Perspectives on Social Work The Journal of the Doctoral Students of the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work Volume Nine, Issue Two Fall 2013 1 Perspectives on Social Work Editor-in-Chief Christine R. Bakos-Block Graduate College of Social Work Editorial Board Traber Giardina Anny Ma Jacquelynn Duron Melissa I. M. Torres Yi Ren Micki Washburn Fredreka Livingston Mark Trahan Outside Reviewers Stephanie Begun, School of Social Work, Matthew Diner, Wurzweiler School of Social Kelly Nye-Lengerman, School of Social Work, University of Denver Work, Yeshiva University University of Minnesota Shanondora Billiot, Brown School of Social Nick Doukas, Faculty of Social Work, Allison O’Connor, College of Social Work, Work, Washington University University of Toronto University of Utah Shamra M. Boel Studt, School of Social Work, Stephanie Felder, National Catholic School of Christopher Rocchio, Myron B. Thompson University of Iowa Social Service, Catholic University of America School of Social Work, University of Hawaii Erin Boyce, School of Social Work, University Brandi Felderhoff, School of Social Work, Jenn Root, Faculty of Social Work, University of Denver University of Texas at Arlington of Toronto Samantha Brown, School of Social Work, Kellie Gergely, College of Social Work, Abigail Ross, School of Graduate Studies, University of Denver University of Tennessee Boston University Erica Caton, Kent School of Social Work, W. Gigi Goary, Faculty of Social Work, Sarah Serbinski, Faculty of Social Work, University of Louisville University of Toronto University of Toronto Jessica Camp, School of Social Work, Wayne Christie Hunnicutt, School for Social Work, Brittany Schuler, School of Social Work, State University Smith College University of Maryland Derek Chechak, School of Social Work, Stacy Kratz, School of Social Work, University Lynn Squicciarini, College of Social Work, Memorial University of Newfoundland of South Florida University of Kentucky Saras Chung, Brown School of Social Work, Larisa Leader, School of Social Work, Wayne Hyun A. Song, School of Social Work, Washington University State University University of Pittsburgh Karen Cinnamond, College of Social Work, Jennifer Martin, School of Social Work, Christina Tam, Luskin School of Public Affairs, University of Kentucky University of Denver University of California at Los Angeles Michael Clarkson-Hendrix, School of Social Christina Marsack, School of Social Work, Becky Thomas, Mandel School of Applied Welfare, State University of New York Wayne State University Social Sciences, Case Western Reserve University Jessica Costeines, Graduate School of Social Sunny Mathew, Graduate School of Social Dwight E. Thompson, School of Social Work, Service, Fordham University Service, Fordham University Memorial University of Newfoundland Matthew Vasquez, School of Social Work, Shantel West, School of Social Work, Wayne University of Iowa State University Faculty Sponsor Sheara Williams 2 From the Editor..............................................................................................................................4 Perspectives on Social Work Education A Fish Out of Water: A Seasoned Professor from a Small Private University .......................5 Discusses her First Experience as a Teaching Assistant at a Large State University Christine Fulmer, University of Kentucky A Perspective on the Historical Epistemology of Social Work Education ...............................9 M. Gail Augustine and Carolyn Gentle-Genitty, Indiana University Conceptualizing Ethics Education under the Joint JD/MSW Degree Program ....................21 Ifem E. Orji, City University of New York Perspectives on the Social Work Profession In Critical Demand or Crisis: The Identity of the Social Work Profession ..........................31 Kathy Hogarth, Ph.D. and Rachelle Ashcroft, Ph.D., School of Social Work, Renison University College, University of Waterloo Will History Repeat Itself? An Overview of the Development of Knowledge.......................43 for the Professional Social Worker Margaret H. Lloyd, The University of Kansas School of Social Welfare Qualitative Review Reality TV Therapy: Implications for Mental Health Stigma and .......................................50 Service Utilization among African-American Adolescents Zuleka Henderson, Howard University Community Based Participatory Research and Youth Tobacco Control: .............................58 A Qualitative Interpretive Meta-Synthesis Pamela Hancock Bowers,MSW, University of Texas at Arlington, School of Social Work CV Builder..………………………………………………………………………………..