According to U.S. minority stereotypes, Asians are wealthy, highly-educated, and problem-free. Data-gathering efforts like the U.S. Census can reinforce this stereotype because they pick up mostly English-speaking residents who tend to be better off. So when professor Yuri Jang set out to conduct a survey for the city of Austin on the needs of the […]
@TexasSteveHicks: Ideas, findings, people
Why does Solution-Focused Brief Therapy work?
Professor Cynthia Franklin and doctoral student Anao Zhang reviewed more than 30 studies that investigate why and how SFBT works. They found most empirical support for the therapy’s strength-oriented techniques and for the co-construction of meaning. Results are published in the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy.
Summer camp champion
When Leah Mesches (MSSW 16) started working at Camp Champions, the organization had a small scholarship program— roughly $15,000 went towards campers in need of financial help. As part of her final social work internship, Mesches set up the Champions Education Foundation in 2016, which has expanded available scholarship funds to over $200,000. “I really believe […]
U.S. citizen-children in mixed-status families
About 4.5 million of U.S.-born children live in “mixed-status families,” that is, they have parents and siblings who are undocumented immigrants. As in every other American home, these children experience their families as a unit that shares bloodlines, lineage, affection, and interdependence. The fact that they don’t share legal status, however, can be a source […]
The sound of Texas
When professor Clay Shorkey is not busy teaching or directing the Learning Resources Center, he dedicates time to preserving the sound of Texas. He is a co-founder of the Texas Music Museum, which pays tribute to Tejano music and musicians through oral histories, recorded performances, and artifacts such as the record-cutting machine from the first […]
How to improve school performance
Professor Esther Calzada helped develop ParentCorps, a program that teaches young children skills such as expressing their emotions, and coaches parents and teachers in how to encourage positive behaviors. Recent research in New York City public schools that serve predominantly poor students shows that by second grade, children at schools with ParentCorps were half as […]
To disclose or not to disclose?
LGBTQ patients have many reasons for not disclosing their sexual orientation or gender identity in healthcare settings – such as homophobic reactions and confidentiality concerns. At the same time, health equity advocates know that this information is needed to identify and eliminate disparities in healthcare. Doctoral student Jelena Todic and Laura Brown, a communication professor […]
What happens to trauma patients after their lives have been saved?
The question nagged Katherine Houck, MSSW ‘98, a trauma social worker at University Medical Center Brackenridge in Austin. She noticed that many patients hospitalized for severe trauma (due to a car accident, for instance) developed post-traumatic stress symptoms such as flashbacks and nightmares. To answer the question, last year Houck put together a research team […]
Simulations for medical social work
Interdisciplinary teamwork is becoming essential for the delivery of good integrated healthcare. Through hospital simulations, clinical professors Dede Sparks and Mary Mulvaney are preparing social work students to operate in teams with peers in nursing, pharmacy, and other health-related professions. During the simulations, student teams respond to mannequins or volunteers posing as patients and presenting […]
Digital inclusion with Google
Google Fiber has been working with the Housing Authority of the City of Austin (HACA) to bring free internet connection and digital literacy skills to Austin’s public housing residents. Social work juniors Reginald Smith and Addis Gezaghn joined the program as Google Community Leaders during this past academic year. They helped children and adult residents […]
