Browsing by Author "Berry, Jane"

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    Social Workers' Perspectives on Sexuality in Social Work Practice
    (2017) Berry, Jane; Calhoun, Avery; Ayala, Jessica; Estefan, Andrew
    Sexuality has been underexplored by social work scholars. To help address gaps in this area, I studied social workers’ perspectives on various aspects of sexuality in my thesis research. I used qualitative, feminist methodology because of the fit with the topic area and research questions. The sample of 14 social workers participated in semistructured interviews. Thematic Analysis indicated that the participants were predominantly comfortable with sexuality-related topics. Generally, they disclosed acceptance of their own sexuality and had sought additional related education. The participants agreed that social work educators should increase curriculum on sexuality but recognized some of the constraints involved. Overall, the participants considered capacity to address sexuality-related topics in therapeutic conversations a key aspect of competent practice and identified several tools for that purpose. These findings have implications for social work generally, and for aspects of practice, education and research specifically.