Financial therapy is used to address the psychological, emotional, and behavioral components involved in the process of learning and utilizing new financial literacy skills. This study describes the use of a manualized financial therapy financial therapy intervention, the Five-Step Model, as it is piloted in a group setting. Current economic theories support the use of an intervention model that differs from traditional financial literacy teachings. Behavioral economics and the Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change is used as a foundation for the Five-Step Model. A case study illustrates the key principles and effectiveness of the intervention model. Reflections and feedback from the members of the group are provided, along with a discussion of implications and directions for further inquiry.

The names of faculty employed by the 76 member social work programs of the Group for the Advancement of Doctoral Education in Social Work were retrieved via a web-search. This resulted in a list of 2204 social work faculty. Their individual H-Indices were then obtained, using either the Publish or Perish software, or via manual calculations from Google Scholar. The top 100 most influential contemporary social work faculty were identified, resulting in a listing of individuals who have published relatively large numbers of scholarly works which themselves have been subsequently highly cited. Apart from recognizing these productive individuals, listing them and their home institutions will permit future researchers to examine the causes and correlates of high academic productivity.

Purpose This study builds on previous investigations on the scholarship of social work faculty using h-index scores. The purpose of this paper is to compare two methods of determining the excellence of social work doctoral programs. Design/methodology/approach This study compared rankings in 75 social work doctoral programs using h-index vs the US News and World Report (USNWR) list. The accuracy of predicting scholarly productivity from USNWR rankings was determined by joint membership in the same quantile block. Information on USNWR rankings, h-index, years of experience, academic rank, and faculty gender were collected. Regression analysis was used in creating a predictive model. Findings Only 39 percent of USNWR rankings accurately predicted which programs had their reputation and scholarly productivity in the same rating block. Conversely, 41 percent of programs had reputations in a higher block than their scholarly productivity would suggest. The regression model showed that while h-index was a strong predictor of USNWR rank ( b =0.07, 95% CI: 0.05, 0.08), additional variance was explained by the unique contributions of faculty size ( b =0.01, 95% CI: 0.01, 0.02), college age ( b =0.002, 95% CI: <0.001, 0.003), and location in the southeast ( b =−0.22, 95% CI: −0.39, −0.06). Originality/value For many programs, reputation and scholarly productivity coincide. Other programs have markedly different results between the two ranking systems. Although mean program h-indices are the best predictor of USNWR rankings, caution should be used in making statements about inclusion in the “top 10” or “top 20” programs.

Social work clients need financial literacy skills. Many clients are faced with the task of overcoming increasingly complex and challenging financial obstacles that can take a dire toll on their physical and environmental stability and mental well-being. Social workers who lack skills in financial literacy are at a disadvantage when helping their clients overcome economic hardships. Financial therapy is an emerging intervention that merges techniques of psychotherapy with financial education. This integrated approach can be used by social workers in generalist settings to promote financial problem solving. Few baccalaureate social work (BSW) programs provide students with education about financial problem solving from this angle. A curriculum model and overview of a pilot course introducing BSW students to a manualized form of this approach is presented. Overall, students found the course beneficial and expressed interest in using this intervention in practice. Student feedback is reviewed, along with directions for further study.

This article discusses a case study implementing a manualized financial therapy intervention in an online setting. The benefits of financial therapy are discussed, and the pros and cons of online therapy are contrasted. A description the intervention is provided. At the conclusion of the intervention, the client and other family members reported satisfaction with this form of therapy. Using financial therapy in an online format may help reduce the service barriers that are often encountered by requiring therapy sessions to be conducted in-person, thus providing wider access to low-income clients who are most in need of these types of interventions.

The purpose of the study was to examine the productivity of faculty in social work doctoral programs. This study builds on previous investigations on the scholarship of social work faculty using the h-Index (i.e., citation analysis). This study examined the scholarly productivity of the full population (N?=?1699) of tenure-track faculty in all 76 United States social work doctoral programs by analyzing the h-Index scores of each program. Information on funding sources, regional location, year of establishment, and faculty demographics was collected to better understand why faculty and programs differ in their h-Index. A hierarchical regression analysis was used in creating a predictive model. The final model explained 51% of the variance in h-Index scores (R2?=?.51). Academic rank was the strongest predictor of school h-Index. Each school's faculty size, gender proportion, region, college age, and auspice also contributed to the predictive power of the model. The proportion of senior faculty (Associate Professors and Full Professors) and college age were the strongest predictors based on standardized regression coefficients. The finding that academic rank contributed the most variance to the regression model provides empirical support to the long-argued importance of publication in career advancement. The overall results of the model confirm that institutional factors such as faculty size, region, and auspice do have unique effects on research productivity even after accounting for individual level differences in faculty across diverse social work programs.

