A study of intergroup contact theory : using storytelling to increase awareness of lesbian and gay older adults in long-term care settings

The population of older adults is growing rapidly. Among the aging population are large numbers that identify as lesbian or gay (LG). LG older adults are less likely to have partners, spouses or children and experience disparities in health that suggest that may need long-term care (LTC) services at rates higher than the general population. Even though LG older adults are at high risk for neglect or being underserved, they prolong assessing LTC in fear of discrimination. The need for programs that increase the awareness of LG older adults among LTC staff has been identified as a needed first step to address this issue. This study used intergroup contact theory as a guide to develop storytelling as a training modality to increase awareness of LG older among LTC staff. Results show that storytelling had a positive influence on LTC staff member's attitudes toward LG older adults. More work is needed to measure the effects of storytelling at different intervals to see if the effects are maintained over time and to measure LTC staff member's behaviors toward LG older adults

The power of sexuality reflection in the classroom : results of a case study

A reflective educational activity frequently used in college-level human sexuality courses (Walters, 2001) is presented. The goal of this qualitative study was to answer the question: How do students and faculty describe the activity effectiveness? Students (N=113) in two Midwestern University human sexuality courses were invited to participate. Thematic analysis revealed that students and faculty found the activity to be meaningful, eye-opening, educational, powerful, empowering, normalizing, and memorable. Reflective activities provide opportunities for students to explore their personal value systems

[In Press] Sexual well-being informed social work practice : harnessing the power of reflection and a hallmark experiential sexuality education activity

Moving human sexuality beyond a specialty focus and establishing a sexuality discourse within social work’s foundation may be challenging. Group process and reflection, hallmarks of social work, may be a way to integrate this sometimes overlooked and often taboo conversation into social work coursework. Undergrad students from two Mid-western universities reflected on the usefulness of an established experiential sex education activity. Qualitative analysis of student narratives resulted in seven themes describing the usefulness of this activity including: (i) emotional intimacy; (ii) connection; (iii) power of personal stories; (iv) normalising; (v) healing; (vi) clinical profile and (vii) RE-storying. These themes demonstrate that this activity has clear benefits and enriches the overall learning of the topic of human sexuality. Further, these themes fit nicely within a social work pedagogy teaching clinical practice skills such as group process, rapport building and use of self. Implications for social work are discussed

Between the acaderny and queerness : microaggressions in social work education

Three emerging social work scholars share the results of an authoethnographic study exploring their experiences of microaggressions, related to sexual orientation, in social work academe. Participants will be able to describe how microaggressions manifest, list microaggressons experienced by LGBQQ, and explain the value of autoethnographic work

Between the academy and queerness : microaggressions in social work education

Three social work scholars explore their experiences of microaggressions in academia using queer theory as a lens to disrupt, deconstruct, and disorder the dominant heteronormative discourse. Qualitative analysis of autoethnography narratives resulted in seven themes describing experiences of microaggressions in social work education. Themes illuminated were as follows: (1) queer isolation, (2) throwing shade, (3) queer insult, (4) biphobia: not queer (straight) enough, (5) too queer, (6) queer backlash, and (7) revolving closet door. Concept mapping was used to explore each of these areas as they relate to the values of social work. Recommendations for social work education and research are presented

Use of College Mental Health Services among Student Veterans

Because today\u27s service members/veterans-who on average experience mental health concerns at rates that are higher than those of their civilian counterparts-are attending institutions of higher education in record numbers, it is important to gain a better sense of how to support military-connected populations within campus settings. This study examined the association between mental health symptoms and use of college/university campus mental health services in a national sample of 706 college student veterans. Specifically, the prevalence of campus mental health service use among student veterans was examined and the characteristics of student veterans who accessed campus mental health services were identified. Analyses were performed using data from the 2011 National College Health Assessment (NCHA) II conducted by the American College Health Association and were guided by Andersen\u27s Behavioral Model of Healthcare Utilization. Findings from our study revealed that, although access to and utilization of campus-based mental health services by service member and veteran students are high, little is known about whether or not those services are evidence-based for service member and veteran students. Recommendations for future best practices will be discussed

Breaking taboos : the power of group work for first-generation scholars

Collectively reflecting on the call for papers for this special edition of Social Work with Groups served as a reminder for us that groups form in many ways. It also reminded us that what brings people together may be a topical matter and what holds groups together is finding a meaningful bond, a relationship. Our group: Turner (a newly minted PhD faculty), Pelts (a doctoral candidate) and Thompson (a midprogram doctoral student), originally formed to discuss overlapping research interests. We quickly realized that the common bond that connected us was our identities as first-generation scholars (FGS). Over several months, through the regaling of our academic journeys, a collective transformative experience happened. In this narrative, our stories as FGS became the backdrop of our group experience. In the unpacking and reflecting on our group experience, we allowed space for creative work beyond the “real work,” avoiding what Malekoff (2001) refers to as “spiritual incarceration” (p. 255). It is here we seek to uncover the value of the social work group experience as a tool for FGS success

