<p> Large-scale crises continue to surprise, overwhelm, and shatter college and university campuses. While the devastation to physical plants and persons is often evident and is addressed with crisis management plans, the number of emotional casualties left in the wake of these large-scale crises may not be apparent and are often not addressed with mental health preparedness plans. As a result, there is a growing sentiment that campuses should investigate and document detailed mental health preparedness plans that would address the readiness of their institutions to meet the mental health needs of their faculty, students, and staff should a large-scale crisis impact their campus. In addition, it has been recognized that an instrument is needed to help colleges and universities assess the mental health preparedness of their campuses. Utilizing a Delphi methodology, this four round Delphi study (with 34 experts from 17 states with combined expertise in mental health and higher education) adapted the <i>Mental Health All-Hazards Disaster Planning Guidance</i> (2003), written for state and local mental health agencies, to create a mental health preparedness plan for college and university campuses should a large-scale crisis occur. Utilizing the aforementioned mental health preparedness plan, this study also created an instrument, identified as a numeric scorecard, to help colleges and universities assess the mental health preparedness of their campuses should a large-scale crisis occur on their campus.</p>

<p> Nestled into an isolated, rural community along the Pacific Northwest Oregon coastline, the first Victory Over Child Abuse (VOCA) Camp for girls was held in 1988. Four years later, VOCA Camp for boys was initiated. The two separate camps provide intentionally safe camp environments for child survivors of sexual abuse. The VOCA Camp program continues annually. </p><p> The VOCA Camp story disrupts the belief that humans are innately violent and presents the camp program as a working model of partnership, directly linked to Riane Eisler's Cultural Transformation Theory. </p><p> This dissertation weaves feminist ethnographical analysis with Eisler's description of four cornerstones necessary for cultural transformation to occur. Public and archival documentation, personal reflections, past participant statements, camp stories are used to illustrate the camp's culture and to tell the unique story of the camp program as a working model of partnership. As such, this dissertation portrays the VOCA Camp story as a step toward the elimination of child sexual abuse. </p><p> This research is significant because it acknowledges that cultures, organizations, and families that orient toward systems of partnership are more apt to manifest environments where the abuse of children is reduced and potentially eliminated. </p>

<p> People who commit suicide are often more likely to be suffering from depression and feelings of worthlessness. Different ethnicities have different rates of suicide. There are various reasons for this, including family support or lack thereof, individualistic versus collectivist cultural norms, and stress. This study looks at the relationship between feelings of depression among various ethnic groups, and whether one ethnic group has a higher prevalence of depression and feelings of worthlessness than the others. Results of this study can be used to help determine the populations that are in need of suicide prevention programs the most, and ways to customize the programs for those high-risk ethnicities.</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> The purpose of this study was to explore how caregivers of patients with dementia are physically and mentally affected by their increase in responsibilities. The purpose of this project was to locate a potential funding source and write a grant to obtain funding for a caregiver support group for the Calabasas, CA community and its surrounding areas.</p><p> Caregiver intervention programs have been identified as a critical area of research by the Alzheimer's Association. Silverado Senior Living is a national organization that serves patients with dementia. The program consists of two support groups offering structure and flexibility through cognitive behavioral practices and a continuous feedback.</p><p> If funded and implemented, this program would add value to the body of research that exists for caregivers and drive awareness and change to current policy. In addition, Silverado would better serve its community and act as a model program for other Silverado locations.</p><p> The actual submission and/or funding of this grant was not a requirement for the successful completion of the project.</p>

<p> The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences and perceptions of individuals who self-identified as trans gender or gender variant on gender identity and mental health care. The study sought to uncover the effectiveness and preparedness of mental health professionals in addressing issues of gender identity, through participants' experiences.</p><p> Fifteen individuals who identified variously on the transgender spectrum participated in the study. Results suggest that mental health professionals are generally unprepared and inexperienced in addressing transgender issues. Participants pointed to trans gender support groups and LGBT organizations as the most helpful services. Implications show the need for mental health professionals to seek out education on the trans gender community, and to assist clients in exploring alternative identities that transcend the gender binary. Additional research that focuses on mental health disparities among the trans gender population is also an implication emerging from this study. </p>

<p> The purpose of this project was to design a career development program for individuals with serious mental illness to explore career interests and further develop their vocational identities. This program will act as an enhancement to MHA's The Village Integrated Services' existing supported employment program. MHA's The Village Integrated Services, the hosting agency of this project, is located in Los Angeles County, California.</p><p> After conducting a review of the literature, the grant writer designed a focused career development service enhancement, the Career Development Project. After researching funding sources, the Weingart Foundation was determined to be the most applicable match for the funding of the project based upon an alignment of the goals of the funder with the purpose of the project and the mission of The Village Integrated Services.</p><p> Actual submission and funding of the grant were not required for the successful completion of this project.</p>

<p> The purpose of this thesis was to present a policy analysis of the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA) of2008. Particular emphasis was placed on the legislation's protections for people with mental illness. Specifically, this project used David Gil's analytic framework to assess the strengths and limitations of the policy and its impact on social work clients and society as a whole The analysis demonstrates that there have been many positive changes since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and more are expected under the ADAAA. However, the analysis also suggests that there remain many issues and unintended consequences concerning people with mental disability, including access problems for minorities. By revealing these issues that must be dealt with, this analysis clearly indicates the importance of commitment to social justice and cultural competence in social work practice. The recommendations for future research are discussed.</p>

<p> The purpose of this grant project is to educate and train leaders within the Orthodox Jewish community to act as culturally sensitive first responders to mental health crises within the Orthodox Jewish community. Mental illness is highly stigmatized among this population. Having trained, trusted, and culturally sensitive community leaders capable of identifying individuals and families in need of mental health services increases the chances that they may use these supports. The proposed leadership training program consists of a series of psycho-educational training groups. The educational emphasis will be on understanding and identifying mental illness, educating leaders about stigma, and approaching community members in need of referrals. The Walter and Elise Hass Foundation is the identified potential funding source. A line-item budget and an evaluation tool are included in the proposed program. The actual submission or funding of this grant was not a requirement for the successful completion of the project.</p>

<p> Stigma toward adults with serious mental illness involves labeling, stereotyping, separation, status loss and discrimination. Stigma has been linked to lowered self-esteem, social isolation and withdrawal, and lowered quality of life. As providers of treatment and services, it is fundamental that social work professionals have knowledge regarding serious mental illness and stigma. This quantitative study evaluated the attitudes of 87 Master of Social Work students attending California State University, Long Beach. Respondents completed the Attribution Questionnaire (AQ-27) which evaluated attitudes toward a schizophrenic man presented in a case vignette. Measurements of the nine subscales measuring stigma had a total possible range of 3-27. Results showed correlation between age and pity, differences between ethnicity and stigma subscales, and between stigma subscales and gender. This study contributes to the understanding of stigma toward adults with serious mental illness and shows the need for curriculum that addresses mental health, cultural diversity, and stigma.</p>