It is generally accepted that spirituality can play an important role in the end stage of the life of a person. Spirituality can provide a source of comfort and guidance and in so doing be a coping strategy. Social workers should take into account this spiritual component of their work particularly with clients who use spirituality as a form of social support. This thesis provides a theoretical understanding of spiritual based practice. It identifies the principles and competencies central to this practice, including the need for worker self awareness. It then illustrates how certain social work students have applied these principles in their practice with dying clients. / The author's own identification as an individual from a religiously oriented Muslim country is used to illustrate the importance of understanding and working from the world view of clients. The author concludes that spirituality should not be ignored by social workers in their practice.

Thesis (M. Soc. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1992.

Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1992. / Also available in print.

Social work is one of the core mental health professions. With a dominance of a biological model in psychiatry, the scope of social factors has been relatively marginal. Social factors have been argued to be social work ́s area of expertise. Psychiatric social work is challenged to articulate its unique knowledge and valuable contribution to the field of mental health care since they are coexisting with other more well-established professions. This qualitative study explores how psychiatric social workers and psychiatrists in Goa, India, perceive social work's unique knowledge and its contribution to the field of mental health care. It further explores psychiatric social workers understanding of social factors in relation to mental illness. The empirical material was collected through twelve semi-structured interviews with ten psychiatric social workers and two psychiatrists working in different mental health care settings in Goa. The results show that the main psychiatric social work contributions were described as raising awareness about mental illness and their functioning as a bridge between units. The result further shows a difficulty (among psychiatric social workers) to articulate psychiatric social work's unique knowledge, but during the interviews a specific in-depth knowledge emerged as well as a focus on psychiatric knowledge. Our findings showed that psychiatric social workers understood social factors in terms of social relations. The results are analyzed with Foucault's theory of discourse, Polanyi's theory of tacit knowledge and Ingleheart’s modernization theory.

Research has been done on the influence of gestalt play therapy on adolescents in divorce situations. The purpose of the study was the use of gestalt play therapy with adolescents in divorce situations, in order to determine its effect on the period of mourning. Four adolescents in divorce situations were selected by means of purposeful test sampling in the Magisterial District of Bloemfontein. Each adolescent was assisted by means of eight gestalt play therapy sessions to accept the divorce of his parents. By using various forms of play in the therapy sessions, each adolescent’s period of mourning could be addressed. The exploratory research model has been used which does not require the formulation of a hypothesis. The researcher however recommended that the following hypothesis be tested for future study: “If the adolescent in a divorce situation is subjected to gestalt play therapy his acceptance of the divorce of his parents and the period of mourning could be shortened”. / Dissertation (MA (Social Work))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Social Work / unrestricted

Adolescents who were admitted to the Adolescent Psychiatric Unit at Vancouver General Hospital for assessment between 1981 and 1983 who were queried to be in the process of developing a long term psychotic illness were followed retrospectively after five to seven years. At the time of assessment the subjects were between 13 and 16 years of age. The study was intended to act as a pilot project for a larger study. In tune with a biopsychosocial emphasis, outcome was defined as a multi-directional and multi-dimensional concept, involving both positive and negative outcomes in a variety of dimensions. Independent variables were drawn from a structured interview which pertained to the subjects' experience with family relationships, peer relationships, use of treatment resources, educational and employment achievement, drug and alcohol usage, legal difficulties, and quality of life issues since their hospitalization. Three structured outcome measures were used as dependent variables. These included scales which assessed current levels of family functioning, satisfaction and happiness, and community adjustment. Bivariate analysis was conducted using SPSSX:3. The resulting description of the population indicated a heterogeneous group with a variety of outcomes. Although some of the subjects fit the profile for chronic mental illness, diagnosis did not predict outcome. Positive outcome appeared to be associated with stability in overall family functioning, and in particular with the subjects' reports of a positive relationship with their fathers; with the ongoing use of treatment resources; with ease in establishing peer relationships; with self-motivatioin in the area of employment; and with the ability of subjects to move from alternate school settings back into the regular system. Subjects who described their families as having problems with control issues and with task accomplishment appeared to have had trouble in a number of areas during the intervening couse. Acceptance of the need for ongoing treatment was associated with the subjects' characterization of their families as being within norms for social values and norms at the time of outcome, suggesting the tendency of families and treatment personnel who have similar values to ally. Subjects who had had minimal or sporadic contact with treatment resources described their families as being weak in most areas of functioning, and in particular in the area of values and norms. The findings suggest several avenues for further exploration in a larger study. They also support a consideration by treatment resource personnel of the need to involve families as resources in the treatment process, and point to areas in which treatment interventions can be made. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

This study is exploratory in nature. The material was highly individualistic and subjective, so I have deviated from the traditional empirical research approach. My purpose is to grasp what kind of person was attracted to attending a dance workshop. How does Halprin’s use of dance assist people in learning about themselves? What kinds of information do people learn about themselves through her dance process? What techniques does Halprin combine with the medium of dance to get results? Are people enhanced, or better integrated by the Halprin process? Finally, my intention was to be stimulated by the Halprin process to explore possible uses of dance in combination with my traditional psychodynamic, verbal approach to social casework.

No description available.

No description available.

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work