- Brockport, New York, United States
Kristin Heffernan
State University of New York @ Brockport, Social Work, Faculty Member
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ABSTRACT The Council on Social Work Education has designated field education as social work’s signature pedagogy, putting field supervisors in a key role of preparing students as competent social workers. This study examined field... more
ABSTRACT The Council on Social Work Education has designated field education as social work’s signature pedagogy, putting field supervisors in a key role of preparing students as competent social workers. This study examined field supervisors’ Evidence Based Practice (EBP) behaviors using a modified version of the Evidence-Based Practice Process Assessment Scale-Short Version. Supervisors (N = 129), from two undergraduate and one graduate program were invited to complete an electronic survey, resulting in a final 34% response rate (N = 44). Results indicated participants were somewhat familiar with EBP techniques, but did not think it feasible to carry out EBP in their settings, nor did they frequently demonstrate EBP behaviors in practice. Recommendations for overcoming barriers to implementing EBP behaviors in agency settings are discussed.
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Research has identified the benefits and challenges of creating multigenerational classrooms for the purpose of intergenerational learning in higher education. However, much less is known about the systems of support needed at the... more
Research has identified the benefits and challenges of creating multigenerational classrooms for the purpose of intergenerational learning in higher education. However, much less is known about the systems of support needed at the organizational level to promote intergenerational learning within lifelong learning initiatives. With a focus on formal and informal organizational structures, this session describes insights from faculty who opened their courses to older adults as part of a college-wide course auditing initiative. Many did not understand their own role in the program and offered suggestions to address these issues. Recommendations include ways to acknowledge the work of faculty who participate in the program, and to engage more professors and older adults in the community to ensure program success. To create an age-inclusive, and age-friendly university, formal structural change led from the top-down is as important, if not more important, as creating informal networks that start at the faculty level.
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Research Interests: Psychology and Mindset
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Institutions of higher education need to become more age friendly. Creating an on-campus lifelong learning program can offer older adults opportunities to audit classes and engage in multigenerational classrooms, but can also promote... more
Institutions of higher education need to become more age friendly. Creating an on-campus lifelong learning program can offer older adults opportunities to audit classes and engage in multigenerational classrooms, but can also promote intergenerational learning when instructors consciously use pedagogy that fosters engagement between learners from various generations. Promoting intergenerational learning to facilitate reciprocal sharing of expertise between generations is also the fourth principle of the Age Friendly University framework. This qualitative interview study examines the perspectives of 27 faculty members who have opened their face to face classrooms to older adult auditors to 1) Explore perceived benefits and challenges associated with having older adults in the college classroom and to 2) Determine what levels of intergenerational learning may be taking place. Compared to lecture-based courses, faculty whose pedagogy promotes discussion, sharing, and small group work reported detailed examples of older adult learners and traditionally-aged college students engaging in course-related discussion. The unique, historical and diverse perspectives of older adults improved the quality of education for students, and fostered in-depth learning. Challenges related to older adult auditors included poor/limited attendance, sharing of strong opinions/dominating class discussion, sensory/mobility and technology accessibility. Recommendations include training to promote intergenerational engagement in college classrooms.
Research Interests: Psychology, Lifelong Learning, Pedagogy, Medicine, Attendance, and 3 moreAudit, Education Systems, and Tutor
Both the physical environment and cultural climate of a human service agency can prevent individuals from obtaining services. As such, it is important for health and social care service agencies to develop positive spaces that affirm... more
Both the physical environment and cultural climate of a human service agency can prevent individuals from obtaining services. As such, it is important for health and social care service agencies to develop positive spaces that affirm individuals’ identities. This cross-sectional study explores master’s-level social work (MSW) practitioners’ perceptions of competence and comfort in working with persons who identify as transgender and highlights ethical and cultural considerations that impact service participation for transgender and nonbinary persons. Surveying a national sample of MSW level practitioners, we explore practitioners’ 1) education, training, competence, and comfort of social workers when working with transgender persons; 2) perceptions of artifacts used as part of the culture of their agencies (e.g., language on intake forms, brochures, pamphlets, and wall art); and 3) awareness of organizational, state, and federal policy pertaining to persons who identify as transgend...