The current study aimed to describe financial well-being and physical health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in a convenience sample of incarcerated persons attenuated by gender and minority status. Financial well-being and physical HRQoL are inextricably linked to one another and to successful reentry among incarcerated persons. Survey respondents (n =?299) were incarcerated at a Southeastern county jail. Frequencies, descriptive statistics, and ANOVA and ANCOVA were used to meet the aforementioned aims. Incarcerated men reported higher levels of HRQoL, lower levels of financial anxiety, and higher levels of financial health than women. ANOVA results indicated statistically significant differences among groups regarding financial well-being and physical HRQoL. Subgroup differences in physical HRQoL were no longer statistically significant upon inclusion of financial well-being variables using ANCOVA. Future investigators are encouraged to capture time to release measures and recidivism data to examine the relationships among financial well-being and physical HRQoL and to explore predictive capabilities of financial self-efficacy, financial health, and financial anxiety on health and reentry outcomes among incarcerated persons.

The introduction of prevention-oriented financial therapy in foster care is presented. Consideration of emotional demands in financial literacy and therapy is examined and remedies provided that address them. Revisions to the five-step model of financial therapy are considered in terms of the needs of foster care client populations. A pared down prevention model provides aging out foster children with a means of successfully navigating lifestyle challenges. The need to empirically evaluate the prevention model is advised to demonstrate its value with this population.

Results from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) have indicated that approximately 8% of responding adolescents ages 12–17 engaged in illicit substance use during the past year; the most commonly reported substance used was marijuana (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), NSDUH series H-44, HHS publication no. (SMA) 12-4713, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Rockville, MD, 2012). Importantly, marijuana use places adolescents at risk of arrest when found in possession of cannabis. Drug abuse violations are associated with multiple consequences for the youth, their families, and communities. Policy makers, therefore, have encouraged the use of civil citations to reduce drug abuse related arrests for youth. Purpose: The current study sought to identify and describe civil citations use for youth marijuana possession. Methods: Using a secondary dataset, we examined aggregate arrests in a Central Florida county. Results: During a 3-year period, 1635 arrests were made for cannabis possession. The vast majority of such arrests were for multiple charges (n = 1272; 78%). For those arrested due to cannabis possession alone (n = 363; 22%), over 75% were adults (n = 281). Therefore, only 82 youth were arrested under the charge, accounting for less than one quarter of all arrests for F.S. §893.13.6b (2013). However, the majority of these youth were detained in juvenile assessment centers (65%, n = 59); a rate markedly higher than their adult counterparts (37%, n = 105). Discussion: Due to the concerns associated with arrest and detainment, the authors contend efforts should be made to increase use of civil citations for youth with cannabis possession when possible. Implications for policy are presented.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the role of gender and faculty rank to determine their contribution to individual variance in research productivity for doctoral social work faculty in Israel. Design/methodology/approach H-index scores were used to assess research productivity. Quantitative comparisons of the h-index scores were performed for a sample ( n =92) of social work faculty from Israeli universities with social work doctoral programs. Average h-index differences were assessed between genders at each tenure-track faculty rank and between faculty ranks for each gender. Findings Scholarly impact varied as a function of faculty rank. There was little indication of variance due to gender or the interaction of gender and rank. The average h-index of male faculty was higher than the mean h-index for women at the rank of lecturer and full professor. Women had a higher mean h-index than men at the rank of senior lecturer and associate professor. H-index means varied most at the full professor level. Originality/value Results were congruent with previous studies demonstrating that male faculty in the social sciences have higher overall h-index scores than women. However, this study was unique in its finding that this gap was reversed for Israeli social work faculty at the senior lecturer and associate professor. Further research is needed to examine the differences in publication patterns of social work faculty in different countries.