……72 Guidelines for Submission to PSW…………………………………………………………….77 3 From the Editor We are pleased to present the Fall 2013 Issue of Perspectives on Social Work. This edition is significant to us as this semester marks not only the 20th anniversary for our Ph.D. program, but the 10th anniversary of our journal. It has been a great experience acting as Editor- in-Chief for the 2013 Fall edition of PSW. Acting as editor-in-chief for the journal has been an amazing experience and has supplemented my doctoral education in ways I could not have anticipated. Furthermore, our 10th anniversary sees our journal growing in exciting ways. We received a record number of submissions this year, and as our journal has grown, so has the responsibilities. I’d like to share with you some of my experiences as both a doctoral student and an editor. You may or may not have heard the phrase, “you only get out what you put in.” This common advice given when one is entering graduate school and many of you may have heard this without giving it a second thought. As doctoral students, our schedules beyond filled. We have classes, internships, teaching, just to name a few. We do not, however, learn everything we need to learn on campus, or in classrooms. We accepted the challenge of a doctoral education, but our classes and internships cannot complete our education. We need to go beyond our classrooms and challenge ourselves to do more. Although we could stick to our set schedules, we will be doing so much more as academics and it is completely up to us to seek out opportunities to enhance our learning and growth. Working as reviewers not only builds our CVs, but also helps fill in the gaps in our learning, by developing our own writing, and preparing us for work we will be doing outside of our institutions. Finally, as our journal has grown rapidly over the past few years, we have depended more on outside reviewers. Collaboration, whether between individuals or organizations, is an important part of our education and it is essential for our success as students, as academics and as professionals. Moreover, the collaboration we have formed with our reviewers is essential to our success and continued growth. We extend our deepest gratitude to all of those who submitted to our journal and all of those who acted as reviewers, and we look forward to the challenges and collaborations Spring 2014 will bring. Sincerely, Christine R. Bakos-Block Editorial Policy: Perspectives on Social Work is a publication of the doctoral students of the University Of Houston Graduate College Of Social Work. Submissions are selected by the Editors and edited with the student’s permission. The Editor-in-Chief has the executive authority on accepted submissions. Responsibility for the accuracy of the information contained rests solely with the individual authors. Views expressed within each article belong to the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the editors, the Graduate College of Social Work, or the University of Houston. All inquiries and submissions should be directed to: Perspectives on Social Work Graduate College of Social Work University of Houston Houston, TX 77204-4492 [email protected] 4 Social Work Education A Fish Out of Water: A Seasoned Professor from a Small Private University Discusses her First Experience as a Teaching Assistant at a Large State University Christine Fulmer University of Kentucky Abstract The following article describes the teaching experience of a teaching assistant and PhD student at the University of XXX. The student is an associate professor at a small private college with no prior experience at a state university. The student teaches with a great breadth of latitude at the private college and does not have that same latitude in the role of a teaching assistant. She learns the meaning of the word ombud as well as other lessons from the chairs of the BSW and Doctoral programs. Additionally, she grows as an educator as she experiences more diversity in the classroom than she has in the past. Keywords: ombud, teaching, university, assistant, professor, educator Introduction “Ombud. What’s an ombud?” I said to the director of the PhD program. He graciously explained the role of the academic ombud on campus. I vaguely remembered hearing something about this in teaching assistant training. However, I did not expect to have any contact with anyone from this office. I have been teaching for over 8 years at a small private university and can only remember one student complaint that even went to my chair and that incident was quickly resolved. There is no academic ombud on the private campus. I think back to any experiences I have had with this term and remember that one of my BSW students did her field experience at the Ombudsman Joint Office of Citizen Complaints in XXX. She was often an advocate for people, who were experiencing injustice. She attempted to resolve disputes and sought justice for the oppressed. What injustice could I have done to require the chair of the BSW program to contact the ombud? I definitely felt like a fish out of water. The Office of the Ombudsman The history of the modern use of the term ombudsman comes from Sweden, with the Swedish parliamentary Ombudsman’s Office instituted in 1809. Van Roosbroek and Van de Walle (2008) state, “Its task was to protect the rights of citizens against the executive branch” (p. 288). Additionally, they report ombudsmen “give recommendations that seek to alter laws, regulations, and/or organizational structures” (p.288). Universities and hospitals have recently adopted the notion of the ombudsman. The ombudsman service seeks to mediate conflict with the hopes of finding a mutually acceptable resolution without the involvement of litigation (Alcover, 2009). When considering 5 the possibility of lawsuits and adjudication, it would seem that most organizations would consider ombudsman services a beneficial alternative. The role of the ombudsman, in and of itself, is a fascinating one. The possibility of helping someone with little power work through a conflict with a person in authority without