Jack Nowicki | The University of Texas at Austin (original) (raw)
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Papers by Jack Nowicki
New Designs for Youth Development, 1994
A community-based family and youth services agency's experiences integrating solution-focused and... more A community-based family and youth services agency's experiences integrating solution-focused and competency-based approaches into a federally-funded runaway shelter; including replacing the structured level system with individualized programming designed around each youth's and their family's (when appropriate) goals and needs.
In this issue on transitions we want to share our thoughts about residential treatment centers (R... more In this issue on transitions we want to share our thoughts about residential treatment centers (RTCs) transitioning from level systems to individualized, youth-centered programming. For years, residential treatment of youth has been about working with out-of-home youth to change behavior in ways that can be helpful to them in fitting back into home-like placement situations. From the early days of orphanages through the era of institutional care, up until the present day short-term, focused change work with youth, the philosophy of caring for these youth has evolved based on several variables: the existing structures available for children and youth; the intent of group placement of youth; and the prevailing theory or approach guiding such placement. Early on, through the 40's and 50's, as residential child care developed the literature and debates centered on the purposes of residential care and the beginnings of fitting this particular out-of-home care into a continuum of care from least restrictive care (foster homes) to most restrictive care (hospitals and RTCs) (Leiberman, 2004). The academic debates were about whether care was for healing youth or correcting their behavior, and about which theory about change would rule. Therapeutic residential care became labeled as residential 'treatment' and was situated to work with " …youth whom nobody could handle and that they (treatment centers) had a special ability not found in other settings to help these children get better "
Experiencing seclusion and restraint while in therapeutic care can have damaging effects on youth... more Experiencing seclusion and restraint while in therapeutic care
can have damaging effects on youth who have experienced
trauma. Our organization, the Texas Network of Youth Services,
with funding from the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health, has
been working with Texas Residential Treatment Centers (RTCs) to
reduce their restraints and use of seclusion, using the Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Six
Core Strategies to Prevent Conflict and Violence as a guide and
protocol. Concurrent with this project we have been helping these
RTCs to make decisions related to more collaborative and client-centered approaches to use with youth, including the notion of replacing their level systems with individualized, youth-centered programming. This article reports on how the transition from level systems to ward more individualized programming can be a helpful approach to decreasing the use of restraint in residential treatment while increasing the youth’s sense of safety and participation in their treatment.
Assessment: a sourcebook for social work practice, 1993
Families in Society, Dec 1, 1993
1. Social service agencies are moving increasingly to brief models that require social workers to... more 1. Social service agencies are moving increasingly to brief models that require social workers to provide rapid assessments of their clients. Recent innovations in computerized assessments have suggested methods to collect data from clients by means of assessment tools. The authors describe a computerized assessment system, which was developed to collect information in a brief, crisis-oriented youth-services agency. The assessment system is illustrated with a case from the agency. The development process is ...
Journal of Systemic Therapies, 1997
Franklin, C., Corcoran, J., Nowicki, J., & Streeter, C. (1997) Using client self-anchored... more Franklin, C., Corcoran, J., Nowicki, J., & Streeter, C. (1997) Using client self-anchored scales to measure outcomes in solution-focused therapy. Journal of Systemic Therapies (16) 3. pp. 246-265.
Thesis Chapters by Jack Nowicki
Master's of Science in Social Work Thesis, Univeristy of Texas at Arlington, 1979
The need for education for social work advocates has been documented in the literature since 1969... more The need for education for social work advocates has been documented in the literature since 1969, when the NASW's Ad Hoc Committee on Advocacy concluded that social workers lacked the knowledge and behavioral repertoire to advocate successfully for clients. Similarily, the need for further research on all aspects of advocacy has been indicated over the years.
This paper reports the findings of a study of one aspect of the advocacy process: specifically Child Welfare workers' ability to disciminate between diverse behavioral approaches to case advocacy give different situations involving three selected target systems.
New Designs for Youth Development, 1994
A community-based family and youth services agency's experiences integrating solution-focused and... more A community-based family and youth services agency's experiences integrating solution-focused and competency-based approaches into a federally-funded runaway shelter; including replacing the structured level system with individualized programming designed around each youth's and their family's (when appropriate) goals and needs.
In this issue on transitions we want to share our thoughts about residential treatment centers (R... more In this issue on transitions we want to share our thoughts about residential treatment centers (RTCs) transitioning from level systems to individualized, youth-centered programming. For years, residential treatment of youth has been about working with out-of-home youth to change behavior in ways that can be helpful to them in fitting back into home-like placement situations. From the early days of orphanages through the era of institutional care, up until the present day short-term, focused change work with youth, the philosophy of caring for these youth has evolved based on several variables: the existing structures available for children and youth; the intent of group placement of youth; and the prevailing theory or approach guiding such placement. Early on, through the 40's and 50's, as residential child care developed the literature and debates centered on the purposes of residential care and the beginnings of fitting this particular out-of-home care into a continuum of care from least restrictive care (foster homes) to most restrictive care (hospitals and RTCs) (Leiberman, 2004). The academic debates were about whether care was for healing youth or correcting their behavior, and about which theory about change would rule. Therapeutic residential care became labeled as residential 'treatment' and was situated to work with " …youth whom nobody could handle and that they (treatment centers) had a special ability not found in other settings to help these children get better "
Experiencing seclusion and restraint while in therapeutic care can have damaging effects on youth... more Experiencing seclusion and restraint while in therapeutic care
can have damaging effects on youth who have experienced
trauma. Our organization, the Texas Network of Youth Services,
with funding from the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health, has
been working with Texas Residential Treatment Centers (RTCs) to
reduce their restraints and use of seclusion, using the Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Six
Core Strategies to Prevent Conflict and Violence as a guide and
protocol. Concurrent with this project we have been helping these
RTCs to make decisions related to more collaborative and client-centered approaches to use with youth, including the notion of replacing their level systems with individualized, youth-centered programming. This article reports on how the transition from level systems to ward more individualized programming can be a helpful approach to decreasing the use of restraint in residential treatment while increasing the youth’s sense of safety and participation in their treatment.
Assessment: a sourcebook for social work practice, 1993
Families in Society, Dec 1, 1993
1. Social service agencies are moving increasingly to brief models that require social workers to... more 1. Social service agencies are moving increasingly to brief models that require social workers to provide rapid assessments of their clients. Recent innovations in computerized assessments have suggested methods to collect data from clients by means of assessment tools. The authors describe a computerized assessment system, which was developed to collect information in a brief, crisis-oriented youth-services agency. The assessment system is illustrated with a case from the agency. The development process is ...
Journal of Systemic Therapies, 1997
Franklin, C., Corcoran, J., Nowicki, J., & Streeter, C. (1997) Using client self-anchored... more Franklin, C., Corcoran, J., Nowicki, J., & Streeter, C. (1997) Using client self-anchored scales to measure outcomes in solution-focused therapy. Journal of Systemic Therapies (16) 3. pp. 246-265.
Master's of Science in Social Work Thesis, Univeristy of Texas at Arlington, 1979
The need for education for social work advocates has been documented in the literature since 1969... more The need for education for social work advocates has been documented in the literature since 1969, when the NASW's Ad Hoc Committee on Advocacy concluded that social workers lacked the knowledge and behavioral repertoire to advocate successfully for clients. Similarily, the need for further research on all aspects of advocacy has been indicated over the years.
This paper reports the findings of a study of one aspect of the advocacy process: specifically Child Welfare workers' ability to disciminate between diverse behavioral approaches to case advocacy give different situations involving three selected target systems.