Despite the emphasis on multicultural counseling competence and social justice in counseling psychology, the mechanisms behind building skills related to effective work remain elusive. This qualitative study explored the experiences of student-participants during a service learning course based on social justice principles in Belize. The researchers sought to inform how a non-traditional teaching methodology—immersion service learning activism—might affect these students’ development. The researchers used Consensual Qualitative Research to analyze interviews and journals through a collaborative and reflective process. Eleven domains emerged from the analysis. Results confirmed past research related to immersion and service learning, including personal and professional development and changes in diversity attitudes. There were also unanticipated themes related to complex interpersonal and group dynamics. These findings demonstrate the influence of immersion, service learning, and group process in intra- as well as interpersonal development and skill building related to cultural competency and social justice activism.
Most health care intervention models for intimate partner violence (IPV) are crisis driven and targeted to survivors of injury following episodes of physical violence. Knowledge about anticipatory and preventive approaches with women who are at risk for abuse is scarce, limiting professionals' ability to respond fully and effectively to this problem. This paper describes a retrospective, practice-based research study of social work interventions in two hospital-based primary care practices. A total of 431 female patients completed a self-administered questionnaire developed for the early detection of IPV risk factors during routine health care visits. The study showed surprisingly high rates of multiple risk markers in an urban primary care population whose medical presentations ordinarily would not raise provider suspicion about abuse. Findings confirmed the willingness of primary care populations to freely partake in routine screening and support the value of early identification and intervention with populations at risk. Practice implications are discussed.
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