Sexually literate social workers : a review of a staple of social work professional training, continuing education, indicates a lack of basic training on human sexuality

Background and Purpose:Having sexually literate social workers is essential to providing quality services, yet, sexuality content is either missing or offered only as an elective in many social work programs. As a result, continuing education (CE) is the main institution to ensure continued skill development for social workers post-graduation. To better prepare sexually literate social work practitioners, we must understand the current landscape of training. In this exploratory study, we review a sample of CE trainings to answer the questions: A) What is the sexuality-related content of the professional CE training for licensed social workers? and B) Does CE training provide a foundational course bridging the lack of academic preparation? Methods: The sample for review of CE opportunities was three-fold: five state chapters of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), five of the top 10 schools of social work, and five national providers of CE. We sampled universities that were included in both the Gourman Report and the U.S. News & World Report rankings of the top ten social work schools. A convenience sample of national CE Providers was selected that provided in-person training. The following search terms to focus our search for relevant workshops: sex, sexuality, LGBT, gender, intimacy, sexual trauma, reproduction, sexual pleasure, sexual orientation, body image, sexual desire, sexual issues, lesbian, gay, transgender, and bisexual. Upon collection of available CE opportunities, we compiled the title, and workshop descriptions into a list of 43 sexuality related CEs for coding. Of the 43 reviewed, 5 did not contain significant content related to sexuality and were excluded. The remaining 38 CE opportunities were coded by two independent reviewers to identify topic areas. Results:Results of coding revealed 16 topic areas related to sexuality. Those areas were: sexual trauma/abuse, LGBTQI, couple’s intimacy, aging and sexuality, sexual compulsivity/ addiction, emotional intimacy, sexuality across the lifespan, cultural attitudes, values, biases, pleasure enhancement, conception/pregnancy/childbirth, dysfunction vs normative sexual behaviors, parenting, desire, polyamory, ethical issues and sexuality, and generalist sexuality awareness raising. Nineteen of the CE opportunities were provided by university schools of social work, 11 were by third party national CE providers, and 8 were provided by NASW state chapters. The content area that was represented the most was sexual trauma/abuse, followed by LGBTQI and couples/intimacy. Conclusions and Implications: As suggested by the 16 topical areas, current CE opportunities are based on the assumption that social workers have baseline skills and a working knowledge of sexuality, and a preliminary understanding of their attitudes and comfort around sexuality. Of the 38 CE courses reviewed, only one addressed fundamentals such as basic values clarification. The topic specific CE offerings are important but these offerings should be preceded with basic training on sexuality content and values clarification. Based on the results of this exploratory study, there is not a systemic and consistent way for social workers to increase their sexual literacy. We suggest further exploration of this issue and make recommendations for a human sexuality foundational CE course

The practical application of sexual literacy to social work

The social work literature has experienced a dramatic and increasingly widespread interest in human sexuality. “Basic understanding of human sexuality…is a necessary part of the professional education of the social worker,” (Abramowitz, 1971, p. 353-354). Scholars have argued that sexually literate social workers are essential to quality client services (Bywater & Jones, 2007; Dunk-West & Hafford-Letchfield, 2011; Myers & Milner, 2007; McCave, Shepherd, & Ramseyer-Winter, 2014). Sexually literate social workers are also critical to ensuring the healthy sexual development of youth. Yet, many social workers did not receive any formal training in their academic programs (Gochros, 1974) and are unsure of where to pursue training. Sexual health disparities are also well documented; yet, the academy is inconsistent in addressing the sexual literacy of social workers. Additionally, social workers struggle to accept sexuality as a legitimate ethos for research, practice, and teaching, contributing to the gap between social work competency and practice needs. This roundtable session will begin a dialogue about social work sexual literacy. Presenters will discuss the relevance of human sexuality to social work competency, highlight our historical roots within this topic, and illuminate how human sexuality is situated within a myriad of practice areas at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels. Using three topical areas: queer microaggressions in social work, the intersection of disability and sexuality and finally, sexuality training, presenters will highlight the importance of these topics as they relate to the practical application of sexual literacy within social work research, practice, and education. Presenters will also address the conference theme, ensuring healthy development of all youth, by elucidating how marginalized youth, specifically youth with intellectual disabilities and queer youth, are at increased risks when the full spectrum of their identity is not addressed. Our goal is to stimulate conversation that will situate the discussion of human sexuality firmly within social work practice, promote understanding of the saliency of sexual literacy of social workers, stimulate practice and education approaches, and provide examples of emerging scholarship on human sexuality and social work research. A social justice lens will be utilized to highlight that sexual justice is a social work issue. The following objectives will be met: 1) participants will be able to identify queer microaggressions that impact competence for social work practice and education, 2) participants will evaluate their competency around disability and sexuality, and 3) participants will be able to describe the importance of situating sexual literacy within social work. We will address each of the topics above in a prepared statement and then we will take audience questions and lead a discussion. Depending on the number of participants and the interests of participants, break out groups will be considered to allow participants the opportunity to discuss subtopics in more depth before sharing major discussion points with the larger group