Teorie sociální práce

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Margita Mesárošová - Miroslava Köverová - Soňa Lovašová

Intervention Program for Supporting Self-Care in Helping Professions: "How Do I Take Care of Myself?" The intervention program "How Do I Take Care of Myself?" was developed as part of the research project APVV14-0921, "Self-Care as a Factor in Coping with the Negative Consequences of Engaging in Helping Professions." Its uniqueness lies in being created based on specific research outputs from the program's authors and project.

In the first chapter, the authors offer insights into the preparation of the intervention program, justifying its theoretical foundations, methods, and specifics of the program participants. They also provide an overview of research on the effectiveness of various intervention programs aimed at reducing the negative consequences of helping and enhancing self-care and other positive effects of engaging in helping professions. Subsequent chapters focus on a detailed analysis and evaluation of the effectiveness of the intervention program "How Do I Take Care of Myself?" and its comparison with the effectiveness of other programs, which were differently focused, targeted at different populations of helping professionals, and had different theoretical and practical orientations and foundations. Most of these studies demonstrated positive changes only in isolated cases, due to various methodological shortcomings often related to practical application.

What differentiates the intervention program presented in this monograph is the participation of helping professionals actively practicing in the social field, unlike most intervention programs compiled and validated for students of these professions. The student population, being more accessible to researchers, allows for better methodology, including a larger number of participants, as well as experimental manipulation and group balancing. In the case of participants in the validation of the program "How Do I Take Care of Myself?", it involved practitioners who are engaged in the daily work process and completed training during their work breaks, which placed high demands on balancing their work and personal tasks. We believe that the effects we discovered during the validation of the effectiveness of the presented intervention program were not always clearly mathematically graspable but were evident from individual feedback.

We present the text of this monograph to the professional public with the aim of highlighting the benefits, limitations of the intervention program, as well as inspiring researchers and practitioners to further work in this area.

Authors

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Soňa Lovašová

If we were to conduct a study on the popularity of subjects among social work students, the subjects of Research Methodology and Statistics would likely rank low on the list. It is precisely the lack of popularity of research methodology among students that led to the preparation of this textbook. The stylistic approach of this text was chosen with the intention of introducing the fundamentals of methodology to students encountering it for the first time, without alienating methodologists. The text primarily serves as a teaching aid for the course "Exercise in Research Methodology" and the seminars "Bachelor Thesis Seminar" and "Master's Thesis Seminar." Throughout the entire textbook, examples and case studies are interwoven and visually highlighted. The text endeavors to address the fundamental question that is key to motivating and understanding the essence of research methodology: why is research necessary for social workers? The aim of the textbook is to facilitate students' preparation for the Research Methodology course and to enhance their understanding of the basics of research methodology.

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Lukáš Šutor (ed.)

The current sixth volume of the Doctoral Miscellanea consists of eight contributions from four study programs, with two contributions also involving authors outside of doctoral studies. Given the limitations on the length of individual contributions and the uniqueness of the research, the authors have chosen varying widths and depths in presenting their dissertation topics. Some contributions serve as an introduction to the issues, others provide a summary of previous results, and still others focus on a detailed analysis of a specific problem. These three approaches may not only reveal the stage of research in which the doctoral candidate finds themselves but also their potential research priorities.

The main commonality across all issues of the proceedings remains interdisciplinary diversity, which shows a certain continuity. Specific themes appear regularly. In these cases, alongside alternating doctoral candidates, the key figure is the supervisor (in the role of co-author) and their research focus/project in which the doctoral candidates participate. This development of research continuity is particularly evident in contributions from the field of social work.

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Veronika Vasiľová - Soňa Lovašová

The formation of social work as a scientific discipline is not a completed process because of with changes in society also change social problems that need to be identified and analyzed with the intention to develop methodological solutions aimed at preventing and interventing these social problems.For this reason, the field of social work as such is constantly expanding, as its dynamic nature makes it possible to respond to emerging social problems and react to the needs of society.

Social work in the school environment is a functioning science field abroad.In the conditions of the Slovak Republic, this area of social work is still missing.Therefore, the monograph deals with the possibilities of social work in the school environment in Slovakia. 

The monograph is primarily intended for the professionals working in the field of social work and in the third sector with children and youth.

