<p> This study analyzes the narratives of 38 married, heterosexual, infertile adoptive parents. It asks how parents use narrative to reconcile a presumed reluctance to adopt with presumed satisfaction with adoption, and if there are differences in the narratives of men and women. </p><p> Qualitative analysis reveals that participants place recollections of suffering within redemptive sequences, reinterpreting difficult experiences as leading to personal growth and transformation, which in turn leads to greater connection with others. A majority of participants find profound retrospective meaning in a belief in fate and describe a greater appreciation for their children and for life itself as a result of their experiences. </p><p> Women were identified as the protagonists of the stories in the majority of cases by both husband and wife. When women were the protagonists men tended to worry about their wives, view her suffering and her path to motherhood as central to the story, and to easily give up control of the adoption process. When men were the protagonist or couples viewed themselves as equal protagonists, the process involved both partners. </p><p> The only theme that participants had a difficult time interpreting was that of race. Pals' (2006) transformational processing model was adapted to rate participants' sense of resolution regarding race. For same-race adopters resolution was associated with placing desire for a same-race child in a broader belief system, while for transracial adopters it was associated with comfort with the community of the child's birth, a belief that one could grow into dealing with race, and a belief in fate. Unresolved same-race adopters felt judged, experienced identity threat, and were inarticulate about race. One group of unresolved transracial adopters paid little attention to race at the time of adoption and later struggled with it, while another group had difficulty discussing race at all, minimized its importance, and often contradicted themselves. </p><p> The narratives are analyzed in the context of white racial experience in the United States and to discover the personal, cultural and ecological factors that contribute to a person's ability to engage in autobiographical reasoning (Habermas &amp; Bluck, 2000) and tell a "good story" (McAdams, 2008). </p>

<p> This 3-month intensive single case study of Rey (pseudonym), a 16-year-old male client and his family highlights the impact of the local wraparound program in Santa Cruz County (WRAP) on a participating probation youth of immigrant background. A holistic lens helped understand the interactive spheres that made up Rey's world. The theoretical considerations reviewed&mdash;both individual and systems orientations&mdash;suggested a more complete view of the complex interrelated factors that made up the participant's reality. The literature review covered social ecology; community psychology; wraparound; the local cultural, historical, and ethnographical background; attachment; complex trauma; emotion regulation; interconnectedness; family therapy; and coherence. There is a session-by-session synopsis of Rey's interactions with the program, followed by an analysis of the sessions as they related to his defense, receiving support, connectedness, participation, exploration, and emotion regulation. The holistic model offered detailed insight into Rey's experiences during his work with WRAP. Although the results are individualized, the focus on the single participant allowed for sensitization and increased awareness regarding WRAP's impact on Rey's world. The use of the holistic model and the themes that emerged should be examined in further research with different populations and diverse sociocultural surroundings.</p>

<p> Obesity has recently become a worldwide epidemic, with 75% of American adults overweight and 33% classified as obese (World Health Organization, 2005). The rise in obesity has brought a similarly marked focus on weight loss. While weight loss is often achievable, prior medical research has shown maintaining weight loss to be the largest hurdle, with roughly 95% of individuals regaining back the weight loss within a 5 year period (Berry &amp; Canetti, 2009). Despite this, relatively little research has been conducted investigating the psychological and relational characteristics of individuals that successfully maintain major weight loss, and the impact drastic weight loss has on relationships, family systems and romantic relationships. Consequently, systems therapists wishing to support an individual and their families throughout the weight loss process are left without empirical or theoretical guidance. The purpose of this study was to contribute to the development of a theory of drastic weight loss maintenance that explains identity and relationships changes that unfold before, during and after weight loss within successful weight loss maintainers. Unstructured, open-ended qualitative interviews were conducted with five former contestants of NBC's television program <i>The Biggest Loser.</i> Overall, weight loss experiences fell into two broad categories of personal narrative/identity and systemic/relationship themes. Narrative therapy's concept of personal narratives was used to classify narrative/identity themes as the dominant themes and beliefs within a personal narrative. Systemic/relationship themes included themes in intergenerational backgrounds, family systems and relationships. Themes amongst those participants who were successful at weight maintenance were also compared to participants who were struggling to maintain their weight loss results. A sequential model outlining how narrative/identity themes and systemic/relationship themes combine in order to create successful long-term weight maintenance after drastic weight loss is proposed. Clinical and research implications for couple, family and individual psychotherapy are also discussed.</p>