repercussions seems like it would be satisfying for the ombud and positive for the disputants. Alcover (2009) found that use of the ombudsman process led to increased involvement by the participants with an increased “…level of participation in the processes of decision making leading to agreements and increasing their level of empowerment” (p. 283). Despite these positive results, Harrison (2007) reports a blatant under-utilization of ombudsman services on campuses and encourages universities to make students more aware of the services. Teaching Experience After practicing social work for thirteen years, I moved to academia. On one level, I was very excited about teaching. It is something I love to do and I enjoy seeing students grow and develop into professionals. On the other hand, I was very fearful of making a mistake that would affect social work clients all over the world. I am a woman of faith, so I prayed and prepared fervently for every class. I felt a burden to build up a capable pool of social work practitioners that would make a positive impact on the profession and the community at large. However, adjusting to academia was not easy. I was a fish out of water. There was a hierarchy and it was a man’s world. I was one of very few female faculty members outside of the nursing major on campus. I also had no formal teaching experience. When the university developed a Center for Teaching and Learning, I was the first to sign up for guidance and feedback. Prior to the development of the Center, I observed several professors known for their positive student outcomes. I sought feedback and had discussions with successful professors. I love to learn and try new things in the classroom, so I incorporated service and experiential learning opportunities into my classes and found a way to avoid presentation fatigue. I grew as my students grew and I was encouraged and rewarded. Eventually, it was time to make this career move official. After taking my GRE in the summer, I proceeded to apply to PhD programs. Fortunately, I received acceptance to both programs to which I applied. The program I am attending is best for my situation. The PhD director was supportive and offered me an opportunity to be a teaching assistant for the undergraduate program, which comes with the benefit of a stipend and free tuition. The stipend is a blessing. Teaching as a Teaching Assistant Initially, I was very nervous, as I have never taught at a state university. I spent time preparing how to engage a new audience with a different demographic. The BSW Chair gave me the assignment to teach a junior level class that I had never taught in the past. I am used to teaching throughout the curriculum, so I generally develop a relationship with the students in the Introduction to Social Work class and continue that relationship throughout their four years. In this situation, I would be plopped right in the middle of their education. In addition, when the semester is over, I may never see them again. If I made a mistake, I couldn’t correct it the next time I had them or if I didn’t get to cover everything I wanted to, I couldn’t just tack it onto the next class I taught them. I am still adjusting to this and love to hear from my past students. 6 The problem In early August, a course syllabus was sent to me for the course I was assigned. The course was new and it took some components from a previous course. The BSW Chair gave me instructions to review the syllabus and make corrections and changes. Since I do this on a regular basis for the courses I teach at my full time job, I made changes (more than I should have) and proceeded with teaching the course later in the month. After the course started, the BSW Chair asked me to send the adjusted syllabus to her highlighting any changes made. I followed the directions and found out I made a major error. In my role as a teaching assistant, I did not have the authority to make the changes I made. In addition, since there was another section of the course I was teaching, it was important that the courses be nearly identical. (In the past at my full time job, if there were two sections of a course offered, the same professor generally taught them.) It was necessary to change the syllabus back to its original form. I made the changes, posted the new syllabus online (I was still navigating the online system, so I failed to post the previous one), told the students about my error taking full responsibility, and proceeded with instructing the course. The university ombud Since I already sent the original adjusted syllabus to the students, the BSW chair felt she needed to consult the ombud. Since I made a mess of things, there were concerns that there would be student complaints and repercussions for changing the syllabus after the start of the semester. The Academic Ombud gave the BSW Chair instructions how to proceed. However, I had no idea that I was to wait for directions on how to proceed. Thankfully, my own actions had not strayed too much from those of the ombud. Additionally, the chair was pleased that the only syllabus posted online was the current one. With the students having two syllabi for the same course, there was a potential for a dispute. The chair wanted to avoid a complaint to the Office of the Ombudsman. In addition, in the chair’s experience, it was best for the ombud to know of potential