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This study examines students' negative experiences in field placement related to their sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression, examining areas of conflict and emotional responses to conflicts. Using a subset of data gathered as part of a larger survey of 1,018 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) undergraduate and graduate social work students in the United States and Canada, an analysis is conducted on qualitative responses (N=207) to a question about conflict in the field. The authors identified six LGBTQ-related conflict themes: managing disclosure, unsupportive agency atmosphere, handling others' discomfort, dealing with discriminatory attitudes and behaviors, bad practice with LGBTQ clients, and challenges found within an LGBTQ-serving agency. Forty student responses discussed feelings of fear, sadness, discomfort, and shame. Implications for field education with LGBTQ social work students are discussed.

LGBTQ + people experience protective benefits from faith community participation, although some also experience minority stress from rejection and discrimination. Social workers, counselors, psychologists, nurse practitioners, and others can assist LGBTQ + people in looking for a faith community that fits their needs and desires. This study reveals how LGBTQ + people in this sample, most of whom identify as Christians, decided to attend their current faith community through an analysis methodology called Sort and Sift Think and Shift. Four contrasting themes were identified: welcoming versus inclusive, racial/ethnic versus LGBTQ+, inward versus outward, and role modeling versus blending. The authors explore the implications of these themes for helping professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research with youth has demonstrated that a hopeful mind-set is associated with resilience and well-being and is influenced by our supportive caregivers and adults. Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) youth experience a very high frequency of adverse childhood experiences (ACE) and may lack supportive caregivers throughout their foster care experience. This study tests the theory that child welfare caseworkers are a source of hope among LGB youth in foster care. Quantitative analysis was used to examine differences in ACE exposure and differences in the caseworker as a source of hope. LGB youth with eight or more ACEs have a significant positive association with hope in their caseworkers than non-LGB youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This epilogue comments on the Reflections: Narratives of Professional Helping double Special Issue: A Call for Social Work Educators to Confront and Dismantle Systemic Racism Within Social Work Programs. The articles highlight the lived experiences, observations, and treatment of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) in social work programs across the country and the impact on individual productivity, higher education institutions, social work curriculum and the social work profession. The issues create a lens for examination of behaviors and practices and suggest paths forward to address systemic racism within social work programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the United States, social welfare policy skills are essential, considering that social workers are often embedded in institutions where policy regulates practice. As such, social policy instructors must engage students in the development of policy-related skills, including, development, implementation, and evaluation. Engaging students in policy skill develop presents challenges detailed within. In the United States, political culture theory (PCT) is a useful framework for educators to use for developing students understanding of federal social welfare policy implementation among the 50 states. Applications of PCT are not limited to the US however; as it has demonstrated to be adaptable to contexts social workers are engaged in across the globe. The PCT typology focuses on three types of political culture: individualistic, traditionalist and moralistic, and the implications of these frames on policy implementation. The political culture scavenger hunt, detailed within, is a classroom activity derived from PCT for instructors to use to explore the implementation of social welfare policy. Adaptions of the activity for use in international contexts are included, with recommendations and reflections on the social work pedagogy serving as the conclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]