<p> The emotions of African-American mothers of sons are an understudied area in social work research. Given the disproportionate representation of Black male youth on social service caseloads, a more in-depth understanding of their mothers' experiences while raising them is very important. Using group storytelling formats, this qualitative study examines the emotional content of a small cohort of African-American mothers in New York City and Westchester County, New York, with sons ranging in age from infancy through 30. </p><p> Viewed through the theoretical frames of Africana womanism and nonfinite loss, the study finds that African-American mothers of sons are emotionally fatigued. They fear for their sons' safety in the presence of police. They worry about a variety of factors that affect their sons' well-being. The mothers feel guilty about choices they have made in life, particularly regarding husbands. They often feel abandoned, and long for stronger connections with other African-American mothers of sons. Throughout everything, they love their sons and are very proud of them. </p><p> Practice implications include reframing challenging emotional expressions and behaviors as indicators of emotional fatigue; forming alliances with African-American mothers of sons to address oppressive practices in law enforcement and schools; and co-creating culturally grounded support groups with African-American mothers of sons.</p>

<p> This qualitative study examined the interaction of families and school in a local community. Data were gathered through document analysis; semi-structured interviews with family members, community members, and school professionals; group interviews; street interviews; and observer field notes. A conceptual framework consisting of postcolonial theory, critical social theory, and thirdspace theory guided data analysis. This study documented the deep and pervasive nature of school's institutional power, and severely limited opportunities available to family members to shift the power balance in their favor. The relations of power were evident in the enactment of parent involvement policy and practices that constrained family members' school involvement, the contradiction between school's purpose as stated and enacted, families' restricted access to school information and space, and the construction of family member roles through encounters with school. This study also revealed the potential of organizing to shift the balance of power in favor of families and the local community.</p>

<p>Cette &eacute;tude &agrave; pour objectif l'&eacute;valuation des rapports entre les attributs de la personnalit&eacute; et le type d'interaction conjugale concernant la gestion des finances. La qualit&eacute; de l'attachement au conjoint, &agrave; titre de r&eacute;flexion du niveau de d&eacute;veloppement de la personnalit&eacute;, est cens&eacute; &ecirc;tre le principal d&eacute;terminant de mutualit&eacute; en ce qui concerne la gestion des finances. La nature de cet attachement a &eacute;t&eacute; &eacute;valu&eacute;e &agrave; l'aide du Test d'apperception th&eacute;matique (TAT) ainsi que de l'Inventaire des sentiments familiaux (Inventory of Family Feelings, IFF). L'on s'attend &agrave; ce que les personnes qui manifestent une orientation plus marqui&eacute;e envers leur conjoint qu'envers leurs parents ou leurs pairs fasse preuve de mutualit&eacute; &agrave; l'&eacute;gard de la gestion de leurs finances. </p><p> L'auteur a interview&eacute; individuellement un &eacute;chantillon de trente couples mari&eacute;s. Elle leur a fait subir le TAT et le IFF en vue de d&eacute;terminer leur orientation vis-&agrave;-vis des personnes importantes autour d'eux et leur a pos&eacute; diverses questions concernant la mani&egrave;re dont ils organisent leurs finances ainsi que leur attitude et leurs sentiments &agrave; cet &eacute;gard. L'&eacute;chelle Dyadic d'adaptation a aussi &eacute;t&eacute; incluse afin d'evaluer leur adaptation mentale. </p><p> Les r&eacute;sultats indiquent que l'orientation vis-&agrave;-vis du conjoint &agrave; l'opposition des parents ou des pairs (&eacute;valuation effectu&eacute;e &agrave; l'aide du TAT) &eacute;tait en corr&eacute;lation &eacute;lev&eacute;e et exclusive avec les &eacute;chelles de comportement ainsi que les &eacute;chelles affectives de la gestion des finances. Des r&eacute;sultats similaires, mais moins exclusifs, ont &eacute;t&eacute; obtenus lors de la seconde &eacute;valuation de l'attachement relatif &agrave; autrui, l'inventaire des sentiments familiaux. Ces r&eacute;sultats se situent dans le cadre de la th&eacute;orie des rapports vis-&agrave;-vis d'autrui dans la pens&eacute;e psychanalytique. </p><p> La dominance de l'attachement au conjoint, plus marqu&eacute; que celui aux parents ou aux pairs, vu &agrave; titre de d&eacute;veloppement de la personnalit&eacute;, peut &ecirc;tre consid&eacute;r&eacute;e comme &eacute;tant une base pour la structure du pouvoir conjugal. L'hypoth&egrave;se, qui veut les mod&egrave;les d'interaction conjugale d&eacute;pendent fondamentalement de la personnalit&eacute; des conjoints, a &eacute;t&eacute; appuy&eacute;e dans le cadre des param&egrave;tres de cette &eacute;tude. L'&eacute;valuation de la mutualit&eacute; lors de l'interaction du couple peut &ecirc;tre consid&eacute;r&eacute;e comme &eacute;tant un concept plus &eacute;tendu que le pouvoir. </p><p> Les r&eacute;sultats post-hoc indiquent que l'adaptation maritale fait l'object d'une corr&eacute;lation consid&eacute;rable avec les deux &eacute;chelles de gestion mutuelle des finances. Des r&eacute;sultats semblables ont &eacute;t&eacute; obtenus par les chercheurs am&eacute;ricains, alors que les chercheurs non-am&eacute;ricains sont arriv&eacute;s &agrave; des r&eacute;sultats oppos&eacute;s. L'adaptation maritale fait &eacute;galement preuve d'une forte corr&eacute;lation avec la dominance de l'orientation vers le conjoint plut&ocirc;t que vers les pairs - &eacute;valu&eacute;e &agrave; l'aide du TAT et du IFF, ainsi que d'une forte corr&eacute;lation avec la dominance du conjoint plut&ocirc;t que celle des parents - &eacute;valu&eacute;e &agrave; l'aide du TAT et pour la direction hypoth&eacute;tique selon le IFF. Ces r&eacute;sultats concordent avec les r&eacute;sultats pr&eacute;alables obtenus &agrave; la suite d'&eacute;tudes sur les familles. </p>