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Lucia Tóthová

Počet ľudí so zdravotným znevýhodnením neustále rastie, čo predstavuje výzvu aj pre oblasť sociálnej práce. Tá zohráva kľúčovú úlohu v podpore týchto osôb a hľadaní efektívnych spôsobov napĺňania ich potrieb.

Vysokoškolská učebnica vznikla v rámci riešenia projektu KEGA č. 018UPJŠ-4/2024 s názvom „PhotoVoice ako inovatívna metóda advokácie sociálnych potrieb ľudí so sluchovým postihnutím“. Je prvou časťou viacdielneho cyklu, ktorý sa venuje rôznym aspektom tejto problematiky. Učebnica analyzuje historické a teoretické východiská, terminológiu a modely zdravotného znevýhodnenia. Venuje sa špecifikám vybraných druhov zmyslového znevýhodnenia. Osobitná pozornosť sa upriamuje na sociálne potreby týchto osôb a advokácii v sociálnej práci, pričom zdôraznený je význam aktívneho zapojenia ľudí so zdravotným znevýhodnením do riešenia vlastných životných situácií.

Okrem poskytovania odborných poznatkov môže učebnica slúžiť aj ako podnet na hlbšiu reflexiu vlastného prístupu k ľuďom so zdravotným znevýhodnením a na rozvoj citlivého prístupu k ľuďom so zdravotným znevýhodnením. Navyše, učebnica obsahuje vybrané prvky tzv. jasnej tlače, čím podporuje jej prístupnosť.

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Soňa Lovašová (ed.)

Proceedings of the Scientific Conference with International Participation held on November 28, 2014, in Košice

Social work is among the helping professions that can be considered highly risky from various perspectives. The clientele utilizing social services is very diverse, often consisting of individuals in extreme life situations. It is typical for help to be sought only when the client is at rock bottom. Along with other factors, this can lead to the emergence of various risky situations. The proceedings were created within the framework of the VEGA task No. 1/0332/12 titled Analysis of Selected Risk Factors of Client Violence in Social Work with an Emphasis on Prevention of Client Violence and Preparation of Social Workers - National Mapping of the Occurrence of Client Violence Against Social Workers in Slovakia. The thematic focus of the proceedings is broader, as client violence is only one of many risks in social work. In the proceedings, the reader will find 52 articles that address the riskiness of social work from many perspectives. They offer an interesting overview of theoretical foundations as well as research findings. The numerous thematic contributions indicate that the issue of risk in social work is highly relevant and that attention is paid to it in both theory and practice.

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Soňa Lovašová - Veronika Bérešová (eds.)

Reviewed proceedings from the scientific conference with international participation held on December 1, 2023, in Košice.

This proceedings volume collects contributions from the 11th annual conference focused on adolescents, reflecting current interdisciplinary issues faced by this age group. It consists of 12 scholarly contributions addressing various aspects of adolescent life, including loneliness, risky behavior, and the phenomenon of radicalization. The contributions are organized into thematic sections, facilitating easier navigation for readers. Topics include prevention of radicalization, family factors, and mechanisms of cyberbullying. The proceedings offer both theoretical and practical insights valuable for professionals in social work, psychology, and other helping professions, aiming to enhance understanding of the current challenges faced by adolescents and propose effective solutions.

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Dušan Šlosár

The monograph Social Institutions and Social Organizations analyzes the issues of society, spheres of society, models of social coexistence, social system, social institutions and social organizations that arise within individual social institutions. From social institutions, the monograph focuses on culture, religion, education, politics, health and economics.Individual social institutions are analyzed from several sociological perspectives, which allows the creation of a broader view of the analyzed issues.

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Katarína Šiňanská, Lucia Tóthová, Tomáš Šeďo

Každý človek má potreby – od tých najzákladnejších, ako je jedlo a bezpečie, až po potrebu lásky, uznania a sebarealizácie, teda rozvoja svojho potenciálu. Tieto potreby boli zoradené do tzv. Maslowovej pyramídy, kde na seba nadväzujú podľa toho, ako veľmi sú pre náš život nevyhnutné. Ak máme uspokojené základné potreby, začneme túžiť po tých vyšších – napríklad po blízkych vzťahoch, spolupatričnosti, rešpekte a možnosti rozvíjať sa.