PURPOSE:This study examined the effectiveness of an abstinence education program that was sensitive to federally mandated curriculum and measures.METHODS:The intervention was delivered to 5,772 middle school and high school students. Effectiveness was assessed by a measure that was anchored on A-H themes, which are components of federally mandated curricular components of abstinence education. To better understand the relationship of different variables and determine the significance of student's improvements on the A-H measure scores, the ANCOVA was used with the pretest score and age as covariates and the use of gender and ethnicity as fixed factors in the analysis.RESULTS:While controlling for the effects of the pretest, the analyses showed that age and gender were main effects but that ethnicity did not prove to be related to the outcome scores. Results demonstrated that the effectiveness of the program decreased as adolescent boys aged. There were no significant interactions in the gender and ethnicity variables.CONCLUSIONS:The findings of this study will be beneficial to program developers in understanding what variations and demographics are most receptive to this particular abstinence-only education model. Further studies in this area are needed to evaluate the effectiveness of currently available programs.

A manualized form of financial therapy for families is proposed to decrease tensions caused by conflict arising on family members' understanding of money. When used with families, financial therapy goes beyond financial education by addressing individual behaviors and attitudes toward personal finance within the dynamics of a family system. To address a therapist's lack of formal training in family systems and/or financial therapy, a manualized form of financial therapy is introduced. A case example is presented to illustrate the benefits of this approach. This article demonstrates that therapists can use a manualized format of financial therapy for families to promote positive changes in a family's dynamics and behaviors in regards to finances.

This study reported on the results of the use of family therapy by marijuana-abusing adolescents. The investigators used a statewide each admission for state supported services. Data on 38,281 adolescent admissions were reported on their age at first use, age of admission, severity of use, ethnic and racial attributes, gender, place of residence, employment status, insurance coverage, and presence of comorbid conditions. The results showed that adolescents most likely to use family therapy were unemployed, white, less than 13 years of age, living in urban areas, experienced in marijuana use and have been judged to have a comorbid condition. Insurance coverage or gender did not influence the likelihood for adolescents to receive family therapy. The authors make recommendations on reducing the barriers to access to family therapy that were found by this study.

Financial education is becoming imperative in a society that has pitfalls for unwary consumers. To ensure effectiveness, educational strategies must take into consideration the readiness of consumers to learn the curriculum. Behavioral economics highlights the obstacles that educators face in promoting financial efficacy. Such obstacles include envy, fear, greed, and other all too familiar human failings. One innovative model, mindfulness, provides insight into the human dynamics of personal financial behaviors. This article ties together financial education, mindfulness techniques, and transtheoretical stages of readiness. The impact of gradually introduced educational tasks is presented with an eye toward clients' stages of readiness, and mindfulness addresses the emotional burdens of altering a financially profligate lifestyle.

This article examines the relationship of personal finance in a narrative-based treatment strategy as applied to couples. It builds on behavioral economics as the undergirding of an approach to financial literacy. By matching the treatment strategy with the stages of readiness for change, couples are able to gradually adopt a financially prudent lifestyle. The authors argue that the couples' conflicts about personal financial behaviors are a proxy of underlying problems in intimacy. The use of a narrative-based theory addresses how personal finances are used to control relationships.

Poor financial decision-making paradigms such as misuse of credit cards exist as ruinous forms of personal debt. Psychiatric and physical health problems arise from financial distress. Significant challenges exist for consumers to become financially solvent. Obstacles that exist in overcoming financial stressors can be explained by behavioral economic theories. These theories explain why consumers make unwise financial decisions. Research, practice implications, and a financial therapy model for improving financial decision-making skills are presented. The need for social work to ally with family economic scholars and policymakers around financial literacy and the development of effective financial therapy interventions is discussed.

Three interventions that address the emotional components of handling finances are proposed. Drawn from a stepwise model of financial therapy, the three interventions introduced here have the specific aim of incorporating the emotional attributes of traditional financial behaviors and beliefs. First, the Financial Genogram identifies family of origin issues that may affect financial behaviors; second, the Financial Landscape intervention is used when emotional stress occurs in collecting and examining financial documents; and third, the Financial Mirror broadens clients’ perspectives of their financial behaviors. Issues in future research and implementation of the Five Step model are addressed in treating financially distressed clients.

Conflicts over finances are a key reason why marital relationships dissolve. Financial literacy interventions provide a strategy to ameliorate this conflict. Because financial literacy interventions have a mixed history of success, a new model of financial counseling is presented. The model described in this article has three components: transtheoretical indicators of readiness for change, solution-focused therapeutic techniques in negotiating the stages of change, and a five step model of financial therapy. Implications for refining the practice model are given.