Publication Date
2016
Document Type
Masters Thesis
Study Type
Mixed methods
Department
School for Social Work
Keywords
ServiceNet (Northampton Mass.), ServiceNet (Northampton Mass.)-Evaluation, Community mental health services-Massachusetts-Northampton-Evaluation, Participant observation, Participatory action research, Program evaluation, Intersubjectivity, Need fulfillment, Mental health, Person-centered, Adults, Mentalism, Recovery learning community
Abstract
This research project sought to evaluate if program participants of ServiceNet’s Mental Health Recovery Services (MHRS) feel supported to meet their self defined needs and goals. These researchers were guided by the principles of Participatory Action Research (PAR) and facilitated three focus groups who designed a mixed methods survey tool to be distributed by ServiceNet Recovery Counselors. Twelve surveys were refused and returned unopened, 56 program participants received the survey envelopes and did not return them, and 34 surveys were returned completed (n=34).
Participants demonstrated high satisfaction around housing, transportation, personal growth, emotional support, feeling treated like a human being, medication information, staff training, and connection to staff. Participants reported lowest levels of need fulfillment around feeling heard if they were unsatisfied with services and feeling informed about the human rights complaint process. Qualitative analysis reveals high levels of self pathologizing attitudes, low levels of self compassion, and low levels of hope. These researchers question if greater utilization of antioppressive frameworks and practices might reduce self pathologizing perceptions and increase hope and self compassion among ServiceNet program participants. These researchers propose some project structure changes, as well as changes in demographic data collection to enable regression analyses and compare levels of satisfaction and fulfillment between different demographic variables.
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Crawford, Heather L.; Evans, Caroline W.; and Reilly, Margot E., "ServiceNet participatory action research program evaluation : a project based on an independent investigation at ServiceNet in Northampton, MA" (2016). Masters Thesis, Smith College, Northampton, MA.
https://scholarworks.smith.edu/theses/1772
Comments
iv, 150 pages. M.S.W., Smith College School for Social Work, Northampton, Ma., 2016. Includes bibliographical references (pages 115-126)