Hepatitis C is a fast growing infectious disease in Australia and is often associated with related psycho-social and mental health problems. The conventional treatment process for hepatitis C is challenging due to a number of reasons. This study explored social workers’ perceptions of the contribution of their role in hepatitis C treatment centres in relation to the treatment experience of patients. The roles that social workers fulfill, their contribution to the multidisciplinary team and towards a culturally competent service, were explored. Furthermore the knowledge, skills and values required for providing a competent service in a hepatitis C treatment setting was explored. The broad theoretical frameworks that inform social work practice were considered, especially the biopsycho-social model, the strengths perspective, the critically reflexive approach and communications theory. This qualitative study used a semi-structured interview method for data collection. Ten social workers in hepatitis C treatment clinics participated in the study. The findings highlight the needs of patients and how social worker participants described helping to address and meet these needs by employing their knowledge, skills and values through their social work roles and interventions in a team context in a multicultural and multi-faceted work environment. A major challenge that social workers described was to keep patients on treatment despite debilitating side effects that diminish patients' motivation to complete treatment. A shortcoming in the service was described to be the limited psychiatric support available at many treatment centres. The findings lead to a number of recommendations to improve social work services in hepatitis C treatment settings. More research was recommended in areas such as motivational techniques, psychiatric support, and effective group work strategies. The need for increased funding for social work positions in the hepatitis C field was also highlighted. It is anticipated that findings of this study can be applied to hepatitis C treatment in broader settings such as prisons, drug and alcohol settings and general practice. This research will contribute to literature in the field of hepatitis C treatment models and in the field of social work practice in hepatitis C contexts.

<p>The purpose of this study was to examine and increase the knowledge about the way young, newly graduated social workers view their professional role considering their age and professional experience, how they experience the relation to their clients and colleagues and how these experiences all together affect the way the young social workers handle their professional role. Seven social workers in the ages between 23 and 25, who graduated from Socialhögskolan, Stockholm University, in January 2007, where interviewed. They also answered a questionnaire covering the similar questions as the interview. Little research had previously been made in this particular area, why the triangulation of methods was helpful in analyzing the results, with ata coming from two different resources. To analyze the data a multidimensional theory was used, containing coping theory, an experiential perspective, Antonovskys theory a sense of coherence, cognitive theory and role theory. In summary, the results showed that young newly graduated social workers experienced expectations both coming from them selves and their surroundings. Finding meaning in their work helped the respondents to handle stress. The relation to their clients and colleagues and the expectations all together participated in the development of their professional role.</p>

<p>The purpose of this study was to examine and increase the knowledge about the way young, newly graduated social workers view their professional role considering their age and professional experience, how they experience the relation to their clients and colleagues and how these experiences all together affect the way the young social workers handle their professional role. Seven social workers in the ages between 23 and 25, who graduated from Socialhögskolan, Stockholm University, in January 2007, where interviewed. They also answered a questionnaire covering the similar questions as the interview. Little research had previously been made in this particular area, why the triangulation of methods was helpful in analyzing the results, with data coming from two different resources. To analyze the data a multidimensional theory was used, containing coping theory, an experiential perspective, Antonovskys theory a sense of coherence, cognitive theory and role theory. In summary, the results showed that young newly graduated social workers experienced expectations both coming from them selves and their surroundings. Finding meaning in their work helped the respondents to handle stress. The relation to their clients and colleagues and the expectations all together participated in the development of their professional role.</p>