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This workshop is a culmination of work done by 10 students in Social Work Methods II, who spent the semester working to identify gaps in knowledge and how to address these when understanding and working to educate others about... more
This workshop is a culmination of work done by 10 students in Social Work Methods II, who spent the semester working to identify gaps in knowledge and how to address these when understanding and working to educate others about microaggressions. The purpose of the workshop is to help individuals to better be able to define what a microaggression is and allow participants to practice responding to microaggressions. Using and interactive approach this workshop will help people to recognize that dismissive attitudes are harmful. The idea behind this workshop is to help participants engage in self-reflection; to identify times when they may have been microaggressive or the recipient of microaggressiveness. GOAL/OUTCOME #1 To create awareness surrounding the common occurrences of microaggressions. GOAL/OUTCOME #2 To help individuals avoid making assumptions and labeling individuals who may make a microaggression GOAL/OUTCOME #3 To explore the outcomes associated with the experience of microaggressions. GOAL/OUTCOME #4 To learn ways to respond when someone has been microaggressiv
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Institutions of higher education need to become more age friendly. Creating an on-campus lifelong learning program can offer older adults opportunities to audit classes and engage in multigenerational classrooms, but can also promote... more
Institutions of higher education need to become more age friendly. Creating an on-campus lifelong learning program can offer older adults opportunities to audit classes and engage in multigenerational classrooms, but can also promote intergenerational learning when instructors consciously use pedagogy that fosters engagement between learners from various generations. Promoting intergenerational learning to facilitate reciprocal sharing of expertise between generations is also the fourth principle of the Age Friendly University framework. This qualitative interview study examines the perspectives of 27 faculty members who have opened their face to face classrooms to older adult auditors to 1) Explore perceived benefits and challenges associated with having older adults in the college classroom and to 2) Determine what levels of intergenerational learning may be taking place. Compared to lecture-based courses, faculty whose pedagogy promotes discussion, sharing, and small group work r...
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As population aging accelerates worldwide, institutions of higher education are increasing efforts to focus on ways to meet the growing needs of older adult learners. Many institutions are addressing these needs by joining the... more
As population aging accelerates worldwide, institutions of higher education are increasing efforts to focus on ways to meet the growing needs of older adult learners. Many institutions are addressing these needs by joining the Age-Friendly University (AFU) Global Network. Affiliated institutions are required to promote intergenerational learning to facilitate the reciprocal sharing of expertise between learners of all ages, including older adults. However, these institutions will need to provide instructors with the training to ensure that intergenerational engagement is being actively fostered in the classrooms. In this study, we examine the perspectives of faculty members who have opened their classrooms to older adult auditors. The research question was: What types of training do faculty recommend to promote intergenerational engagement in the classroom? In-depth face to face interviews were conducted with 27 faculty members. Qualitative content analysis of the data yielded the f...
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This article reviews current efforts to train child welfare workers in trauma informed practices and argues that trauma informed care adaptation and training must transcend case workers and supervisors in order for true systemic change to... more
This article reviews current efforts to train child welfare workers in trauma informed practices and argues that trauma informed care adaptation and training must transcend case workers and supervisors in order for true systemic change to occur. This means establishing an agency vision, mission, policies, and procedures that result in the manifestation of trauma informed care in the agency’s environment and in the practices of the administration and the staff. This article asserts that trauma informed care agencies will result in better outcomes for children and families served while preventing vicarious traumatization of agency staff. Additionally, within a trauma informed care setting, social workers and other advanced generalist practitioners are given the opportunity to search for opportunities to understand clients in the context of their lived experiences and join with clients and their families to empower them in a collaborative partnership focused on recovery.
