Background: The rate of childhood cancer survivors has grown to nearly 80% in the past few decades. Current evidence reveals that primary care providers report feeling unprepared with inadequate knowledge about the variable types of late effects and diagnostic screenings recommended for childhood cancer survivors (Dulko et al., 2013; Potosky et al., 2011). However, the current evidence reflects data mainly from physicians. None of the current literature addresses the specific preparedness of primary care nurse practitioners. Such data would be helpful in better understanding how education and current resources affect nurse practitioner preparedness for such a narrow, but growingly prevalent, patient population.Purpose: To assess primary care nurse practitioner preparedness when caring for childhood cancer survivors.Methods: This descriptive study obtained data using a survey disseminated to primary care nurse practitioner members of the Puget Sound Nurse Practitioner Association in Seattle, WA. Analysis was conducted by calculating the means and modes for each survey item. Results: This sample (n=5) revealed that 50% of nurse practitioners identify as feeling adequately trained to care for childhood cancer survivors. Time and insurance coverage were not found to be barriers to care. Less than 50% of nurse practitioners utilized guidelines from the Children’s Oncology Group. The most wanted resources included the Children’s Oncology Group guidelines, survivor care plans, and electronic health record prompts. Discussion: According to the results of this study imply that nurse practitioners in the Seattle area feel adequately prepared to care for childhood cancer survivors. In addition, nurse practitioners identify that clinical practice guidelines may be beneficial in guiding their care. However, certain limitations, including small sample size, may affect the trustworthiness of the results. Thus, more research is warranted to gather more comprehensive knowledge and understanding regarding nurse practitioner preparedness when caring for childhood cancer survivors in the primary care setting.

There is increasing awareness that mental health consumers may have important information for the development of services. In this qualitative study, I interviewed 10 consumers with the purpose of exploring in depth their experiences in interacting with service providers in the greater Vancouver area. Using constant comparative analysis, I found that the data suggested participants’ experiences of recovery developed largely out of connecting with other consumers rather than with service providers. Current services were portrayed as primarily reliant on the use of psychiatric medication. Consumers pointed to numerous difficulties in seeking help, including a lack of treatment alternatives, stigma and isolation. They also presented a strong demand for services and policies that promote an individual sense of recovery and support their fundamental human rights. Mental health service providers need to critically reflect on their current practices and policies, and how they may negatively impact their clients' lives by failing to properly listen to their narratives, grievances, experiences and perceptions. This study suggests further inclusion of consumer's views and participation in services to foster collaborative, recovery-oriented practices.

There is increasing awareness that mental health consumers may have important information for the development of services. In this qualitative study, I interviewed 10 consumers with the purpose of exploring in depth their experiences in interacting with service providers in the greater Vancouver area. Using constant comparative analysis, I found that the data suggested participants’ experiences of recovery developed largely out of connecting with other consumers rather than with service providers. Current services were portrayed as primarily reliant on the use of psychiatric medication. Consumers pointed to numerous difficulties in seeking help, including a lack of treatment alternatives, stigma and isolation. They also presented a strong demand for services and policies that promote an individual sense of recovery and support their fundamental human rights. Mental health service providers need to critically reflect on their current practices and policies, and how they may negatively impact their clients' lives by failing to properly listen to their narratives, grievances, experiences and perceptions. This study suggests further inclusion of consumer's views and participation in services to foster collaborative, recovery-oriented practices.

There is increasing awareness that mental health consumers may have important information for the development of services. In this qualitative study, I interviewed 10 consumers with the purpose of exploring in depth their experiences in interacting with service providers in the greater Vancouver area. Using constant comparative analysis, I found that the data suggested participants’ experiences of recovery developed largely out of connecting with other consumers rather than with service providers. Current services were portrayed as primarily reliant on the use of psychiatric medication. Consumers pointed to numerous difficulties in seeking help, including a lack of treatment alternatives, stigma and isolation. They also presented a strong demand for services and policies that promote an individual sense of recovery and support their fundamental human rights. Mental health service providers need to critically reflect on their current practices and policies, and how they may negatively impact their clients' lives by failing to properly listen to their narratives, grievances, experiences and perceptions. This study suggests further inclusion of consumer's views and participation in services to foster collaborative, recovery-oriented practices. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

In early 2014, 3 West African states of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone made news headlines when Ebola virus disease (EVD) ravaged the sub-region. The Liberian government was ill-equipped to efficiently contain EVD outbreak due to inadequate training for hospitals and healthcare workers. The government's mandatory cremation policies and the banning of public gatherings significantly contributed to the spread of EVD. EVD infected 10,666 and 4,808 died from the disease in the first 6 months of the epidemic. Using Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) as the theoretical framework, the purpose of this case study research was to examine the social, economic, and policy factors that contributed to the spread of EVD in the city of Monrovia, Liberia. Utilizing snowball sampling to identify participants, data were collected through in-depth interviews with 30 participants that included 10 EVD survivors, 10 family caregivers, 2 government officials, 4 nongovernmental organization staff, 2 academicians, and 2 members of the media. All data were inductively coded and analyzed using Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis procedure. Two key themes were identified through data analysis. First, participants noted that a better understanding of cultural traditions may have created opportunities for intervention that prevented unnecessary exposure to the virus. Second, survivors and caregivers experienced a 'hope for the best, but expect the worst' mentality throughout the experience that guided faith. The positive social change implications stemming include recommendations to the government of Monrovia to implement culturally sensitive policies related to pandemic containment, including training of healthcare workers and the public in the event of disease outbreak.

