1. Self-Awareness: Action Research Professional Development Training for Staff
- Author
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Leslie K. Wilcox
- Abstract
Homelessness is a global social justice concern. Social work staff at homeless shelters have high turnover and burnout rates, and have little to no experience with the homeless population. In this study, a professional development training on self-awareness was given to social work staff using social justice theory, a disaster resilience education framework, and gamification to maintain interactive, empowering, and self-reflective lessons. Twelve social work staff were participants in a 1-day training. Semistructured interviews were used to create themes. Six themes were found to be significant: unconscious bias, self-reflection, self-care, and identifying self-awareness, effective communication, and personal development. The findings suggest that empathy and self-awareness were gained, and there was a reduction in bias toward the homeless population. The significance of the training program indicates that training for self-awareness can aid social workers in building better relationships with their team members, as well as the population served. More education is needed on the homeless population for social workers, and training in wellness practices should be provided for social workers to reduce bias, gain empathy, and gain self-awareness. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
- Published
- 2024