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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe the results of an online program evaluation survey conducted in the USA in 2018 which was designed to understand how members of an enhanced multidisciplinary team (E-MDT) use the expertise... more
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe the results of an online program evaluation survey conducted in the USA in 2018 which was designed to understand how members of an enhanced multidisciplinary team (E-MDT) use the expertise of a forensic accountant (FA) in suspected cases of elder financial exploitation. Design/methodology/approach This paper analyzes responses to an online survey from 54 E-MDT members. Narrative responses to open-ended questions were analyzed by using cross-case thematic analysis. Data from demographic questions and those with nominal response options were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Findings Overwhelmingly, the E-MDT members described how useful the FA’s expertise and subsequent detailed reports are in helping determine whether financial exploitation is taking place and providing information needed to continue an investigation and pursue criminal charges. Practical implications The increasing longevity and sheer number of older adults pres...
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One of the ways individuals or groups in power preserve their power is through the vehicle of language. As such, the message that an organization sends regarding its mission, vision, values, and or goals is just as important as the actual... more
One of the ways individuals or groups in power preserve their power is through the vehicle of language. As such, the message that an organization sends regarding its mission, vision, values, and or goals is just as important as the actual services with which it provides. Nowhere is this truer than within the realm of anti-trafficking service provision. Through content analysis of the mission, goal, vision, and value statements of 162 organizations who are funded to combat human trafficking, the research team examined how organization statements articulate a human rights–based approach. The study findings were that organizations who further the primacy of rights did it in four distinct ways: advocating for human rights seeing human rights as something survivors lack empowering survivors and viewing survivors as rights-holders. However, overall, there is still an under-utilization of human rights as a framework.
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ABSTRACT The Council on Social Work Education has designated field education as social work’s signature pedagogy, putting field supervisors in a key role of preparing students as competent social workers. This study examined field... more
ABSTRACT The Council on Social Work Education has designated field education as social work’s signature pedagogy, putting field supervisors in a key role of preparing students as competent social workers. This study examined field supervisors’ Evidence Based Practice (EBP) behaviors using a modified version of the Evidence-Based Practice Process Assessment Scale-Short Version. Supervisors (N = 129), from two undergraduate and one graduate program were invited to complete an electronic survey, resulting in a final 34% response rate (N = 44). Results indicated participants were somewhat familiar with EBP techniques, but did not think it feasible to carry out EBP in their settings, nor did they frequently demonstrate EBP behaviors in practice. Recommendations for overcoming barriers to implementing EBP behaviors in agency settings are discussed.
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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how perceived student entitlement influences the work experiences of a sample of teaching staff in human services, counselor education and social work. Design/methodology/approach To examine... more
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how perceived student entitlement influences the work experiences of a sample of teaching staff in human services, counselor education and social work. Design/methodology/approach To examine the relationship between perceived academic entitlement and job-related affective well-being among teaching staff in social work, counseling and human services, a cross-sectional design was utilized. To be eligible for the study, participants must have been 18 years of age and currently employed as teaching staff in a human service program in the USA. Findings A convenience sample of 118 teaching staff demonstrated that negative well-being is correlated with perceptions of academic entitlement. It also revealed that teaching staff with a lower academic rank perceived their students to be more entitled, suggesting that pressures of working toward tenure may influence these professors’ behaviors making them more accommodating to students. Accommodati...
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Drawing upon accounts of recent mothers and their own mothers in south-east England this chapter examines the ways in which experiences of pregnancy and early motherhood have changed over the past 40 years. Pregnancy is a biological... more
Drawing upon accounts of recent mothers and their own mothers in south-east England this chapter examines the ways in which experiences of pregnancy and early motherhood have changed over the past 40 years. Pregnancy is a biological process but exists within social, economic, political and cultural realms and is both spatially and temporally located (Longhurst 1999: 89) with individual women in different times and places experiencing pregnancy in a variety of different ways. In this chapter we take food as a lens to explore these changes by examining advice to mothers in relation to feeding the pregnant and infant body across recent generations. While it is clear that research evidence has identified the effects of food and drink on the pregnant and post-natal body leading to burgeoning new information and advice, women themselves have been peripheral to the evidence gathering.
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This study explores British social workers’ abilities to recognize incidents of interpersonal violence, how much domestic violence training social workers typically receive, and how awareness of organizational policies and practice... more
This study explores British social workers’ abilities to recognize incidents of interpersonal violence, how much domestic violence training social workers typically receive, and how awareness of organizational policies and practice experiences impact workers’ attitudes about domestic violence. Based on our findings we suggest that traditional higher education teaching methods of lecture and seminar combined with a service-learning component to course work should be explored. Additionally, local authorities and other health and social care agencies need to take more responsibility for ensuring their employees understand agency policy regarding domestic violence and how to apply it.
