The purpose of this research is to determine whether or not meaningful differences exist along these dimensions in the manner in which social workers view their work role, and whether or not any such differences are related to the bureaucratic and professional nature of the agencies and their employees. The analysis will attempt to define the points at which the bureaucratic organization conflicts with professional patterns of organization and attempt to discover the mode of accommodation which results from these conflicts.

Although social work as an international profession has begun to take spirituality seriously as part of its professional discourse and commitment to best practice, in the UK there has been considerable reluctance to regard it positively. This thesis argues for a comprehensive understanding of spirituality that relates to deep, human themes including meaning and purpose, mystery and awe, concepts which are by no means limited to, or restricted by, religious perspectives. Spirituality, it is argued, is ‘what we do to give expression to our chosen world-view’, and as such is an all-encompassing concept that helps us understand and appreciate the positive and negative aspects of humanity. The author builds upon and develops existing theoretical perspectives to demonstrate the relevance of spirituality to the professional social work discourse. A ‘co-creative’ /action research methodology was adopted to enable key ‘players’ in social work education and practice (students, academics, practitioners, service users and carers) to ‘co-create’ and own a theoretical framework that would enable spirituality fulfil a key role in the social work curriculum. The author’s new strap-line for social work -celebrating diversity with social justice - argues for an understanding of spirituality that is all-encompassing in its scope, and recognises the ways in which spirituality can be both a positive and negative influence at a wider level in society. His discussion of the key concept of authentic and inauthentic spirituality demonstrates its relevance to the core social work values of anti-discriminatory and anti-oppressive practice. The discussion of workplace well-being in the thesis is a further distinctive development of the author’s understanding of spirituality and the contribution it can make to social work theory and practice.

As a Doctorate in Professional Practice, this thesis documents my personal, professional and academic development, within the field of social work education. I reflect on the current context of social work education; underpinning educational theory, research approaches and my educational practice, to find methods which are congruent with my social work values. My learning is informed by the research component of this thesis. This was conducted as a unitary appreciative inquiry which recognises “human wholeness and uniqueness” (Cowling 2004a, p202). The inquiry explores the impact of social work education on five people within the context of their lives. The findings, presented as a unitary appreciative profile (Cowling 2004b), highlight changes to the participants themselves, their relationships with others and the way they view the world. Participants talked of “seeing oppression everywhere”, experiencing changes to their value base, developing different or broader perspectives, being more knowledgeable and recognising the influence of their upbringing, background and culture on the views and beliefs they held. They reflected on learning from a wide range of experiences outside of the classroom and the influence of these on their social work practice and their personal and professional development. As a researcher and a social work educator, the findings opened my eyes to the extent to which qualifying social work education could be life changing. It led me to consider how this impact could be acknowledged more explicitly within social work education and utilised to enhance the experience for students as well as for the outcomes of the profession. This has led to an increased emphasis, in my own practice, on fostering criticality, reflexivity, curiosity and resilience, to enable learners to respond to the ever changing nature of social work practice. These are explored in the practice development component of this thesis and through the development of a new model of pract

Much has been written about drug-taking during the nineteenth century, particularly in relation to opium. However, the early twentieth century has received considerably less attention, despite being a crucial period in the history of drug-taking within Britain. During 1916, the Defence of the Realm Act Regulation 40b made it an offence to supply or to possess particular drugs without authorisation. This was a fundamental shift in government thinking that presaged the modern era in which the legal status of particular drugs continues to be an issue of public debate. Previous research focused on changes in the law and analysed the relationships between key individuals and influential groups with an interest in drug control. In part, this reflects the significance of the decision to alter the law but also the lack of available evidence concerning drug-takers of the era. This study seeks to address this gap in understanding and develops a new perspective on drug-taking, that of the participants. The study developed an innovative and, at times, speculative approach to tracing drug-takers of that era. This led to the use of articles from The Times identified from systematic searches of The Times Digital Archive. These articles by their nature were mediated accounts of drug-related activity but no other source could offer such a range of drug-takers over the selected time period (1900-1922). Furthermore, the large number of articles identified meant that it was easier to detect press influences and take these into account when analysing their content. The wealth of information that emerged from the articles was beyond initial expectations and led to an additional piece of analysis concerning the geographical spread of drug-taking activity within the period. Although the evidence did not allow the development of many in-depth accounts as had been the intention at the outset, it did provide insight to particular aspects of drug-taking activity. For example, the collated information regarding female participants suggested specific behavioural traits that possibly made female consumers harder to detect compared to their male counterparts. Drug-taking among military personnel and the operation of supply networks were other aspects illuminated by the articles. An association emerged between military conflicts and increased drug-taking by military personnel. It indicated, too, that periods of conflict could have implications for domestic prevalence from the cessation of hostilities. Geographical analysis illuminated the supply networks both in terms of drug procurement and relationships between drug-takers within their areas of settlement. Furthermore, some of the areas associated with drug-taking during the early twentieth century remain linked to drugs in the present day raising questions about how and why specific areas might become drug hot-spots. Further research arising from this thesis would involve the replication of the method during the later period, 1923 to 1950. This period would allow the female narrative of drug-related activity begun by this thesis to be developed further and to establish whether the First World War was a unique period for female participation or whether their participation evolved. Similarly, considering the articles from this later period could help illuminate further the subsequent spread and operation of supply networks. Replicating the method would also test whether it is transferable to other periods or whether changes to reporting style made the method era specific.

