Browsing by Author "McCarthy, Katherine M."

Now showing 1 - 10 of 14
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    Empowering Online Undergraduate Social Work Students to Address Their Stress
    (BPD, 2020) McCarthy, Katherine M.; School of Social Work
    Effective self-regulation is a critical aspect of social work. Unmanaged stress can impair a social worker’s effectiveness. BSW students must demonstrate the capacity for cognitive and affective self-regulation to graduate, yet they may be expected to develop these skills outside of their academic program. This article describes a pedagogical strategy for encouraging proactive stress management practices in BSW students during online theory and practice courses at a Midwest public university. Students completed weekly self-care quizzes, which required them to rate their stress, create a plan to reduce this stress, and assess their efforts. Students felt this activity helped them to reflect and take action while also strengthening their relationships with their online instructor. Although this effort was employed in the years prior to COVID-19, the relevance of encouraging active stress management in the time of the pandemic and widespread virtual learning has only increased.
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    Exploring a Model-Driven Approach to Social Work Theory Education
    (Taylor and Francis, 2018) Gentle-Genitty, Carolyn; Bragg, Natasha W. M.; McCarthy, Katherine M.; Thomison, Erika; School of Social Work
    Accredited social work programs must use practice experience and theory to inform research and practice, policy, engagement, assessment, intervention, and evaluation with varied constituents. Models to teach theory have been all but non-existent. This manuscript presents the S.A.L.T. model for theory assessment and shares findings when the model is applied to assess students’ knowledge.
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    Grievers, Skeptics, Pragmatists, Converts, and Champions: Social Work Educators’ Transition to Online Teaching
    (Taylor & Francis, 2022-01-18) Dennis, Sheila R.; McCarthy, Katherine M.; Glassburn, Susan L.
    Despite the surge in online social work education programs throughout the last two decades, the body of literature examining the pedagogical transition to virtual environments from social work educators’ perspectives remains nascent in form. To grow this area of inquiry, this interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) examined the lived experiences of 17 social work educators across the United States who transitioned from solely on-ground instruction to partially or completely online teaching prior to July 2019. Analyses of participant interviews generated a framework that organized social work educators’ perspectives into the typologies of Grievers, Skeptics, Converts, Pragmatists, and Champions. These typologies emerged as a result of the multi-systemic forces that generated new conceptualizations of educators' roles and identities as they transitioned into the virtual landscape. Amid the current pandemic necessitating abrupt shifts to online education delivery, this framework offers clarity to social work educators as they make sense of their own experiences adapting to online teaching.
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    Master Social Work Students’ Explicit and Implicit Articulation of Theory
    (2022-05-31) McCarthy, Katherine M.; Bragg, Natasha W.M.; Gentle-Genitty, Carolyn
    Theories that explain Human Behavior and the Social Environment are integral to social workers' conceptualization of their role and practice. Scaffolding the capacity to recognize, apply, and evaluate theory, however, is not easy. Learning how to comprehend and accurately apply theory can be a real struggle for graduate students enrolled in a Masters of Social Work (MSW) program. The purpose of this study was to identify and categorize patterns of how MSW students think about theory in the learning process. This qualitative analysis of 120 anonymous student responses to a case by students in an online MSW program explores the variety of theories students are explicitly identifying. The qualitative analysis offers insights into online Masters level social work students' ways of thinking and learning about theory. Bloom's taxonomy was applied to differentiate MSW students' use of theory. This study also demonstrates that students are not only applying theory explicitly, but often do so implicitly, perhaps without realizing so. By exploring how students construct their understanding of theory and how they vary between implicit theory usage and explicit theory articulation, HBSE educators can identify how to best prepare these students for their future careers.
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    MSW Student Concerns about Addressing Clients’ Substance Use and Misuse
    (Informa UK Limited, 2022) McCarthy, Katherine M.; Mariscal, E. Susana; Wahler, Elizabeth A.; School of Social Work
    Social work educators must prioritize effective preparation of MSW students for the pivotal roles they will play in supporting clients struggling with Substance Use Disorders (SUDs). Understanding what concerns MSW students have about working in the substance use field can highlight student training needs and inform learner-centered curricula. This qualitative study explored anticipated concerns held by MSW students in the mental health and addiction focus area of a Midwest university. Thirty-four MSW students beginning their final year of training answered an open-ended survey question regarding their concerns about addressing substance use in their future careers. Findings indicated that students were largely concerned about having sufficient competence, knowledge, and skills to effectively assist clients, particularly considering client self-determination. Students recognized the emotional demands of the work, especially for those who have had personal substance use experiences, and the need for self-care. Students were also concerned about demands specific to these clients and systemic barriers in the substance use field. Recommendations are presented for preparing students to manage these challenges.
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    Nurturing the Intersubjective Capacities of Social Work Students
    (Taylor & Francis online, 2020-01-09) McCarthy, Katherine M.
    While navigating numerous pressures as they work with vulnerable clients and communities, social workers are expected to use their emotional responses intentionally rather than to be ruled by them. Social work accreditation competencies require that students demonstrate regulation of their own affective processes, but their ability to do so will vary. This paper explores methods that instructors can take to support this developmental growth through the concept of intersubjectivity within the relational theory framework.
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    Resident Assistant secondary trauma and burnout associated with student nonsuicidal self-injury
    (Taylor & Francis online, 2019-03-25) McCarthy, Katherine M.
    Objective: To determine whether or not encountering students struggling with nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) put Resident Assistants (RAs) at greater risk of burnout or secondary traumatic stress. Participants: 155 RAs at three Midwest public university campuses between March and April 2016. Methods: RAs participated in an anonymous online survey that collected demographics, information on RAs’ experiences and thoughts related to their work, RAs’ exposure to NSSI struggle of a resident, and measurements of compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress. Results: RAs who encountered resident NSSI demonstrated significantly higher levels of burnout and secondary traumatic stress than RAs who did not encounter resident NSSI. Conclusion: College student struggle with NSSI can significantly affect the people around them. Residence life administration and college counseling centers should provide training, support, and supervision to RAs in a way that addresses and reduces the RAs’ potential distress.
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    Shared Vulnerability: Transparency as Facilitator During Pandemic Learning
    (Springer, 2021-11) McCarthy, Katherine M.; School of Social Work
    This chapter explores the intentional use of transparency while teaching an online Master of Social Work (MSW) course during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. First the author recognizes how the unfolding crisis necessitated altered boundaries between herself and her students. Then the author presents four ways she used transparency to help students stay engaged and involved in the course, including changing expectations, expressing feelings, prioritizing safety and well-being, and requesting help. Finally, the author reflects upon how these Spring 2020 adjustments will inform her future pedagogy.
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    A Social Work Distance Educator Community of Practice: Description, Outcomes, and Future
    (2021) Wilkerson, David A.; McCarthy, Katherine M.; School of Social Work
    The growth of social work distance education has increased the need for teaching faculty to develop as effective online instructors. We researched how faculty made use of an online practice community during a semester teaching in an online MSW program. Community of practice theory guided the development of a persistent community space for mentoring, support, and pedagogy building using moderated asynchronous discussion forums. Qualitative analysis provided a description of how faculty made use of the community, their needs for professional development, and the importance of peer support. Discussion considered motivation and the use of community for all faculty ranks.