Purpose: To evaluate mindfulness meditation as an antecedent of reductions in stress and increases in hope. Method: A quasi-experimental design (N = 46; meditation group, n = 23; comparison group, n = 23) using a community sample was used to evaluate the impact of mindfulness meditation on stress and hope. A path analysis was also used to model a directional relationship between meditation participation and increases in hope mediated by reductions in stress. Results: The data indicated that the meditation group exhibited significantly higher hope and lower stress than the comparison group. The path analysis indicated that reductions in stress fully mediated the relationship between mindfulness meditation and increases in hope. Discussion: The data support that meditation can increase hope via stress reduction. The results suggest a need for further research into mindfulness meditation and hope, especially since increasing hope is a fundamental aim of strengths-based practice.

The course Social Work With Sexual and Gender Minorities was offered as a summer social work elective in the Master of Social Work (MSW) program at a Midwestern university over two consecutive years. The purpose of the course was to provide students with a broad overview of the needs facing sexual and gender minority (SGM) populations and to prepare them for social work roles ranging from research, practice, and advocacy. One-way repeated measures ANOVAs were used to test for changes in students’ self-reported levels of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) clinical skill development and general knowledge regarding practice with SGM populations. Results show significant increases in self-reported levels of LGBT clinical skill development and also in general knowledge related to practice with SGM populations. A content analysis of students’ responses on course evaluations revealed five themes: satisfaction with the course, recommending others take the course, acquisition of new information, importance of the information to practice, and the usefulness of the simulation assignment.

A sound theoretical foundation is a necessary element of social work education that prepares students to confront the challenges of practice with critical knowledge of the human experience. Queer theory is a strength-based framework for understanding sexual and gender identities that fall outside of the current social norms, and offers a highly relevant and useful pathway for the education of social work practitioners. Despite its utility for enhancing understanding and acceptance of gender and sexual minority (SGM) people, it is underutilized in social work compared with other disciplines. Additionally, this study reports on the gender and sexual identities of social work students and their endorsement of help-seeking behaviors related to issues of gender and sexual nonconformity. These empirical-based perspectives undergird the tenets of queer theory and support its application in research endeavors aimed at better understanding the human experience. A theoretical and empirical-based argument is made for the queering of HBSE to strengthen both explicit and implicit curricula in social work education. This study expands on the limited usage of queer theory within social work and directly challenges the normative and binary nature of sexual and gender identity evident within the professional literature and implications for education and research are offered.

Despite the growing amount of research among the sexual and gender minority population, there remains little to be seen little in the direction of competencies within helping professions mandating the inclusion of this material in academics. As such, among researchers is confusion in the terms sex, gender, gender identity, and sexual orientation leading to erasure of certain subsets of the population. Using Queer Theory as a guiding principle, researchers can begin allow individuals more freedom in their ability to identify via using more inclusive methods. Participants (N = 628) completed an online survey which included two methods of assessing sexuality (a standard format and a more inclusive format). Results of this study indicate there was a statistically significant difference (p < .0005) in the number of those identifying as sexual and gender minority using the two methods. Moreover, 172 more individuals were identifiable as SGM using the more inclusive method. Using a more inclusive method has the potential to impact not only the ability to estimate the size of the SGM population, it can lead to more accurately tailored social programs and lead to a better understanding of the pervasive discriminatory behaviors directed toward the community.

The integration of evidence-informed practices in social work education can be difficult given the crowded curricula of most Master of Social Work programs, particularly for advanced standing MSW students who launch directly into advanced concentration year coursework after obtaining their Bachelor of Social Work (BSW). Several factors impact decisions about the integration of evidence-informed curricula, including the time, location, and order of infused material and choosing curriculum content that can be applied across a range of professional settings. Social workers frequently encounter clients who are reluctant to change or are mandated to receive social work services. Practitioners need the skills to engage and empower those clients toward change. This paper reports on the evaluation of a tripartite training module on Motivational Interviewing (MI) for advanced standing MSW students, which is centered around social simulation. Results of one-way repeated ANOVAs highlighted statistically significant increases in students’ knowledge about MI, as well as enhanced Counselor Self-Estimate Inventory scores from pre-simulation to post-simulation, lending promising substance to social simulation as an effective, useful method in the education of advanced standing MSW students.

Since the United States Census Bureau began collecting data regarding grandparents raising their grandchildren, the American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) population has had the highest proportion of families led by grandparents as the primary caregivers of their grandchildren. Despite this, research into AI/AN grand-families is limited. To begin to fill this gap, this qualitative study of 49 AI/AN grandparents raising grand-families (GFs) was conducted in an urban area with one of the highest AI/AN populations in the United States. Results indicated that loss and trauma within the middle generation is a central theme for GF formation. Such GFs also reported using a variety of services spanning state, tribal, and urban AI/AN programs, with educational support as a primary need articulated for their grandchildren. Surprisingly, enculturation was not mentioned as a primary driver of GF formulation. The study suggests a need for further exploration of the needs of urban-based AI/AN GFs, and that service providers must be aware of such issues when working with AI/AN GFs.