Emerging needs in behavioral health and the integrated care model

Medically vulnerable populations are constantly at risk of having poor health related outcomes, low satisfaction in the healthcare system and increased mortality. Studies have shown the increased prevalence rates of various medical comorbidities in patients with severe mental illness. These patients are obviously vulnerable because of their mental illness but they are also more likely to have severe cases of medical conditions commonly seen in the general population. Expenditures and utilization of resources is often inappropriate due to frequent visits for acute needs and low rates of preventative care and primary care appointments. My proposed model focuses on the implementation of the integrated care model which encourages collaboration between mental health professionals and primary care physicians through referral programs or integrated clinic settings. This model is initiated with education to both current clinicians as well as future clinicians through medical schools and residency programs. Once the education component has begun, the next steps are formal exploration, preparation, implementation and evaluation of the model in clinics. The aim is to improve health outcomes by increasing preventative care and using behavioral techniques to assist with adherence, increase satisfaction in the healthcare system and contain expenditures by utilizing primary care services instead of emergency services when appropriate

Can I Do Both? Be Employed and Graduate? Adult Non-Traditional Learners Who Combine Employment and Higher Education Enrollment-A Look at Persistence and Best Practices to Overcoming Barriers to Improve Success and Retention

The roundtable discussion critically analyzes two significant research studies on barriers to persistence of non-traditional adult learners who combine employment and higher education enrollment. These studies were conducted by the U.S. Department of Education in partnership with the NCES. Implications for best practices to overcome barriers, improve retention and academic success will be covered

Experiences Of Non-Traditional Female College Students With Bipolar Disorder

Background: Although research has been done on many aspects of bipolar disorder, research has not examined the individual living experiences of college students with bipolar disorder. Research looks at the Methods: In-depth interviews were used to learn the details of the experience of attending college with bipolar disorder. Three volunteers came forward to be interviewed. They had a bipolar disorder diagnosis, and are current students at a southern university. Questions focused on the lived experience of being a student with bipolar disorder, and probing questions were used to learn more about each participant’s particular experience. The first two interviews had primary codes applied, then secondary codes, then themes. The third interview was done to confirm or repute the results of the first two interviews Results: The results of this study found three major themes throughout the three participants’ interviews. The first theme was ‘supports’, which included categories of medication and treatments; family, co-worker, and church support systems; disability accommodations; mania as a support; and ideas the participants had that could further help students. The second theme was ‘barriers’, which included categories of suicidal thoughts and actions, stigma and judgment, the difficulty involved in diagnosing and treating bipolar disorder, and ideas from the participants on things that do not help them to have success in school. The third theme, “It’s part of who I am” focuses on the fact that bipolar disorder has contributed to who they are as people at this stage in their life. Categories for this theme include grades, school as therapy, choosing where to live, staying away from campus, “It’s part of who I am”, and “at the beginning it’s just about accepting it”. Conclusion: Occupational therapists can help clients with bipolar disorder become aware of and access accommodation services in higher education, when that client has a goal of successfully attending college. Occupational therapists can also advocate for a larger role on college campuses to help students with bipolar disorder through group intervention and to help them with medication management

Running the Boys\u27 Club: An Examination of the Experiences of Female Law Enforcement Leaders

After struggling for decades for an equal status, it appears that female law enforcement officers in general have overcome the obstacles that initially kept them away from the job. Now, it is not uncommon to see a woman working as a patrol officer or criminal investigator. It took a shift in attitude over time and government intervention for this evolution to occur. Male officers were resistant, because the presence of women was considered a threat to their boys’ club that they so cherished. But, eventually, they have come to accept the role of women in policing. Unfortunately, another dilemma surfaced for female officers as they attempted to move up in the ranks of their organizations. Many found barriers in place, which kept them from obtaining leadership positions. A limited number of women have overcome these obstacles and have earned the highest positions available at their departments. The purpose of the following study is to examine the experiences of this elite group of female leaders in law enforcement in order to understand what circumstances and decisions allowed them to make it into the upper ranks. To do this, the researcher assessed the perceptions and experiences of both ranked and subordinate female officers of the National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives (NAWLEE). Identifying the perceived and tangible obstacles of the promotions process and documenting the choices made to overcome these is vitally important not just for retention and recruitment purposes, but also to ensure that top-ranked female officers will not be underrepresented in the future

Taylor Forstner Honors Portfolio

Taylor Forstner\u27s honors portfolio captured in December 2021

Boko Haram Terrorism: Reaching Across International boundaries To Aid Nigeria In The Humanitarian Crisis

Every day parents around the world send their children to school with the expectation their children\u27s lives will be improved by the education they receive

Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationWhile often hailed as the world's oldest profession, prostitution is most commonly considered an illegal activity. As such, prostitution operates as a hidden organization relying on covert organizing processes in order to function. However, this reality begs the question of how hidden organizations operate and (re)produce. Through feminist poststructuralism and communication as constitutive to organizing, the research questions in this study ask how discourse(s) communicatively constitute prostitution and with what unintended consequences. Using local prostitution policies and in-depth interviews, data analysis revealed that policy-as-written and policy-as-practice are disparate in the communicative construction of organizing prostitution. Moreover, discourse is examined through both talk and silence. As a result systematic and pervasive silence(s) organized networks of prostitution in new ways. In the end, prostitution is highlighted as an organized network or rather an (un)organization