<p>Vårt syfte med denna studie är att utifrån en socialpsykologisk ansats ta del av elevhälsovårdens och stödverksamhetens arbete respektive samarbete på en gymnasieskola i en medelstor stad. Med hjälp av kvalitativ metod har vi utfört sex enskilda intervjuer, en parintervju samt ett experiment. Vi har använt oss av följande socialpsykologiska teorier: <em>Gruppsykologi</em> (Svedberg, 2007), <em>Det potentiella rummet </em>(Winnicott, 1993)<em>,</em> <em>Ungdomstidens kriser</em> (Cullberg, 2006)<em>,</em> <em>Den konkreta och abstrakta socialiteten</em> (Asplund, 1987)<em>,</em> <em>Benämnandets kraft</em> (Crafoord, 2005)<em>,</em> <em>Emotionsteori</em> (Scheff, 1990). Genom dessa teorier har vi försökt belysa svårigheter med, och ge en förståelse kring, hur elevens situation i skolmiljön ser ut samt hur arbetet inom, respektive samarbetet mellan, elevhälsovård och stödverksamhet mot en god elevhälsa ter sig. Vi har i föreliggande studie upptäckt att vissa typer av problem respektive svårigheter hos eleven uppmärksammas medan andra glöms bort. Den grundläggande problematiken i arbetet mot en god elevhälsa är dock samhället; ett samhälle där resurserna till det psykosociala välmående inom gymnasievärlden inte prioriteras.</p> / <p>From a social psychological approach, our aim with this study is to take advantage of student health care and support business activities and cooperation in a secondary school in a medium sized city. Using a qualitative method, we have conducted six individual interviews, one pair interview and an experiment. We have used the following theories: <em>Group Psychology</em> (Svedberg, 2007), <em>the potential space</em> (Winnicott, 1993), <em>Youth of the future crisis</em> (Cullberg, 2006),<em> the concrete and abstract sociality </em>(Asplund, 1987), <em>the telling force</em> (Crafoord, 2005), <em>Emotion theory</em> (Scheff, 1990). With these theories, we have tried to highlight difficulties, and provide an understanding of how the student's position in the school environment looks like and how to work within, and cooperation, student health care and support operations against a good student health appears. We have in the present study found that some types of problems and difficulties of student attention while others are forgotten. The fundamental problem at work against a good student health is society: a society where resources for the psychosocial well-being in the secondary world are not a priority.</p>

This study was inspired by the desire to understand the experience of mental health clinicians coping with work related stress in treating traumatized children. In studying this experience, heuristic design and methodology was followed. The findings of this study are based on interviews of 3 Caucasian, female clinicians, a 49-year-old art therapist with eight years experience, a 61-year-old licensed clinical social worker with 34 years of postgraduate experience, and a 44-year-old licensed clinical social worker with 21 years of experience. Mental health practitioners, clinical supervisors and consultants as well as professionals in counselor education benefit from the findings of this study that extends knowledge of effective coping with work related stress in treating traumatized children. Participants in this study coped by using the following core characteristics the most often: seeking emotional and instrumental support from others, maintaining balance in work and private life, staying spiritually oriented, participating in leisure activities, focusing on health and using cognitive restructuring techniques. The least mentioned was the use of humor. Four themes permeated the experience of these clinicians: (1) Maintaining Balance: Coping included maintaining a balance in work and private life; (2) Healthy Personal Identity: Coping successfully meant keeping the career as work and not a definition of the self; (3) Clear Role Definition: Coping to continue the work included increased focus on professional and personal boundaries and the role of the clinician; (4) Realistic Control: Successful coping included differentiating between what can and can't be controlled. This study also found that part of coping with work-related stress meant moving from the public sector into private enterprise. In private practice, participants found that coping with stress improved with the decrease of high client caseload requirements and the ability to screen potential clientele for the purpose of creating a balance in treatment issues. Overall, this study found that the experience of coping successfully with work-related stress had a great deal to do with increased professional autonomy. / Graduation date: 2003

The aim of this study was to enlighten social workers experiences of social networks direct influence in Swedish social services, and in which ways those influences are manifested. Some of the issues that are being explored in this study are: The separation of the private sphere and professional duties; boundaries and dual relationships that occurs inside social networks; the use of social networks as a control-instrument in authority exercise towards clients; and social networks arising impact on social work. The empirical material was collected with nine qualitative interviews with social workers stationed at different social service departments in a Swedish municipality. Also one qualitative e-survey was sent out to, and answered by four social workers with a managerial position in the same municipality. The results reveal that several informants have experienced different problematic situations involving clients within the social networks. This study shows that the informants are very restrictive with what information (text and pictures) they publish on their facebook-profiles, because of their position of authority and the awareness of the possibility of always being watched. Several informants reveal a strong attitude against the use of social networks in social work and argue that information about clients fetched at social networks cannot be used. Yet some social workers use social networks at work to search information about clients and verify suspicions, for example in decision-making of governmental economical support. The power that the social workers hold against their clients is being exterritorialised inside the social networks and makes further way for an expanding control-society.