We have to stop inventing disorders for every human experience that challenges the status quo… I dream of a world where people can peacefully co-exist… [where] differences are accepted… [and where] I, and everybody else, has a place (Jackie, psychiatric survivor and mad person). The thesis is a critical ethnography of a political community in Toronto, Canada whose members are challenging the theories and interventions of biological psychiatry and developing approaches to understanding and responding to human experience in alternative ways that empower people who are conceived of as “mad”. Based on the emerging ideological and practical differences among participants, a model of the community was developed that includes three main constituencies: the psychiatric survivor constituency, the mad constituency, and the antipsychiatry constituency. This thesis includes descriptive accounts of the philosophical understandings, priorities, goals, actions, and strategies emerging from each of these constituencies; some tensions and conflicts that arise in the community around working across difference; the genuine attempts made by community members to build alliances, the challenges they face, and the notable progress they have made. The thesis grapples with how community members might work towards building a paradigm for solidarity work with others who share a stake in building communities that are free of sanism and psychiatric oppression. The dissertation ends with an exploration of how clinical and counselling psychologists might proceed in their work taking into consideration the experiences and perspectives shared by participants.

We have to stop inventing disorders for every human experience that challenges the status quo… I dream of a world where people can peacefully co-exist… [where] differences are accepted… [and where] I, and everybody else, has a place (Jackie, psychiatric survivor and mad person). The thesis is a critical ethnography of a political community in Toronto, Canada whose members are challenging the theories and interventions of biological psychiatry and developing approaches to understanding and responding to human experience in alternative ways that empower people who are conceived of as “mad”. Based on the emerging ideological and practical differences among participants, a model of the community was developed that includes three main constituencies: the psychiatric survivor constituency, the mad constituency, and the antipsychiatry constituency. This thesis includes descriptive accounts of the philosophical understandings, priorities, goals, actions, and strategies emerging from each of these constituencies; some tensions and conflicts that arise in the community around working across difference; the genuine attempts made by community members to build alliances, the challenges they face, and the notable progress they have made. The thesis grapples with how community members might work towards building a paradigm for solidarity work with others who share a stake in building communities that are free of sanism and psychiatric oppression. The dissertation ends with an exploration of how clinical and counselling psychologists might proceed in their work taking into consideration the experiences and perspectives shared by participants.

This study was undertaken in order to research on the trauma caused by the Matebeleland Massacre of 1982-87 in Tsholotsho Zimbabwe. This dissertation is two pronged: one part is to ascertain the trauma in the community twenty years after and the second aspect is to suggest interventions that can be applied. The history of the country and the political background to the conflict is the most rational way to explain why this may have happened. This history has been used to justify the Massacre and is being used continuously even today by those in power. If people do not learn from their history they are bound to repeat it, (interview with Phineahs Dube 4/8/20080). Trauma has been investigated using a qualitative social reconstruction narrative theory by way of cultural world view and not medical psychological means. Investigating people’s painful experiences and emotions has not been easy. A suitable framework and trauma measure which are scientifically approved had to be found and used in order to validate and verify the results in a manner that the outcome can be accepted scientifically and internationally. Chronic ‘on going’ trauma or Long-term Psycho-social Crisis is the kind of trauma that the researcher has come up with if conventional medical jargon is to be avoided. The survivors can not fully comprehend what happened to them but the greatest injury and pain is caused by how the community as a whole was under threat of annihilation by the Gukurahundi, The name itself is infamous and points to the brutal nature of the operation of this North Korean trained army battalion known simply, as the 5th Brigade. The interventions suggested are psycho-social since the context is rural Tsholotsho Matebeleland, culturally, a socio-centric set up with in an African world view, (Mbiti 1969) and (Mugambi and Kirima 1976). The Church is proposed as the agent for change in the community as light and salt due to its proximity to the community. The interventions include funerals services and rituals, testimonies, and archival processes for the sake of prevention and collective memory. The psycho-social cultural approach takes the survivor from being just an individual with a personal problem to a collective memory of experience. (Becker 2000: 18) This gives practical theology an opportunity for a logical conclusion of all theologizing which is a theology of praxis or engagement. / Dsecription (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Practical Theology / Unrestricted

Cancer incidence is increasing and so are survival rates. The aftermath of cancer includes multi-dimensional and long-lasting effects that prevent individuals from recovering and re-integrating into their daily routines. Cancer systems attend to patients during diagnosis and treatment, but often fall short in providing continuity of care afterward. This results in a considerable number of individuals living with the effects of cancer, with little support care. While there are evidence-based recommendations to improve follow-up cancer care, the extent to which they have been implemented remains unknown. To support the needs of cancer survivors The Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation developed a Cancer Coaching Program (CCP). As life and health coaching interventions have been shown to benefit this population, this study aimed to explore the impacts of the CCP on the lives of cancer survivors. Using a grounded theory approach, the experiences of (n=12) cancer survivors who had previously participated in the program were explored, to create an explanatory model. Descriptive results depicted various beneficial outcomes to participating in the CCP. The dominant role of the CCP is to support survivors by “bridging the gap” to survivorship, through tailored coaching services. This study provides insight into the mechanisms that work for this cancer coaching program, which may be helpful for other programs exploring strategies to assist this population.

The graduation thesis addresses the questions of disability pensions and survivor benefits in Czech Republic. The first chapter handles the definitions of the concepts used in terms of pension insurance, the characteristic of pension system generally and the legal regulations of the contemporary system. The second chapter analyses the full and the partial disability pensions. The third chapter describes the widow's, the widower's and the orphan's pensions. The fourth chapter contains the analysis of the contemporary pension system since the implementation of the present valid legal regulation until the year 2007, with focus on disability pensions and survivor benefits. Sub chapter 4.1 contains analytical forecast of the amount spent on pensions and of the number of each type of pensioners. The fifth chapter targets the forecasting of the demographic development of the population in Czech Republic, the problems of contemporary pension system and the proposed modifications within the new reform of the pension system.