just knowing that one is helping another person in need that can make a social worker feel good; in other words, it can be emotionally rewarding to help survivors of trauma overcome obstacles in their lives. On the other hand, working with survivors of trauma can also lead to adverse effects, such as vicarious or secondary traumatization. Vicarious traumatization (VT) is “the transformation that occurs within the therapist [or trauma worker] as a result of empathetic engagement with clients’ trauma experiences and their squeal” (Pearlman & Mac Ian, 1995, p.1). The effects of vicarious trauma can lead to a change in the way that the social worker experiences him/herself, others, and the world in general (Pearlman & Mac Ian, 1995). It can lead the social worker to experience a disrupted frame of reference, changes in identity, alterations in sensory experiences (i.e. intrusive images, dissociation, and depersonalization), and disrupted psychological needs and cognitive schemas (Saakvatine & Pearlman, 1996). Other areas that changes are often seen in are self-trust, (one’s belief in terms of trust in their own judgments and perceptions of reality), self-intimacy (belief of feeling that one can connect to oneself), and self-esteem (one’s belief of whether or not they are valuable) (Pearlman & Mac Ian, 1995). It has been thought that several different factors play into the experience of vicarious trauma. Some believe that it is the empathetic engagement with clients that impacts a social worker’s experience with VT (Pearlman & Mac Ian, 1995; Pearlman & PREVENTING VT AT THE AGENCY LEVEL 6 Saakvitne, 1995). Others believe that it is due to the transference, countertransference, identification, and projective identification (through internalizing clients’ experiences) that take place in clinical work with clients (Cerney, 1995). Researchers have also looked into whether or not factors outside of the social worker/client relationship impact VT. Several researchers have found a positive relationship between the worker having a history of trauma him or herself and later experiencing VT as a result of his/her work (Bober & Regehr, 2005; Cunningham, 2003; Pearlman & Mac Ian, 1995; and VanDeusen & Way, 2006). This suggests that social workers that have personal histories of trauma could be more susceptible to experiencing VT as a result of working with trauma survivors. Researchers have also noted that having large caseloads of trauma survivors has shown to increase PTSD-like symptoms in social workers (Schauben & Frazier, 1995). Some of the negative impacts that VT can create in the workplace include: retraumatization or reinforcement of clients’ negative beliefs about themselves; missed phone calls and or appointments; failure to complete required work duties due to withdrawing; and violating boundaries in supervisor and client/worker relationships (Pearlman & Saakvitne, 1995). Another impact that working with trauma survivors can have on social workers is secondary traumatic stress (STS). Secondary traumatic stress is similar to vicarious trauma in that they both occur due to working with trauma survivors. Secondary traumatic stress is often defined as the outcomes similar to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder that can occur as a result of working with trauma survivors (Pearlman & Saakvitne, 1995). Posttraumatic Stress Disorder can include symptoms of recurrent PREVENTING VT AT THE AGENCY LEVEL 7 and intrusive recollections of a traumatic event; dreams about the traumatic event; physiological reactivity when exposed to triggering stimuli; and acting or feeling as if the event is happening again (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Some previous literature has differentiated between the terms vicarious trauma and secondary traumatic stress (STS), while others have used them interchangeably. Given the close nature of VT and STS, both will be used when exploring literature on VT. In respect of previous literature, when citing others’ work, the specific terms used in previous literature will also be used in this paper. Given the negative consequences that vicarious trauma can have on social workers’ personal and professional lives, as well as the lives of their clients, families, friends, and colleagues, it is important to recognize ways to try to prevent VT from occurring, and also to develop strategies for reducing VT once it has already occurred. Catherall (1995) suggested that virtually everyone is responsible for preventing vicarious trauma (VT). By this, he meant that it is not only up to the individual social worker, but that it is also up to the agency that employs the social worker. When exploring that idea, the current study found that much of the previous literature has focused on individual methods for prevention and treatment, while only a small body of literature has focused on agency level interventions for preventing vicarious trauma. A large portion of that literature is
The Impact of Substance Abuse Training and Support on Psychologists' Functioning as Alcohol and Drug Counselors
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the role of AoD training and professional support on psychologists' functioning as AoD counselors and found that professional support would make a unique contribution to the prediction model.
Journal ArticleDOI
Implementing Rigorous Survey Methodology within Contexts of Social Work Education, Training and Practice: A Case Study in Substance Use
Aisha Hutchinson,Debra Allnock +1 more
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors address some of the methodological challenges involved in examining the education available to social workers on engaging with substance use, both within the social work academy and local authorities in England, and highlight four methodological themes: (1) Constructing a representative sampling frame; (2) Identifying participants within organisations with many departments; (3) Response rates; and (4) Questionnaire design.
Journal ArticleDOI
C.A. Courtois & J.D. Ford (Eds.): Treating Complex Traumatic Stress Disorders: An Evidence-Based Guide
Journal ArticleDOI
Suicide Exposure in Crisis Workers.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined personal and occupational exposure to suicide in crisis workers and found no evidence of suicidal ideation in these workers, and concluded that there is no research examining personal or occupational exposure of crisis workers to suicide.
References
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Applied Multivariate Statistics for the Social Sciences
TL;DR: In this article, the authors focus on a conceptual understanding of the material rather than proving results and stress the importance of checking the data, assessing the assumptions, and ensuring adequate sample size so that the results can be generalized.
Mail and internet surveys: The tailored design method, 2nd ed.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present an overview of the design of web, mail, and mixed-mode surveys, and present a survey implementation approach for web-based and mail-based surveys.
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The Science of Self-report : Implications for Research and Practice
Arthur A. Stone,Jaylan S. Turkkan,Christine A. Bachrach,Jared B. Jobe,Howard S. Kurtzman,Virginia S. Cain +5 more
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors discuss the importance of self-report in the formation of behavioral frequency judgements and the role of memory and context in self-reported data. But, they do not discuss the relationship between self-reporting and mental health problems.
Journal ArticleDOI
Resident physicians' preparedness to provide cross-cultural care.
Joel S. Weissman,Joseph R. Betancourt,Eric G. Campbell,Elyse R. Park,Minah Kim,Brian R. Clarridge,David Blumenthal,Karen C. Lee,Angela W. Maina +8 more
TL;DR: In this paper, a survey was conducted to assess residents' attitudes about cross-cultural care, perceptions of their preparedness to deliver quality care to diverse patient populations, and educational experiences and educational climate regarding cross-culture training.