2007 - present
Smith College offers graduate work leading to the degrees of master of arts, master of arts in teaching, master of fine arts, master of education, master of education of the deaf, master of science in exercise and sport studies and master of Social Work. Each student is required to archive his or her thesis in Smith ScholarWorks for access and preservation.
Please note that access to some theses is restricted for a period of time as requested by the author. For example, a thesis may be submitted in May 2015, but not open access until May 2020.
- On Campus Access: limited to the Smith College community and researchers on campus
- Off Campus Access: limited to the Smith College community via Smith College log-in. Off Campus researchers may request a loan through Interlibrary Loan at their own library
Masters Theses from 2017
It takes a village : perspectives on emerging LGBTQ affirmative social services and psychotherapy, Amelia Killough Smith
Unequal treatment : sociocultural identities and their effects on eating diorder treatment access and efficacy, Hannah Noël Smith
"A whole lot of conscious effort" : exploring how protective factors contribute to resiliency in parents who have experienced traumatic events in childhood, Annelies J. Spykman
Race and the internet : ǂb an exploratory study into the effect social media, Black lives matter, and the 2016 Presidential election have had on racial discourse, Jaime A. Stepansky
Predicting dialectic behavioral treatment outcomes in veterans at high risk for suicide, Courtney Stich
Vicarious resilience : psychotherapists' experiences working with survivors of trauma, Shilpa Esther Trivedi
Parenting one's birth child after adoption plans dissolve, Elise Trujillo
Compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction amongst Black pastors in the United States, Courtney E'clair Tucker
Ektropi, Stephanie Turner
Just a "wnt" of division : the role of wnt5b in radial glial proliferation and differentiation during Zebrafish spinal cord development, Carla Michelle Vélez García
"Without roofs are the houses" : an exploration of ceremonies in indigenous communities, a pathway to healing and to the forgotten, Denis C. Vidal
The construction of religion in social work education, Michael Waldon
Social justice discourse in American social work : a critical discourse analysis of "Social justice" in Social service review, 1927-2013, Jenny Walton-Wetzel
Disciplining myths and ambivalence : a biopolitical and phenomenological encountering of intergenerational parental child abuse in the United States, Avian Weiswerda
Patients' perceptions of stressors in the intensive care unit : a meta-analysis, Nancy Sohier Welch
Mind, body, & spirit : an ecological community-based approach to healthy aging, Emily Widra
We are all this, Whitney Rose Wilson
If not now, when? : how activists create a third space around Israel/Palestine on the American Jewish left, Jennifer Wyron
A critical look through the eyes of youth : a study examining high school student experiences of disrespect from teachers in relation to race and anxiety and depression, Annika L. Marques Yokum
Masters Theses from 2016
Social workers and nurses in labor and delivery units : supportive partnerships or parallel work lives?, Allison M. Barbey
The biodiversity of gastrointestinal nematodes in South African wildlife, Chalis J. Bird
African-American and Black women's process of learning, unlearning and resisting internalized racism, Bianca M. Blakesley
Social work professional ethics, as affected by the concept of the wounded healer : an investigation into the gatekeeping practice of clinical social work supervision, Cristina B. Bloom
How different technological mediums may reduce attitudinal barrier to the utilization of psychotherapeutic relationships, Collin T. Browne
All we know is not enough, Darcy Parker Bruce
Gender role socialization of clinical social workers and its effect on the treatment of male alexithymia, Joseph D. Burke
How does hip hop serve as a catalyst for collective resistance : "Fight the power"- a beats, rhymes, and life approach : a project based upon an investigation at Beats, Rhymes and Life, Maria Camila Camacho
Levels of perceived stress among clinicians who work with client suicidal behavior with an organizational context, Elyse A.S. Chastain
Holocaust narratives : exploration of the emotional impact of disclosure status among first, second, and third generation Holocaust survivors, April M. Christman
Clinical social work and administrative leadership : an analysis of MSW programs in United States, Amanda J. Cloninger
Refusing to relax my smile : building resistance through hip hop therapy : a project based upon an investigation at Beats, Rhymes and Life, Stephanie Clowdus
Social class in the therapeutic dyad : how do clinicians engage in dialogue about class with their clients?, Andrew L. Cohen
MassHealth (Medicaid) clinicians' perceptions of in-home therapy with children and families, Kathryn E. Cole
Moving past the culture bound syndrome : looking for acute social withdrawal outside Japan, Evan W. Correy
Deconstructing Latinx racial paradigms : cross-cultural constructions of race and their impact on Dominican-American racial identity, Jacqueline I. Cosse
Hospice social work and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Christine A. Couture
ServiceNet participatory action research program evaluation : a project based on an independent investigation at ServiceNet in Northampton, MA, Heather L. Crawford, Caroline W. Evans, and Margot E. Reilly
Self-shock : the experience of individuals relocating within the United States, Michelle Mieko Kaiulani Daggett
We were treated like machines : professionalism and anti-Blackness in social work agency culture, Mark D. Davis