The purpose of this embodied phenomenological inquiry was to explore the impact of the so-called Capacitar Body-Mind-Spirit Practices Training for the transformation of individual and community trauma. A general philosophical framework of transpersonal psychology, particularly drawing on the concept of interrelatedness, has been implemented. This research took place in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands with 14 female co-researchers (Mexican, Mexican-American, Mayan, White American) who live in the twin cities of El Paso (Texas, U.S.) and Ciudad Juárez (Chihuahua, Mexico), who were thus exposed to the constant threat of lethal violence and so-called femicide, to discrimination and the socioeconomic problems that are peculiar to this region. The women’s embodied experiences of change as a result of the Capacitar Training were investigated with semi-structured multiple interviewing multilingually (English / Spanish / Mayan). Data analysis procedures combined imaginative variation and embodied interpretation that resulted in a general meaning structure with its variations. The contribution to knowledge made by the phenomenological results consists of the confirmation of past research on the impact of the Capacitar Training that showed the potential of the body-mind-spirit practices for transforming trauma with culturally and spiritually diverse individuals. The most significant research findings of the present study suggest that: (1) the majority of the co-researchers’ experiences of bodily change through body-mind-spirit practices initiated further integration of past negative (traumatic) and / or positive experiences in an embodied way, including interrelatedness to spirituality, culture and nature; (2) the initial bodily felt shift led to the co-researchers’ desire for more change; (3) the experiences of change were independent of the cultural or spiritual background of the co-researchers; (4) a desire to support others’ change emerged for the co-researchers based on their own experiences of improvement; and (5) ambiguity arose for a minority of co-researchers in the beginning of the training related to cultural and religious barriers, and self esteem issues; and at the end of the Capacitar Training linked with the question of commitment to time and to the engagement with the practices. To enhance an embodied understanding of the phenomenological results, biographical information from the co-researchers’ life experiences related to the borderlands had been compiled during the interviews, which mirrored the body of knowledge on issues in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands and has been presented as a cultural-spiritual narrative composite. Furthermore, evaluative information about the co-researchers’ experiences of the conveyance of the Capacitar Training has been synthesized, adding their critical reflections about the conduction and the further development of the Capacitar approach.

<p> The purpose of this project was to locate a potential funding source and write a grant to develop a fall prevention intervention that includes an evidence-based strategy, Tai Ji Quan: Moving for Better Balance (TJQMBB), in a low-income, senior independent living apartment building, Providence Gardens, with its non-profit partner, Las Palmas Housing Foundation. An extensive literature review determined that fall prevention can enhance quality of life and aging in place. The program will offer TJQMBB classes which increase strength and balance, as well as home safety evaluations, by a Tai Chi certified instructor and a Service Coordinator. The specific objectives include increased strength and balance and decreased fear of falling.</p><p> The Archstone Foundation was chosen as an appropriate funder due to its focus on supportive housing. The actual submission of the grant was not a requirement of the thesis project.</p>

"The purpose of this study was to evaluate the responses made by nine male alcoholic patients to a questionnaire comprising thirty items regarding the closed ward community. All nine patients were admitted to the closed ward of the Veterans Administration Hospital, Coral Gables, Florida. The data were analyzed and evaluated in order to delineate and clarify the patients' feelings toward the closed ward community"--Introduction. / Typescript. / "June, 1957." / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Social Work." / Advisor: Robert Lansdale, Professor Directing Study. / Includes bibliographical references.

A retention study in a therapeutic community (TC) was conducted to examine treatment as a factor in client drop out. A quasi-experimental, nonequivalent control group design involving 22 new admissions was used to evaluate the efficacy of a behaviorally based treatment approach designed to enhance retention for TC clients in their early phase of residential treatment. The Beck Depression Inventory and Problem-Solving Inventory were administered in pretest-post format, in addition to the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire-8 which was administered at posttreatment. Results revealed a retention rate of 100 percent for the treatment group compared to 27 percent for the untreated group. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 51-12, Section: B, page: 6131. / Major Professor: Dianne Montgomery. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1990.

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