issues prior to having a complaint. Fortunately, the students were gracious and eventually became clear on which syllabus to follow. I was very thankful for the chair’s intervention. It would have been very uncomfortable for me to be the cause of a grievance. Future experience with the ombud Will this be my last encounter with the ombud? Unfortunately, it may not be the case. I continue to make decisions and behave as if I am in the private university environment. I have to catch myself and remember that I do not have the same freedom as being at a smaller school. At the smaller university, my courses look different from one semester to the next avoiding presentation fatigue. I cover the material necessary for accreditation, but incorporate different activities and assignments. At the larger university, I have had to conform to standard assignments and timelines. The syllabus is the contract with the student and it is difficult to change deadlines for the convenience of the class when there is another section with students comparing and possibly complaining. Current experiences I love teaching at the large state university. I have learned so much from the PhD Director, the BSW Chair, and the students that I have the honor of teaching. There is a more diverse population at the state school than at the private school. This leads to more lively 7 discussions with differing points of view. However, at the end of the semester, it is very hard to say farewell, as I usually do not see the students again. How do adjuncts do this all the time? Lessons learned As aforementioned, I work at a private university. This university is in the process of reviewing its grievance policy. One of the sticking points has been the inclusion of an outside mediation service. Some feel that it would be in the best interest of the faculty members and university to have an outside party involved, whereas, others do not concur with this opinion. The concept of an ombudsman may be a possible compromise in resolving this issue. This fish may have learned something from being out of the water. References Alcover, C.M. (2009). Ombudsing in higher education: A contingent model for mediation in university dispute resolution processes. The Spanish Journal of Psychology, 12(1). 275-287. Harrison, T.R. (2007). My professor is so unfair: Student attitudes and experiences of conflict with faculty. Conflict Resolution Quarterly, 24(3), 349-368. Van Roosbroek, S. & Van de Walle, S. (2008). The relationship between ombudsman, government, and citizens: A survey analysis. Negotiation Journal, 24(3). 287-302. doi: 10.1111/nejo.2008.24 Christine Fulmer is an Associate Professor of Social Work at Cedarville University. She received her undergraduate degree at Baptist Bible College in Clark Summit, Pennsylvania and her Master’s in Social Work at Marywood University in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Christine is a PhD student at the University of Kentucky pursuing her degree in Social Work. She served as the board president of the Ohio College Association of Social Work Educators for 2 years. Christine won a number of awards including The Influencing State Policy Faculty Award, The Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award through the Southwestern Ohio Council for Higher Education, and the Faculty Advisor of the Year Award from Cedarville University. Prior to academia, Christine worked in private practice, adoption, foster care, residential treatment, and program development. Christine is married to a clinical social worker, Jeffrey, and has three amazing children, Jed (17), Sierrah (14), and Noah (11). 8 A Perspective on the Historical Epistemology of Social Work Education M. Gail Augustine and Carolyn Gentle-Genitty Indiana University School of Social Work Abstract Social work has used several paradigms to guide its educational knowledge base. The writings, beliefs, and perceptions of three of social work’s founders who have greatly influenced the history of social work education—Jane Addams, Mary Richmond, Edith Abbott—are examined here. This article seeks to explore the constructs and knowledge base of social work from this historical perspective. Specifically, it presents a discussion on the sources of knowledge developed in social work, explores the relationship between epistemology and research, discusses the historical context of the knowledge base, and concludes with some recommendations for social work education. Keywords: social work, history, epistemology, education, research This article explores the constructs and knowledge base of social work. Specifically, the source of knowledge developed in social work is examined and the relationships among epistemology, research, and social work are discussed in an historical context, concluding with recommendations. The Sources of Knowledge For the purpose of this exploration, Greene’s (1990) work identifying three sources of knowledge- (a) historical ideologies, (b) meaning given to ideologies, and (c) concrete claims resulting from the synthesis- is used as the platform. For the identification of social work education, we deconstruct the knowledge claims from our historical actors and the meaning they gave to that knowledge and try to define the intention of the primary actors in the profession’s creation and knowledge base. The result from this synthesis is the