The purpose of this study was to examine and increase the knowledge about the way young, newly graduated social workers view their professional role considering their age and professional experience, how they experience the relation to their clients and colleagues and how these experiences all together affect the way the young social workers handle their professional role. Seven social workers in the ages between 23 and 25, who graduated from Socialhögskolan, Stockholm University, in January 2007, where interviewed. They also answered a questionnaire covering the similar questions as the interview. Little research had previously been made in this particular area, why the triangulation of methods was helpful in analyzing the results, with data coming from two different resources. To analyze the data a multidimensional theory was used, containing coping theory, an experiential perspective, Antonovskys theory a sense of coherence, cognitive theory and role theory. In summary, the results showed that young newly graduated social workers experienced expectations both coming from them selves and their surroundings. Finding meaning in their work helped the respondents to handle stress. The relation to their clients and colleagues and the expectations all together participated in the development of their professional role.

The purpose of this study was to examine and increase the knowledge about the way young, newly graduated social workers view their professional role considering their age and professional experience, how they experience the relation to their clients and colleagues and how these experiences all together affect the way the young social workers handle their professional role. Seven social workers in the ages between 23 and 25, who graduated from Socialhögskolan, Stockholm University, in January 2007, where interviewed. They also answered a questionnaire covering the similar questions as the interview. Little research had previously been made in this particular area, why the triangulation of methods was helpful in analyzing the results, with ata coming from two different resources. To analyze the data a multidimensional theory was used, containing coping theory, an experiential perspective, Antonovskys theory a sense of coherence, cognitive theory and role theory. In summary, the results showed that young newly graduated social workers experienced expectations both coming from them selves and their surroundings. Finding meaning in their work helped the respondents to handle stress. The relation to their clients and colleagues and the expectations all together participated in the development of their professional role.

Ridterapi har på senare tid börjat användas som en komplettarande behandlingsmetod för psykosocial problematik. I dagsläget finns ännu inte mycket forskning inom ämnet och behandlingsmetoden är vare sig speciellt känd eller etablerad. I denna uppsats görs en kartläggning av socialsekreterares uppfattning och kännedom om ridterapi. Undersökningen var i form av en enkät och genomfördes i Uppsala län där socialsekreterare som arbetar med placeringar på HVB-hem medverkade. Vi ville se om olika faktorer som exempelvis ett eget djurintresse, kunskap om behandlingsmetoden, kön och ålder kunde påverka deras inställning till ridterapi. Resultatet av undersökningen visade att våra respondenters generella attityd till behandligsmetoden var positiv och att de i hög grad kunde tänka sig att göra sådana placeringar och de olika faktorerna vi jämfört med i undersökningen påverkade inte resultatet nämnvärt. Dock visade det sig att det var många som inte kände till vad ridterapi var. / Recently it has been more common to use Equine assisted therapy (EAT) as a complementary treatment for psychosocial issues. Today, not much research has been done in this area and therapy method is neither known nor established. In this essay a survey has been done in the purpose to get a grip of social workers attitude toward and knowledge about EAT. The survey was performed in Uppsala County and social workers who put clients in care or residence homes (HVB) were queried. We wanted to investigate how different factors such as an interest in animals, knowledge about the therapy method, gender or age could affect the respondents attitude toward EAT. The result from our investigation has shown that our respondents had an overall positive attitude toward EAT and that they to a high degree would make such a placement. The different factors that we compared with did not affect the result in a high degree. However, our results also showed that the majority of our respondents did not know about EAT or what it can be used for.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how social workers, working in a management position in the health care system, perceive the encounter of the medical and social perspective. With seven qualitative interviews, the study tries to conclude whether or not social workers are accepted at managerial positions within the health care sector. The social worker is, as a manager in health care, a leader but at the same time in a professional alienation from the medical caregivers. Organizations in the health care sector are often multi professional and have their own long standing tradition, history and culture. The results show that the conditions for social workers, working in a management position in health care appear to be agreeable. Collaboration works well, there is mutual respect, and the social perspective are considered valuable. Generally, the respondents agree upon what qualities distinguish a good leader and most believe that social work training provides a good foundation for the management role. Many argue that leadership is personalized and not dependent on the educational background. The social worker in a leadership position, is received well, is accepted and respected in the medical health care. Social workers, according to this study, assume the leadership role in the same ways as other professionals in health care. The social worker brings a psychosocial holistic approach which gives attention to both patients and employees alike. To meet future needs in health care in Sweden, the social worker is a good competence contributor.