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Spirituality represents an important internal and external strength that can support clients when facing a variety of problems including substance misuse and addiction. Spirituality is commonly included in peer-run mutual aid support groups for addiction, while incorporating a client's spiritual preference is less common in professional substance abuse counseling. Considering the potential benefits of this practice, this research study conducted focus groups with both service recipients and providers to understand how to best integrate spiritual preferences into counseling for alcohol and substance abuse. The findings offer a set of suggestions that emerged from these group discussions regarding the importance of respecting client autonomy while also encouraging and challenging clients to consider new coping strategies. Recipients and providers felt this tension between respecting and challenging can be managed through increased training and education regarding how to remain culturally responsive to one's spiritual beliefs. Implications for practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Empathy is identified as a protective factor that has been helpful for children considered at high risk for poor mental health and social functioning due to experiencing stressful circumstances such as family violence, substance abuse of a parent, or poverty. Yet, little is known about its relevance to a family's ability to overcome adversity. This study examined the narratives of 20 resilient families who maintained family functioning despite experiencing a multitude of risk factors including poverty, death of a child, significant health problems, or substance abuse problems. Narrative analysis was used to identify the ways families situated empathic actions within their stories of resilience. Findings suggest families developed increased compassion for others as a result of their own experiences with loss, trauma, or stress and discussed how helping others increased their ability to cope with the challenges they faced. Future research and practice implications are outlined and support the usefulness of strengths-based concepts and interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When children are removed from their parents due to child maltreatment, the goal remains to reunite families whenever possible. Although extensive research exists regarding barriers to reunification, little is known about the families who are successfully reunited. The aim of this study was to examine the strengths families found helpful in the process of achieving and maintaining reunification. In-depth, qualitative interviews were conducted with 15 reunified families. Thematic coding of these narrative interviews was completed, uncovering the ways the families perceived intrafamilial and external social support that was given and received played an important role in their stories of reunification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decision making in child welfare is complex. As administrators seek to prepare their workforce for this challenging task, agencies commonly look to trainings as the primary way to develop new workers. This article asserts supervision as an essential part of enhancing the knowledge of workers. In addition, reflective supervision that prompts critical thinking can also develop the analytical skills needed to respond to the complex situations commonly seen in child welfare. To assess the degree to which reflective supervision is being used, a mixed methods online survey was administered to 348 caseworkers, supervisors, and administrators at a large public child welfare agency to measure activities indicative of critical thinking in supervision. Results suggest that despite some level of critical thinking, supervision in child welfare could be advanced through an increase in supervisory interaction that fosters critical thinking ultimately supporting decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The process of supervision plays an important role in the implementation of practice models. Supervisors are responsible for training their supervisees regarding new practice techniques. Supervisors also monitor and evaluate the implementation of such practice. In addition, parallel process suggests that what happens in supervision can affect the way supervisees interact with clients. Acknowledging the role of supervision in the implementation of practice models, this paper describes a collaborative effort between Arizona's Division of Children, Youth and Families and ASU to develop continuing education to train child welfare supervisors in a model of strengths-based supervision. Specifically, the article discusses the development of this model of supervision, describes the training curriculum, and closes with findings from the training evaluations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Child welfare workers daily make difficult, high-risk decisions regarding the lives of children and families. This article critiques two predominant perspectives informing child welfare decision-making and proposes critical theory as an alternative framework. Specifically, critical theory as a framework for child welfare decision integrates the insight gained through practice experience with data gathered through empirically driven assessment tools. With this integration, critical theory also highlights the importance of deconstruction, critical thinking, and reflection when responding to the complex cases in child welfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative research project conducted in-depth interviews to explore the experiences of youths who participated in a Hope VI community revitalization project. Data analysis uncovered four themes identified by these teens as they discussed the destruction of their old homes, life on a construction site, and the creation of renovated structures moving toward the development of a new community. Although favorable experiences were discussed, the teens interviewed for this project also expressed a painful sense of loss in reaction to their involvement in this revitalization project. This finding highlights the need for social work research that gives voice to populations such as children and teens whose crucial opinions are often overlooked. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]