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Social work education has become a consumers market, and social work faculty are increasingly expected to fill certain customer service roles in order to retain students as customers. Using the Academic Entitlement Questionnaire, this... more
Social work education has become a consumers market, and social work faculty are increasingly expected to fill certain customer service roles in order to retain students as customers. Using the Academic Entitlement Questionnaire, this study sought to examine social work faculty in the USA (N = 57) who are members of the Association of Baccalaureate Social Work Program Directors listserv perceptions of student customer service expectations. Findings were that these social work faculty are under increased pressure to fill certain customer service roles, and that they feel conflict about doing so. Implications for the delivery of social work education and practice are explored.
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Gender biases are pervasive in child welfare research and practice. Although these biases have been addressed to some extent in the literature, there continues to be a lack of information on fathers and an overrepresentation of... more
Gender biases are pervasive in child welfare research and practice. Although these biases have been addressed to some extent in the literature, there continues to be a lack of information on fathers and an overrepresentation of information on mothers, and thus the biases continue. This article explores how these biases are currently manifested in both research and practice and makes recommends changes in research, policy, and practice. Keywords: child abuse; child welfare; gender bias In the past 20 years, fathers have been increasingly involved in raising their children, and their role in normative child development has received greater attention (Phares & Compas, 1992). Despite these changes, “late 20thcentury fatherhood ideology continues to reflect the belief that active participation by mothers in the daily care of children is obligatory, whereas nurturing and caretaking by fathers is discretionary ” (Silverstein, 1996, p. 11). Women continue to be blamed for the majority of pr...
This research addresses the need to develop an assessment tool for case workers working in the aging services field outside of APS. As such, the research discusses the development, implementation, and preliminary outcomes of the Elder... more
This research addresses the need to develop an assessment tool for case workers working in the aging services field outside of APS. As such, the research discusses the development, implementation, and preliminary outcomes of the Elder Abuse Risk Assessment and Evaluation© tool (EARAE). This instrument was developed and pilot tested by the Elder Abuse Prevention Program (EAPP), a program within Lifespan of Greater Rochester Inc. in Rochester, New York. A total of 189 suspected elder mistreatment cases were investigated using the EARAE instrument to track elements at the start and close of each case. Results indicate the tool represents an effective way to capture abuse indicators, track contributing risk factors, measure multiple case outcomes, and track types of interventions utilized. Opportunities and limitations of the tool are also discussed.
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‘Service user’ advisory representation is required by law and/or regulation in British social, health and educational programmes. This is similar to client counsels or consumer groups in the USA, which are required in some, but not all,... more
‘Service user’ advisory representation is required by law and/or regulation in British social, health and educational programmes. This is similar to client counsels or consumer groups in the USA, which are required in some, but not all, US social service sectors. Often users of welfare services are excluded from citizenship – both formally and in terms of actual restraints on their citizenship rights. There remains uncertainty, however, about how best to identify and enable such individuals to participate in service user involvement without continued marginalisation. This study seeks to contribute to our emerging understanding of service user initiatives by exploring preferred terms of reference and service user involvement from the point of view of persons often categorised as service users by social policy, health and social care providers and academics, but who do not necessarily take part in self-organised service user groups.
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This article argues that, withstanding the liberating effects of the women's movement, the contraceptive revolution, the equal opportunities revolution, and the increase in equal access to information – which have all helped to increase... more
This article argues that, withstanding the liberating effects of the women's movement, the contraceptive revolution, the equal opportunities revolution, and the increase in equal access to information – which have all helped to increase women's mobility within society – is a serendipitous form of societal policing of women's actions that may be linked to ongoing patriarchal views. We attempt to explain our analysis by reviewing historical developments, such as women's movement from the private domain of domestic life to the more public domain of work as well as the many changes in the forms of mass media since the 1950s, and by presenting findings from research across generations of pregnant women who shared with us their experiences of being pregnant.