The psychiatric diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) leads to service users experiencing stigmatising and disempowering attitudes from professional mental health staff. To date, a nursing theory has not been developed to understand mental health nurses’ personal and professional constructions towards service users with this diagnosis. The development of such theory may enable improved service user engagement, collaboration and recovery for this group of individuals. This study answered the questions of determining the nature of mental health nurses’ beliefs towards service users with a diagnosis of BPD and how these beliefs affect their therapeutic relationships with this service user group. An ethnographic approach was used in this study. Data was collected using a combination of observation of the patient assessment and allocation meeting within a community mental health team; and ethnographic interviews with named nurses for service users with a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder. A reflective journal was also kept by the lead researcher. N-Vivo Version 7 was used to aid data analysis and this involved examining the scripts for repetitive patterns or sequences including descriptions, figures of speech, metaphors etc. in order to illuminate differences between different practices and contexts. Findings from the study elicited a model of how CPNs construct BPD categorisations and a potential pathway to alienation is described together with recommendations for the development of CMHTs and CPNs when working with BPD. Development of reflexive practice can be a vehicle for developing alternative constructions of BPD and recovery informed practice can reduce stigmatising practices experienced by service users with BPD.

Thesis (M.S.W.)--University of Hong Kong, 1983.

<p> This study utilizes Allan Guggenbuhl's seven-step Mythodrama method of resolving conflict and bullying in a school setting which has proven successful in Europe, applies this to a school setting in the United States, and measure that application to see if this intervention for addressing conflict and bullying is successful in a setting in the United States. Pre- and post-testing was conducted and some statistically significant improvement post-intervention was found. Study results suggest this methodology would have efficacy when applied broadly in US schools.</p>

<p> The purpose of this project was to locate a potential funding source and write a grant that will provide peer led education to immigrant Latino families regarding mental health services. This project goal is to increase the utilization of services within their community. A search was conducted to locate an appropriate funder for the proposed program. Various areas needed to be addressed to identify an appropriate funder which included correlation of goals and visions between the purposed program and the funding source. In funding this program, The California Endowment was chosen as the outcomes align with the goals of the program which include but are not limited to "health-home," decreasing youth violence and improving youth development. The goals for this program are to provide education to immigrant Latino families about mental health in an environment that is comfortable and non-threatening. This program will also provide various resources that will facilitate the services that are needed within this population.</p>

<p> It is estimated that by the year 2050 more than 100,000 professional social workers will be needed to meet the demands of the aging population. This qualitative study explored Master of Social Work (MSW) students' perceptions of stress and coping in family caregiving and their preparedness to meet the needs of family caregivers at home as well as in their future roles as social workers. The researcher met individually with 22 MSW students to conduct a structured interview to help identify trends and themes related to these issues. Findings were consistent with literature in identifying stress in anticipation of family caregiving. The results of the study suggest that although most participants are prepared for their roles as future social workers, many are not prepared for the role of a family caregiver. With regard to coping and their preparedness, many anticipate using family resources and building on skills learned throughout their MSW program. Social work implications for education and practice are discussed as are directions for future research. </p>

<p> The purpose of this project is to develop a school curriculum prevention program for elementary school students. The identifying school for implementation will be Garfield Elementary School. This prevention program aims to work with elementary school students by providing psycho-education on healthy behaviors and unhealthy behaviors. This project will consist of providing a social support group for students to feel safe when talking about any type of violence from home, school, and the community. The class will consist of providing different activities in order to provide the information to the students. Students will also be giving a pre-test and a post-test in order to evaluate their knowledge before and after treatment. The purpose of this prevention program is to decrease bullying, teen-dating violence, and school violence. As part of the goals and objectives to decrease maladaptive behaviors this program will focus teaching and increasing the level of healthy behaviors, which includes, asking for help, walking away, speaking up, and conflict resolution among others.</p>

<p> The purpose of this project was to write a grant to fund the Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Empowerment Program, through Olive Crest, a mental health agency in Santa Ana, California. This program seeks to support adolescents with ADHD and their caregivers by educating them about this mental health disorder. The ADHD psycho-education support groups, offered in English and Spanish, will educate families on ADHD causes, symptoms, treatments, and behavioral interventions. Actual submission of this grant was not a requirement of this project.</p>

<p> This thesis investigated the relationship between social support and current life satisfaction in combat theatre veterans aged 50 and older. This study addressed a lack of research-based literature on this topic. The participants of this study (<i>n</i>=31) served in active duty in a theatre of war. Social support was measured using a researcher constructed questionnaire, The Veterans Perceived Social Support Questionnaire. Life Satisfaction was measured using Diener's (1985) Satisfaction with Life Scale. No significant relationship was found between social support and life satisfaction for this group. However, veterans who engaged in social activities a few times per month or more frequently reported higher current life satisfaction, than those who endorsed very minimal social activity.</p><p> Gerontologists can use this information to educate facilitators of veterans' groups about how to increase the frequency of social activities, which could lead to an increase in life satisfaction.</p>

Thesis (M.S.W.)--University of Hong Kong, 1992.

Thesis (M.S.W.)--University of Hong Kong, 1991.