The use of specialization : ǂb are artists a clinically distinct population?, Camila D. de Onis
Up with the lark, Barbara Diewald
Bringing the body into treatment : examining the clinician's experience of a trauma informed, body based intervention alongside play therapy for at risk youth, Erica Donahue and Alexandra K. Leiter
Presenting image/presenting symptoms : clinicians' diagnoses of Black women in the therapeutic space, Kim Teresa DuBose
Filial responsibility in the family of origin experiences of social workers, Aphrodite Easton
Weighing the options : professionals' weighing procedures in the treatment of eating disorder patients, Sarah M. Englaish
A metagenomic survey of the equine gastrointestinal tract pre and post treatment with an anthelmintic, Ashanta Chy'rell Ester
In their skin : a discourse on the modern tattoo experience for adults aged thirty and over, Margaret Feeney
The effects of a yoga nidra practice on mental health clinicians' perceived stress, Kyla L. Ferguson
The therapeutic use of nurturing touch with childen in play therapy, Scott S. Folsom
A qualitative study of mental health experiences and college student identity, Erin M. Frawley
Client's experiences and perceptions of the therapist's use of swear words and the resulting impact on the therapeutic alliance in the context of the therapeutic relationship, HollyAnne J. Giffin
It's time to talk about sex and social work : why human sexuality education matters for social work practice, Sophia R. Glass
Experiences of intimacy and gender non-conformity in assigned female at birth (AFAB) same-sex partnerships, Denise E. Goitia
Toxic stress : exploring mental health narratives of environmental justice in Richmond, California, Elizabeth Gonzalez
Ethical dilemmas in clinical social work practice : how are social workers affected and how do we respond?, Jennifer S, Graves
Adult adoptees and considerations of parenthood : an exploratory study examining adoption experiences and effects, Katherine E. Green
Exploration of intergenerational transmission of trauma in Holocaust survivors, Lisa S. Guthery
Masculine ideology in adolescent male relationships : a quantitative study, William D. Hall
The political birth of gay affirmative social services, José A. Hernández.
Let's talk about race : ǂb a study of racial discourse and self-esteem in transracial adoptees, Hyun-Zie Hong
Does degree matter? : an exploration into the stigmatization of mental illness by social workers and other mental health professionals, Alexandria R. Huber
The prevalence of problem gambling in the Chinese community of San Francisco with a focus on exploring treatment access, Vivian Hui and Linfang Zhao
The integrationists : exploring the experiences of third culture kid psychotherapists, Carly S. Inkpen
Maintaining community roots : understanding gentrification through the eyes of long-standing African American residents in West Oakland, Karessa Irvin
Till (un)death do us part : exploring the romanticization of adolescent dating violence in The twilight saga and the romantic relationship beliefs held by female fans of the series, Aviva H. Jacobstein
Why we (don't) run : an investigation of perceived barriers to and perceived benefits of participation in physical activity, Joanna Marie Johnson
Analysis of seal heartworm (Acanthocheilonema spirocauds) and identification of unknown harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) parasites using molecular techniques, Caroline Dana Keroack
Xq28 sex-linked inversion polymorphism : a teaching laboratory exercise, a population genetics study, Caitlyn Shayne Kirby
HIV-serodiscordant couples, pre-exposure, prophylaxis and relationship satisfaction, Eli Latto
Differential diagnosis of emerging and young adult disorders : a case vignette study of PTSD and psychotic disorders, Elizabeth L. Liepold
The true story of the decay of the hollow and the impending tragedy of darkness. Final chapter: "dead skin floating in the slut jacuzzi", Emily Lukasewski
Engram triptych, Bronwen MacArthur
A clinical response to a community issue : exploring Hartford's youth exposure to community violence in a community-based agency, Alicia M. Mamula
Clinicians' experience of diagnosing children with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and pediatric bipolar disorder (PBD), Lenni Marcus
Student satisfaction with the quality and quantity of mental health services offered by their MSW programs, Willa R. Mayo
Freedom's struggle : a play in one act, Kathleen Ramona Marie Mosley
Experience of the undocumented worker in the Berkshires : an exploratory study, Tristan Muriel
Coping with incarcerated-related stress : a study of coping responses by women romantically involved with incarcerated men, Jaleesa I. Myers
ADHD or PTSD? : exploring the overdiagnosis of ADHD in minority boys with the potential of PTSD, Megan A. Negron
Social workers' education, training, and experience in practice with clients bereaved by suicide death, Nicole S. Nejad
Evidence of biotic and abiotic effects in small, warm-margin distribution limit populations of a northern forest herb, Clintonia borealis (Liliaceae), Karyn Rae Nelson
Transfigured treatment : a comparative needs and specialized services assessment of transgender youth and gender specialist providers in the Bay Area, Lark E. Nierenberg
"Stop resisting!" : an exploratory study of police brutality and its impacts on Black and Latino males, their communities, mental health and healing, Manuel A. Ortiz
Competition and coexistence : interactions between the two herbivorous marine gastropods, Littorina littorea and L. obtusata, Alysha Barbara Putnam
How I got over : young African American men tell the story of how they achieved academic success : a descriptive study, Rebecca M.C. Ramer