<p> The positive psychotherapy focused on for this study is Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT). Insoo Kim Berg and Yvonne Dolan (2001) once described the essence of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) as the &ldquo;pragmatics of hope and respect&rdquo; (p. 1) and despite Berg and Dolan&rsquo;s declaration of hope&rsquo;s importance in SFBT, little process research has been published looking at the &ldquo;pragmatics&rdquo; of hope in SFBT practice. Hope is seen as a common factor in psychotherapy since the human relationship, also known as the therapeutic alliance, is a foundation of psychotherapy. Hope plays a significant role in every human interaction and it is seen as a common factor in human relationships. </p><p> To begin to address this gap, a pilot study was conducted of an Insoo Kim Berg training recording, <i>Irreconcilable Differences,</i> in order to explore how she listened, selected and built hope in her work. Based on a SFBT technique focus, the preliminary results suggested Insoo Kim Berg builds hope relationally through the solution-building by working within the clients&rsquo; focus and their presenting problem. Four different yet interrelated hope phases in the SFBT solution building process were identified. To address this gap further, based on a SFBT stage focus, three cases by Insoo Kim Berg were analyzed in this study, <i>Irreconcilable Differences, Over the Hump,</i> and <i>I&rsquo;d Hear Laughter.</i> The goal of this research was to demonstrate the how Berg listened, selected, and built hope with clients to validate her progression within and across the five SFBT solution-building stages, in all three cases through constant comparison, and to show how these findings are congruent with SFBT hopeful tenets. All with the intention of allowing the pragmatics of hope and respect to become more transparent for future SFBT practitioners. </p><p> Findings suggested building hope appears to be a relational process to building solutions and is co-constructed. Berg demonstrates how she embodies a hopeful stance throughout the duration of therapy. Results show how Berg builds hope within and across her progression of the solution-focused brief therapy solution-building stages, utilizing SFBT techniques and processes, which all align with the foundational SFBT tenets.</p>

<p> The purpose of this project was to write a grant proposal to identify resource materials that can be used in whole or adapted for a series of workshops for K&ndash;6 school social workers and their colleagues (teachers, counselors, and support staff) aimed at enhancing their knowledge and skills in child abuse and trauma prevention and intervention. The potential host agency will be Dr. Albert Schweitzer Elementary, a school in Anaheim, California. The grant writer developed the project after an extensive review of the literature available on child abuse and trauma. The project seeks to provide social workers and their colleagues with the skills and knowledge needed to aid in the prevention and treatment of child abuse and trauma. The Weingart Foundation was chosen as the potential funding source for this project. The actual funding and submission of this grant proposal was not a requirement for successful completion of this project.</p>

<p>The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the supervisory alliance and countertransference disclosure of social work trainees in direct practice. Eighty-six social work trainees in direct practice, receiving supervision in field placement, (<i>N</i> = 86; 89.5% female, 8.1% male; 73.3% White, 11.6% Hispanic\Latino; 5.8% Asian/Pacific Islander, 4.7% bi-racial; 3.5% African American/Black) completed Internet-administered self-report questionnaires assessing comfort with and likelihood of countertransference disclosure in supervision, supervisory alliance bond, and demographic items. Analyses revealed statistically significant positive correlations between the supervisory alliance and comfort with and likelihood of countertransference disclosure among trainees. These results build on past findings regarding the importance of the supervisory alliance in relation to trainee disclosure among various mental health practitioners. The results of this study have significance for clinical supervision practices in developing supervisee competencies and promoting client welfare. </p><p> <i>Keywords</i>: Supervisory Alliance, Countertransference Disclosure, Social Work, Use of Self </p>

<p> The purpose of this project was to write a grant proposal to develop a mental health program for foreign born Latinos with depression. The goal of this project is to provide mental health services consisting of individual and group therapy to this at risk group in Service Provider Area 6 (SPA 6).</p><p> Research shows that SPA 6 in Los Angeles County is an area lacking adequate mental health services for foreign born Latinos. SHIELDS for Families, Inc. is the target agency chosen to provide services with staff co-located at St. Francis Medical Center in the city of Lynwood. The California Wellness Foundation was chosen as the funding source.</p><p> If funded, the project would provide culturally modified treatment in depression at no cost to adult Latino immigrants, a high risk group, in SPA 6. Actual submission of this grant was not a requirement for this project. </p>

Many adults in the United States experience posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) within their lifetimes. Researchers have identified compassion fatigue (CF), which debilitates mental health providers as a result of being exposed to their clients' traumatic experiences, as an occupational hazard. The purpose of this study was to examine whether a correlation exists between the presence of CF and the level of resilience. A confidential survey using the Connors-Davidson Resilience Scale, the Professional Quality of Life Scale Version 5, and a demographic questionnaire were given to graduate-level mental health clinicians who self-identified as routinely working with and/or treating trauma victims in the past 6 months. Participants were recruited from the New England Society for the Treatment of Trauma and Dissociation, the Metropolitan Atlanta Therapists Network, Dallas Chapter NASW listserv, and the Georgia Therapist Network. A multivariate analysis on the collected data was conducted to determine whether a relationship exists between the resilience scale and the subscales of CF within these population samples. According to study findings, there is a correlation between resilience and the 3 compassion fatigue subscales---CF, burnout, and compassion satisfaction. This study may lead to positive social change by helping guide clinicians to find ways to enhance resilience, and therefore, decrease risks of CF.