| 1. |
- Björkhagen Turesson, Annelie
(författare)
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Conceptions, Norms, and Values in the Work of Child Protective Services with Families at Risk : An Analysis of Social Workers’ Diaries
- 2020
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Ingår i: Clinical social work journal. - : Springer. - 0091-1674 .- 1573-3343. ; 48, s. 369-379
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Since the conceptions, norms, and values that govern the work of child protection are elusive, they are rarely discussed in the research. This study is based on diaries maintained by three social workers in relation to 15 families that were the subject of interventions by the child protective services in Sweden. All of the mothers in the 15 families had been diagnosed with mental health problems. The diaries include both significant events within the families and the social workers’ own feelings and perceptions about their work. This article discusses four themes: the Janus face of child protective services, clienthood and its conditions, child protective services and good or bad parenting, and the fathers. The results show that the families were subjected to extensive discipline. The diaries also expressed strong value judgements regarding how children should be raised. The parents’ desires and wishes were redefined by the social workers, making the parents powerless. The fathers were marginalized, which meant that an important resource within the families was lost. The parents reacted to this exercise of power in part by trying to escape it and in part by adapting to it. In summary, the desire to help was in some cases transformed into an abusive exercise of power.
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| 2. |
- Carlsson, Catharina
(författare)
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Triads in Equine-Assisted Social Work Enhance Therapeutic Relationships with Self-Harming Adolescents
- 2017
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Ingår i: Clinical social work journal. - : Springer. - 0091-1674 .- 1573-3343. ; 45:4, s. 320-331
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Despite an increasing number of studies, thereis still a lack of knowledge about the unique featuresthat underlie the process in equine assisted social work(EASW). This study aimed to reveal, through qualitativemethods, the dyads within the triad that become strongerduring the process of EASW, as well as the effect of theparticipation of the horse on the relationship betweenthe counselor and client. Data were collected through indepthinterviews with nine female self-harming clientsaged 15–21 years and eight staff members. The interviews,together with video-recorded human–horse interactionswith three staff members and four clients were analyzed,resulting in additional issues answered by these three staffmembers and four clients in a second interview. Criticaldialogues between patterns and fragmentations in the narrativesand video-recordings, as well as a dialogue with theparticipants while they were viewing videos of their ownEASW sessions, led to the conclusion that adding a horsequalitatively changes therapeutic relationships in EASW.The different triads consist of different liaisons betweenactors in the triad, giving rise to unique combinations. Thequality of the relationships depends on both the staff andthe clients’ attachment orientations. Further research isneeded to investigate how the degree of emotional connectionto the horse affects the impact that horses have on triadsin EASW.
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| 3. |
- Kamal, Lana, et al.
(författare)
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Perceptions and Experiences of an Attachment-Based Intervention for Parents Troubled by Intimate Partner Violence
- 2017
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Ingår i: Clinical social work journal. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0091-1674 .- 1573-3343. ; 45:4, s. 311-319
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- It is known that intimate partner violence (IPV) negatively affects both parental capacity and children’s well-being, but few studies have focused on the experiences of those taking part in family interventions focused on IPV. In this study, 26 parents (16 mothers and 10 fathers) with a history of IPV participated in focus groups concerning their attachment-based group intervention experience in the program Parenting and Violence. The transcripts, subjected to thematic analysis, showed that participants experienced the intervention as supportive and confirming of their role as parents. Parents described feeling more in control, more self-confident, more skilled in communicating, and more able to provide security for their children. However, they also expressed a need for continuing support to maintain their improved parenting strategies.
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| 4. |
- Lindroth, Malin, 1968-, et al.
(författare)
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Social Workers as Allies? Gender Confirming Practices and Institutional Limitations in Youth Residential Homes
- 2024
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Ingår i: Clinical social work journal. - : Springer Science+Business Media B.V.. - 0091-1674 .- 1573-3343.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Previous research shows that LGBTQ+ youth are over-represented in out-of-home care and that especially transgender andnon-binary youth face challenges during their placement. These challenges stem from, among other factors, the lack ofknowledge and competence of professionals regarding the unique needs of transgender and non-binary youth. In Sweden,there are policies that aim to protect transgender and non-binary youth from discrimination and to promote their sexualand reproductive health and rights, and an increasing number of residential homes claim to have LGBTQ competencewhen competing for placements. However, it is unclear how this affects the everyday experiences of trans and non-binaryyouth at residential homes. The purpose of this study is to investigate the practices and challenges of clinical social workers at residential care homes when working with gender identity and sexual health issues among young transgender andnon-binary youth. Eight semi-structured interviews focusing on professionals’ knowledge and experiences were conductedand analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Four themes emerged: i) Knowledge being a personal matter; ii) Heteronormativity and binarity creating consequences; iii) Handling discrimination and harassments; and iv) Creating a trustfulalliance. The results show that knowledge is a personal matter, and social work professionals seek the knowledge theyneed instead of receiving it in education or training. The contextual heteronormativity and binarity creating consequencesat the residential care home pose challenges for social workers and they have to find creative ways to support transgenderand non-binary youth and address the harassments and discrimination that these youth face. Moreover, the social workersshare their strategies regarding how they are creating a trustful alliance. Overall, they identify significant challenges todeveloping clinical social work that is affirming of transgender and non-binary youth.
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| 5. |
- Petersson, Charlotte C, et al.
