Women Social Workers: A Road Map to Gender Equity

Research continues to demonstrate that female social workers earn less than their male counterparts and experience significant barriers to professional advancement. Yet, little has been written about factors promoting women’s progress within the structural barriers that disadvantage women social workers. The combination of ethic of care, risk and resilience, and ecological theories informs the conceptual model outlined in this article. This model provides a roadmap for understanding national and organizational impediments to the success of women social workers and offers strategies for empowering women in the profession in the United States. Social work practitioners and administrators must engage in frank discussions about sexism, nurture leadership skills, and advocate for the elimination of gender discrimination and for the promotion of equal opportunity in social service organizations

African American Women at Midlife: The Relationship Between Spirituality and Life Satisfaction

In order to examine the potential relationship between life satisfaction, spirituality and other demographic variables, 147 African American women from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan and Missouri were asked to complete the Adult Life Satisfaction Scale (ALSS) and the Black Women=s Spirituality/Religiosity Measure (BWSRM). In-depth interviews were also conducted with six African American women. Data obtained were subjected to correlated groups t test, Pearson r=s and regression analysis; content analysis was used to analyze the interview data. Although no significant difference was found among the ratings of life satisfaction and spirituality with respect to age or education level, the African American women did report higher levels of religiosity than spirituality which correlated significantly with life satisfaction. Analysis of a subscale of the BWSRM found that the women reported significantly higher levels of spirituality than religiosity. A moderate correlation was found between age and religiosity while spirituality was found to be a critical variable in contributing to life satisfaction in African American women at midlife, regardless of age, income or education

Project Rafiki: Consumer and Provider Perspectives on Food Assistance and its Impact on Quality of Life for Individuals Living with HIV/AIDS

Project Rafiki was designed to provide nonperishable food assistance to individuals living with HIV/AIDS in Tanzania, East Africa. The research study was developed to examine the extent to which the Project Rafiki food assistance program had impacted its participants over the course of one year. The aim of this research can be divided into five smaller objectives: 1) to gage the effectiveness of the food assistance program; 2) to assist in the expansion of inter-professional knowledge of resource-development regarding health and nutrition for vulnerable communities or rural areas; 3) to involve and immerse students in learning on a global level; 4) to grow and develop cross-cultural collaborations; and 5) to improve the health and well-being of individuals living with HIV/AIDS. This study focuses on discussing whether the implementation of Project Rafiki made a difference, and to what extent, to the target population. Overall it is the research team’s aim to study the benefits and challenges of Project Rafiki in order to improve, sustain, and replicate the program in global communities. The goal is to be able to share findings, with the purpose of hopefully creating more and similar sustainable food assistance programs in order to assist people living with HIV/AIDS both in America and outside of the country. The project aims to utilize the pilot data that was collected in Tanzania to build a foundation for future studies in this area

Connecting the Dots: Families and Children with Special Needs in a Rural Community

Due to the rising number of children with disabilities, the needs of these families must be addressed. This article describes the development and implementation of a regional forum in a rural community to address education and training needs of families and professionals. The Special Needs Summit provided workshops, information, and activities for parents and professionals. Participants were invited to participate in a study through a survey soliciting feedback regarding the importance and effectiveness of the training and information received through the Summit, gaps in resources, and future educational and training needs. Overall, participants gave satisfactory ratings regarding the training and education provided during the forum, and gave direction for future programming

Project EMPOWER: An Innovative Approach to Community Behavioral Health Service Delivery

Project EMPOWER was a grant funded initiative designed to positively impact a rural community by providing behavioral health services and case management to low-income families. An interdisciplinary service team comprised of behavioral health specialists and graduate level interns in the fields of social work, psychiatric nursing, and counseling worked to provide services under the supervision of a doctorate level clinical social work professor. Community partnerships were forged to increase opportunities for community members to have accessible, affordable services. Using an empowerment model rooted in systems and integrated practice, the services included assessments, referrals, group, individual and family counseling, child care, and psychoeducational workshops

Managing Microaggressions in the College Classroom

C ollege students are increasingly diverse in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, religious/spiritual beliefs, immigration status, social and economic class, veterans’ status, and the intersections therein. However, microaggressions— subtle forms of prejudice and discrimination— continue to occur inside our classrooms. Although most faculty members are mindful of overt biases in the classroom setting, the recognition and management of microaggressions present more of a challenge. This article adds to the nascent literature on microaggressions in higher education by defining the multifaceted nature of microaggressions, discussing the damaging consequences of microaggressions for faculty and students, and examining various methods of effectively managing microaggressions in college classrooms

Self-Care Practice in Social Work Education: A Systematic Review of Interventions

Social work is a demanding profession as practitioners routinely face difficult situations that affect their well-being. The National Association of Social Workers strongly supports self-care practice as an approved mechanism to offset these challenges, yet practitioners report not learning techniques necessary to perform self-care. In this study, a systematic review compliant with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses standards was conducted to identify evidence-based interventions used to improve student self-care practice in social work education. In the four studies meeting inclusion criteria, mindfulness practice was the only empirically evaluated self-care strategy reported—and with mixed results. Mindfulness activities enable social workers to sustain their well-being and is critical to modeling and providing effective service delivery to clients. Areas for further research are indicated