<p> The purpose of this thesis was to write a grant to obtain funding for a comprehensive transitional patient care program and family caregiver support services. Through process analysis, the grant writer developed the Next Step Hospital to Home Caregiver Support Program (NSHCP). This program was developed to bridge the gap in the delivery of services of transitional patient care and family caregiver support services.</p><p> California Healthcare Foundation (CHCF) was identified as an appropriate funding agency. Their focus on ideas and innovations that improve quality medical care, increase efficiency, and lower the costs of medical care is compatible with the mission of the NSHCP. In collaboration with CHCF and Anaheim Regional Medical Center, the grant writer developed the NSFCP in an effort to provide quality transitional care and caregiver support services. The actual submission and/or funding of this grant was not a requirement for the successful completion of this project.</p>

<p> The purpose of this project was to develop a program to assist parents and caregivers of youth experiencing schizophrenia to address the needs and challenges of this population. The function of this grant proposal was to target a funding resource in order to implement a psychoeducational support group at The Guidance Center in Long Beach. The presence of schizophrenia symptoms in youth can create additional challenges to parenting and thus has a recognizable impact on families. The goal of this proposed program is to provide social support, education, coping skills, and decrease the stress of parents and caregivers of youth with schizophrenia to ultimately improve the lives of impacted youth and their families. The California Wellness Foundation was identified as a potential funder for this proposed program. The actual submission and/or funding of this grant proposal were not a requirement for the successful completion of this project.</p>

<p> Positive organizational outcomes are associated with fostering thriving well-being as new research shows thriving is tied to higher levels of engagement, innovation, reduced turnover and health care costs, higher affective commitment, productivity, and resiliency to change and burnout. A review of the relevant literature assesses connections in organizational climate, leadership, and individual factors related to resilience and thriving at work. This quantitative correlation study explores the relationship between these factors to assess which organizational, leadership, and individual factors correlate to employee engagement, commitment, resilience, and thriving at work. The findings contribute to understanding what influences human thriving and relatedly sustainability at the individual and organizational level and helps reduce the gap in the literature on ways organizational leaders can foster thriving at work.</p><p> A sample of 163 employees from 4 companies responded to a survey on organizational climate and leadership factors related to well-being and their relationship to levels of engagement, commitment, resilience, and thriving at work. In summary, fostering a sense of belonging-inclusion, meaning-purpose, growth-mastery, flexibility-autonomy, impact-engagement and commitment-enrichment at work all relate to well-being based on the literature and were found to positively correlate to thriving at work in this study. Further, individual factors that relate to thriving include intrinsic resilience factors self-efficacy and cognitive-affective mindfulness. Lastly, leaders creating an organizational climate of well-being that fosters a sense of belonging-inclusion, meaning-purpose, growth-mastery and flexibility-autonomy collectively relate to creating a sense of impact-engagement, commitment-enrichment and thriving at work.</p>

<p> The purpose of this project was to write a grant to support the Napa Valley DREAM Team (NVDT) in its efforts to increase the academic achievement and personal growth of undocumented children and young adults in the area. An extensive literature review; consultation with key informants; and personal communication with undocumented youth, their families, and allies were used to create a comprehensive needs assessment.</p><p> Every year, tens of thousands of undocumented students graduate from high school, despite the social, economic, and legal challenges of their immigration status, with limited opportunities to participate fully in society. If funded, this program will support undocumented students who have the skills and aspirations to pursue a college education and achieve a more meaningful life, thus contributing to the economic and social well-being of the nation. Actual submission and/or funding of this grant were not required for successful completion of this project.</p>