Dissertation (Ph.D.)--The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2009. / Directed by Jewell Cooper; submitted to the Dept. of Curriculum and Instruction. Title from PDF t.p. (viewed May 3, 2010). Includes bibliographical references (p. 97-106).

Thesis (doctoral)--Göteborgs universitet, 1990. / Extra t.p. with thesis statement inserted. Summary in English. Includes bibliographical references (p. 235-240).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2007. / Full text release at OhioLINK's ETD Center delayed at author's request

M.A. / It is widely known that countertransference that is not understood or managed can result in ineffective treatment, inaccurate diagnosis and premature termination of counselling by the client or student social worker. This dissertation seeks to answer the question: “How do social work students experience and manage countertransference with their clients in their counselling process in the absence of former knowledge of this phenomenon?” A qualitative, phenomenological research design was used. There were five participants in the study, all of whom were third year social work students at the University of Johannesburg. This study was exploratory in nature and used semi-structured interviews to expose the students‟ personal countertransference experiences with as much richness and depth as possible. The history of countertransference is outlined, followed by a review of how to understand and use this construct. The participating students‟ experience of unrecognised countertransference forms the data, from which a better understanding of this phenomenon is gained. It is observed throughout this study that the students were distressed by their countertransferential experience, which left them feeling overwhelmed and confused. Such a response is understandable, given that the students had inadequate knowledge of countertransference and therefore could not understand the dynamics of countertransference or effectively manage and utilise countertransference in counselling. Five themes emerge that are consistent with the prior literature on countertransference in the therapeutic milieu. Findings from this study may broaden insight on the various ways in which the lack of training and knowledge of managing countertransference affect the social work student-client dynamic. The study concludes that (1) countertransference clearly affects the counselling process, and when students have little former knowledge or understanding of countertransference, they often feel overwhelmed. (2) Students do struggle with their unmanaged countertransference, which produces feelings of incompetence and ineffectiveness. (3) The students showed ability and interest in understanding how their countertransference impacted on themselves and the counselling process. Supervision can be a helpful tool to foster openness and understanding, so that students can explore their countertransferential experience. (4) The need for education and training in management of countertransference in students‟ internship programme is critical. While more research is indicated, the results of this study provide a deeper understanding of countertransference, and the importance of teaching this phenomenon as part of undergraduate students‟ learning process.

The purpose of this project was to evaluate from the student point of view the feasibility and desirability of self-awareness testing for first year School of Social Work students. Originally, the authors had hoped to arrange and evaluate mental well-being interviews for a significant sampling of students, using as a model the voluntary, private, completely confidential interviews that were conducted at McGill University's School of Social Work during 1961-1963. However, the task of funding offcampus professional interviews proved insurmountable. Therefore, the authors turned to objective personality testing with individual interpretive interviews conducted by counselors at Portland State University's Counseling Center.

In a diverse society, social work practitioners must be able to work with and respect people from a wide variety of cultures and ethnicities and with different value systems and ideological perspectives, including spiritual or religious beliefs. Accordingly, social work education has begun to incorporate the topic of spirituality. This study builds upon previous studies by Dudley and Helfgott (1990) and Sheridan et al. (1994) which focused on views of faculty members regarding spirituality in social work education and support for a course on spirituality in the social work curriculum. This study goes on to examine inclusion of spirituality in general social work courses. The study involved a survey of social work faculty members who teach courses in direct practice, human development, and diversity, with a response rate of 52% (N = 222). The 40-item web survey replicated items regarding faculty views about spirituality and social work, and measures of personal experience with spirituality from Sheridan's (1994) survey. Items regarding faculty and student inclusion of spirituality, classroom management strategies, and discussion outcomes were original to this study.Results showed that in addition to 9 faculty who teach courses in spirituality, 75.1% of faculty members surveyed report a moderate or substantial discussion of spirituality in half of the courses they teach. Multiple regression analyses showed an association of faculty inclusion of spirituality to student inclusion and constructive discussions of spirituality, the school offering a separate course on spirituality, female gender, and full time status (p < .001). Faculty-reported student inclusion of spirituality was associated with faculty inclusion, conflictual discussions, constructive discussions, and use of classroom rules (p < .001). Constructive discussions of spirituality were associated with use of modeling and facilitation, faculty inclusion, and student inclusion of spirituality (p < .001). Several path models were compared using AMOS software. Results suggest that when faculty members include spirituality, students are more likely to discuss the topic. Faculty members report frequently including the topic of spirituality in the content of general social work courses. Classroom rules are related to increased student participation, and modeling and facilitation promote constructive discussion of spirituality.

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Research suggests that social work students' attitudes towards the LGBTQ populations fail to mirror the expectations of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), and its code of ethics. In this cross-sectional research study, a survey distributed to undergraduate and post-graduate part-time and full-time social work students conducted by two students of a post-graduate social work program, is an assessment of social work students' attitudes and knowledge of competent practice with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning clients. This researcher used the findings of the study used to analyze: the relationship between social work students' age and knowledge of competent practice with LGBTQ clients, the relationship between social work students' gender and attitudes toward practice with LGBTQ clients, the relationship between social work students' race and attitudes toward practice with LGBTQ clients, the relationship between social work students' campus region and attitude and knowledge of competent practice with LGBTQ clients, the relationship between social work students' degree program/level and knowledge of competent practice with LGBTQ clients, and students' knowledge of effective responses to ethical dilemmas involving LGBTQ clients. The goal of this researcher is to use the study's findings to contribute to the literature on this topic and to influence changes in social work schools' methods of preparing students for practice with this population.

Critical literature on social work ethics and practice in the current neoliberal context identifies the complex tensions generated for practitioners by the restructuring of increasingly residual public programs and by the market-modelled organizations in which they work. Pressed by employing organizations’ expectations to narrow and standardize their practice, social workers face collisions between their own values and the managerial and budget-driven requirements that dominate their organizational worlds. Building on the growing body of literature in this area, the research reported here examined how social workers articulate their own values and ethical commitments, understand the value collisions they experience, and work to navigate them in the interest of those they seek to serve. A small qualitative study was conducted to explore these questions. In semi-structured interviews, five social workers were invited to share their experiences of ethical tensions generated in their organizational settings. The members of the sample all held social work degrees; their ages and length of practice experience ranged considerably and they spoke from experiences in a wide array of service sectors and settings. Analysis of participants’ experiences illuminated the texture of their struggles and their efforts to covertly and overtly challenge or evade organizational requirements that were at odds with their values and their conceptualizations of good practice. Their accounts point to the importance of politicized understandings of social work ethics. They also suggest the importance for social work education and professional development programs to foster dialogue on the complexities of ethical action and support the development of the analytical and practical skills that enable practitioners to find the ‘cracks’ in dominant neoliberal structures and create spaces for change. / Thesis / Master of Social Work (MSW)

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