(författare)
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Breaking with Norms of Masculinity : Men Making Sense of Their Experience of Sexual Assault
- 2019
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Ingår i: Clinical social work journal. - : Springer. - 0091-1674 .- 1573-3343. ; 47:4, s. 372-383
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In recent years, the sexual assault of males has received growing attention both in the research literature and among the public. Much of the research has focused on documenting prevalence rates or the psychological consequences of male sexual assault. However, this article aims to understand how men, as gendered, embodied and affective subjects, make sense of their experiences of sexual assault. In-depth interviews with ten adult males who have experienced sexual assault have been analyzed using a phenomenological approach in order to learn more about their lived and gendered experience. Four themes emerged from the analysis: (a) conflicting feelings and difficult conceptualizations, (b) re-experiencing vulnerability, (c) emotional responses and resistance, and (d) disclosure and creativity. The findings suggest that the ways in which men navigate norms of masculinity shape the way they understand, process and articulate their lived experience of sexual assault. As a way of coping with the experience and of healing from a past that is still present, the study participants perform an alternative masculine identity.
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| 6. |
- Petersson, Charlotte C, et al.
(författare)
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Social Work Responses to Domestic Violence During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Experiences and Perspectives of Professionals at Women’s Shelters in Sweden
- 2022
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Ingår i: Clinical social work journal. - : Springer. - 0091-1674 .- 1573-3343. ; 50, s. 135-146
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study explores how social work professionals at women’s shelters in Sweden experience, understand, and are responding to domestic violence under the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative longitudinal research design was employed, and multiple semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 professionals at women’s shelters over a period of one year. The results are presented in three overall themes; (a) professional challenges due to increased needs, (b) professionals’ adjustments to new circumstances, and (c) professionals’ attributions regarding client barriers to help seeking. The results show diverse and changing experiences among the professionals as the pandemic progressed. Clients and professionals have shared the same collective trauma associated with the pandemic, which has affected the professionals’ understanding of and response to domestic violence. The professionals understand both clients and themselves as being more vulnerable and susceptible to risk under these new circumstances. Social work adjustments focused on maintaining contact, reducing risk and prioritizing safety, which had both positive and negative consequences for both clients and professionals. The study concludes that the professionals coped with the uncertainty they experienced during the pandemic by relying on both their previous knowledge and work experience of domestic violence and their experience of sharing trauma with clients.
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| 7. |
- Rasi, Hamideh Addelyan, et al.
(författare)
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Towards a Conceptual Framework for Socio-cognitive Empowerment : Lessons from Intervention Research with Women in Iran
- 2015
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Ingår i: Clinical social work journal. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0091-1674 .- 1573-3343. ; 43:4, s. 375-387
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study set out to construct a conceptual framework for social work with women in Iran, where women are limited in their access to resources, which negatively affects their decision-making capacity. We used a qualitative secondary analysis of data from two intervention projects among Iranian women (n = 25). Each intervention spanned 7 months and included individual and group sessions as well as learning Rahyab, an empowerment-oriented problem-solving model. Practical lessons from the Iranian projects highlight a process of change with regard to thinking, feeling and acting among women during and after the intervention. It is hoped that the conceptual framework and the empowerment-oriented problem-solving model used in these projects can be used in similar societies.
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| 8. |
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| 9. |
- Baviskar, Siddhartha, et al.
(författare)
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How Can Social Workers Assess Clinically Meaningful Change in Their Clients? An Example from Children in Care
- 2023
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Ingår i: Clinical Social Work Journal. - 0091-1674. ; 51:3, s. 328-338
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Social workers use interventions in the expectation that they will make a positive difference for their clients. However, research about the effectiveness of interventions is typically presented at the group level, which places great demands on social workers’ ability to apply such results to the needs of individual clients. Further, the content and effects of “service as usual” (SAU) interventions that social workers typically offer are often not known, making it difficult for social workers to identify what aspects of the intervention any client change can be attributed to. Using indicators of clinically meaningful change (CMC) strengthens social workers’ ability to identify what, if anything, works in any given intervention for their individual clients, and also motivates their curiosity to identify the efficacious components of SAU. CMC refers to changes in an individual’s outcome measures that are reliable or are large enough to be considered “important.” We present five indicators to analyze CMC in a child’s psychological well-being measured with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and illustrate their use with two empirical examples from the project Me and My Foster Family. The examples demonstrated that conclusions regarding CMC can vary depending on the indicator used, the baseline assessment, and the magnitude of raw-score change on the measured outcome. To assess change at the individual level it is important to address questions of measurement reliability and the yardstick for judging when a change is large enough to be considered “important.” Implications for research and practice are discussed.
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| 10. |
- Schwieger, Sarah, et al.
(författare)
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Autumnal warming does not change root phenology in two contrasting vegetation types of subarctic tundra
- 2018
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Ingår i: Plant and Soil. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0032-079X .- 1573-5036. ; 424:1-2, s. 145-156
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Root phenology is important in controlling carbon and nutrient fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems, yet, remains largely unexplored, especially in the Arctic. We compared below- and aboveground phenology and ending of the growing season in two contrasting vegetation types of subarctic tundra: heath and meadow, and their response to experimental warming in autumn. Root phenology was measured in-situ with minirhizotrons and compared with aboveground phenology assessed with repeat digital photography. The end of the growing season, both below- and aboveground, was similar in meadow and heath and the belowground growing season ended later than aboveground in the two vegetation types. Root growth was higher and less equally distributed over time in meadow compared to heath. The warming treatment increased air and soil temperature by 0.5 A degrees C and slightly increased aboveground greenness, but did not affect root growth or prolong the below- and aboveground growing season in either of the vegetation types. These results imply that vegetation types differ in root dynamics and suggest that other factors than temperature control autumnal root growth in these ecosystems. Further investigations of root phenology will help to identify those drivers, in which including responses of functionally contrasting vegetation types will help to estimate how climate change affects belowground processes and their roles in ecosystem function.
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