acquisition of knowledge claims used to build the body of specialized knowledge asserted as the premise for social work’s academic, social, and contextual stance. Historical Ideologies of Social Work Founders – Three Women In the determination of social work knowledge, several paradigms help to guide the current and historical knowledge base. For instance, some scholars espouse it was a triad heritage resulting from the works of Jane Addams, Mary Richmond, and Edith Abbott which led to the rich history of social work education (Agnew, 2004; Brieland, 1990; Costin, 1983; Feldman & Kamerman, 2001; Franklin, 1986; Wisner, 1958). Historically Jane Addams has been known as the chief founder of the Hull House Settlement Movement. Her philosophy was to serve the poor and the needy within the community of Chicago. More specifically, Addams’ ideology was more of practical activism; she refused to use an impersonal approach with the people she served (Brieland, 1990). She instead surrounded herself with the people she served; she lived in the neighborhood. According to Franklin (1986), Addams did not refer to her neighbors as clients or cases. Consequently, Addams disregarded the younger social workers who served the needy with an eight-hour day in the community but resided in homes which were far from the slums and poor (Breiland, 1990). 9 Another key historical character was Mary Richmond. Richmond was a clerk who rose to the rank of General Secretary in the Charity Organization Society (COS) (Frankin, 1986). The COS approach for responding to the poor and needy was through “friendly visitors” versus Addams’ approach, which was much more personal. Richmond contended with Addams’ approach and the mission of the Hull Settlement House. She condemned their service as an old- fashioned mission which provided cheap charity. Brieland (1990) argued that Richmond approached her mission as a gatekeeper for the welfare system rather than truly caring for the needs of the poor and destitute. Richmond assessed who constituted the deserving poor by examining characteristics of those who were seeking help, which contrasted with Addams’ socialization as a means of helping. Despite Richmond’s approach leading to the case management of social work, she was later criticized for excluding some of the deserving poor (Brieland, 1990). Most studies on the progression of social work education have examined the dynamics between the aforementioned two women, Jane Addams and Mary Richmond. However, there is one other influential woman discussed intermittently in the body of literature, Edith Abbott. Abbott was interested in the academic program of social work and joined the faculty at the Chicago School of Civics and Philanthropy with the intent to incorporate social research into the curricula (Brieland, 1990). She seized the opportunity to observe the Hull Settlement House when she moved to Chicago and was instrumental in the formation and definition of social work education (Brieland, 1990; Costin, 1983). Abbott argued that social work education needed to embody several fields of study, and proposed social experimentation as integral to this body of knowledge (Wisner, 1960). However, the body of knowledge rested also on the influences of these historical women in social work. Influences of Addams’ peaceful intellectual activist approach, Richmond’s casework ideology and her involvement in COS, and Abbott’s influence in political science persisted in the shaping of the social work profession. Addams remained influential in the curriculum of social education but opted not to become a member of the faculty in the school of social work. Richmond argued that universities and colleges should not impede the practical training of social work over theory and academics (Agnew, 2004; Costin, 1983). Abbott’s quest was to integrate a research emphasis in social work education and to make the profession similar to other disciplines (Shoemaker, 1998). Although the opposing paradigms existed between Richmond and Abbott, the challenge for the social work profession was finding a place in academia -- an arena dominated primarily by males (Costin, 1983). Abbott’s intellectual stance allowed her the confidence to insist that social work be considered a social science. All three women came from distinctly different academic and social backgrounds. Addams was a first- generation college woman and came from a wealthy family. Richmond was a high school graduate and an orphan who was raised in poverty by her grandmother. Edith Abbott, having been educated in England, went on to receive a doctorate in political economy. She was considered to be highly intelligent and an elitist (Brieland, 1990; Costin, 1983; Shoemaker, 1998). In addition to the significance and influences on social work education by the key actors, it is imperative that a social context be set to ground their ideologies. Specifically, during the time of Jane Addams (1860-1935) there were numerous political and social activism such as a call for human right issues, female suffrage, civil liberties, social and economic justice (Reichert, 2011; Steen, 2006; Zinn, 2003). More specifically, Steen (2006) writes that Addams’ influence on the social context of her time led to human rights as an all-encompassing social work curriculum, and its core values such as dignity or human worth and social justice were 10