Saint-Louis, N. & Bourolly, J. N. (2018). Narrative intervention: Stories from the front lines of oncology healthcare. Social Work in Health Care. 57(8), 637-655.
Abstract: This study examined the experiences of health care professionals who participated in monthly narrative oncology groups. Ten professionals participated in separate, semi-structured, face-to-face interviews. Using a qualitative research design, the transcriptions of the interviews were analyzed using a phenomenological approach. The analysis yielded descriptive information about the professionals’ positive experiences of participating in narrative oncology sessions and provides insight into the importance of such a group through five themes: (1) Shared perspectives and bearing witness, (2) Comfort in confidentiality and a safe-space, (3) Group-care becomes self-care, (4) Writing gives structure, and (5) Patient stories. Implications for incorporating narrative intervention in an oncology setting are discussed in this paper.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00981389.2018.1474836
Bourjolly, J., Sands, R. G., Finley, L., & Pernell-Arnold, A. (2015). The emergence of conflict in a multicultural training group: The anatomy of a disorienting dilemma. Journal of Transformative Learning. 3(2), 84-104.
Abstract: Bourjolly, Sands, Finley, and Arnold examine conflict in a multicultural training group for mental health practitioners. They used qualitative research methods to track the process as it unfolded. In this paper, they describe a critical case that elicited conflict and use transformative learning theory and postmodernism as lenses for understanding the event. A succession of comments perceived as insults or microaggressions served as predecessors to a disorienting dilemma that sparked strong emotional reactions and set the group on a course of transformative learning. They also discuss problematic cross-cultural communication styles and group dynamics related to the microaggression and describe the instructors’ reflections. The paper concludes with implications for dealing with the emergence of conflict related to microaggressions in the classroom and the challenges of intense affect in relation to race, gender, and class. Although our critical case took place in a continuing education training class in multicultural practice, situations like this also occur in university courses and other educational settings.
https://jotl.uco.edu/index.php/jotl/article/view/119
Davitt, J., Bourjolly, J., Frasso, R. & Bowles, K. (2015). Understanding inequities in home healthcare outcomes: Staff views on agency and system factors. Research in Gerontological Nursing. 8(3), 119-29.
Abstract: Results regarding staff perspectives on contributing factors to racial/ethnic disparities in home health care outcomes are discussed. Focus group interviews were conducted with home health care staff (N = 23) who represented various agencies from three Northeastern states. Participants identified agency and system factors that contribute to disparities, including: (a) administrative staff bias/discretion, (b) communication challenges, (c) patient/staff cultural discordance, (d) cost control, and (e) poor access to community resources. Participants reported that bias can influence staff at all levels and is expressed via poor coverage of predominantly minority service areas, resulting in reduced intensity and continuity of service for minority patients.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25706958