Ľudia so zdravotným znevýhodnením majú rovnaké potreby ako ktokoľvek iný. Rozdiel je často len v tom, že ich naplnenie je pre nich náročnejšie – nie preto, že by ich menej chceli, ale preto, že im v tom často bránia vonkajšie prekážky. Chýbajúca podpora, bariéry v prostredí, nedostatok informácií či predsudky spoločnosti spôsobujú, že sa na ich potreby zabúda. Niektoré potreby sa potom stávajú „neviditeľné“ – nie preto, že by neexistovali, ale preto, že ich okolie nevníma.

Sociálne potreby, ako je láska, priateľské vzťahy, pocit spolupatričnosti, možnosť komunikovať a byť súčasťou komunity, sú pre ľudí kľúčové. Ak nie sú naplnené, vznikajú pocity samoty, smútku, bezmocnosti či frustrácie. Z výskumov vieme, že osamelosť alebo pocit odmietnutia môže bolieť rovnako ako fyzická bolesť. O to dôležitejšie je vnímať, že každý z nás túži po tom istom – po prijatí, rešpekte, priateľstve, láske.

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Magdaléna Hovanová (ed.)

The collection of works originated from the event of the eighteenth annual nationwide Student Scientific and Professional Activity (ŠVOČ) in the field of social work, which took place on May 12, 2022. It was organizationally overseen by the Department of Social Work of the Faculty of Arts at Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice.

Every year, this event provides an opportunity for selected top students—future professionals in social work—to meet, as well as a chance to present the level of their knowledge and their ability to apply theoretical insights and acquired skills to future social work practice.

The contributions in this collection address topics such as the risks of modern technologies in the context of social work, social support and risk factors within families in the context of adolescent radicalization processes, the issue of cyberbullying in elementary schools, Ukrainian student migration in Slovakia, factors influencing job satisfaction among social workers, and the social support of families as clients of social work during the current pandemic situation.

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Gabriel Eštok - Gabriela Szabariová - Matúš Béreš (eds.)

Presented publication is an outcome from the scientific conference for students and young scientists that took place on 12th and 13th May 2016 at the Department of Political science, Faculty of Arts, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice. The main aim of the presented is to bring up outcomes of research of young scientists and students from Slovakia, as well as from abroad. Many of the presented papers have become integral part of qualification theses of their authors.

This conference proceedings contains 22 papers in Slovak, Czech and English language thematically creating four different parts.

Papers regarding international relations or issues exceeding a level of state power are dealing with issues of globalization, counterculture, international terrorism, extremism and a role of the EU in the Arctic. Papers dealing with the situation in the Slovak republic and abroad cover reform of security in Slovakia and in Romania, issue of dealing with totalitarian history of the states of the Visegrad group as well as development of funding of education system in Slovakia since 1919. In case of authors focusing on the socio-political situation in Slovakia we can find papers analyzing role of a reeve in city of Košice, first great political conflict during a rule of Vladimír Mečiar in Slovakia, role of Roma population in political environment in Slovakia, but also those concerning local activist or action groups and examining attitude of nursing care students towards euthanasia. The conference proceedings contents also four papers regarding theoretical or philosophical issues.

Their authors focused on topic of social state, social equality, democratic theories and transformation of human nature in “post-human” era.

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Olga Klepáčková - Zuzana Krejčí - Martina Černá

Představuje trauma ojedinělou událost, či se jedná o téměř univerzální zkušenost, která se dotýká přímo či nepřímo každého z nás? Jaké příběhy si nesou ti, kteří potřebují pomoc? Jak lépe rozumět jejich navenek problémovému nebo sebedestruktivnímu chování? Proč je pro mnohé klienty tak těžké vnímat svět jako bezpečné místo i mnoho let po traumatické události? Jak účinně pomoci klientům a přinést jim do života novou naději? Odpovědi na tyto a mnohé další otázky pomáhá najít tato kniha, která je první českou publikací věnovanou tématu trauma-informovaného přístupu v sociální práci. 

Tento přístup klade důraz na silné stránky, resilienci a rozvoj zdravých dovedností klienta místo zaměření výhradně na patologii a pouhé řešení symptomů. 

Kniha srozumitelnou formou přináší zejména odborným pracovníkům pomáhajících profesí a studentům sociálně zaměřených oborů nový úhel pohledu na klienty a jejich potřeby, vlastní roli v životech těchto klientů, na význam a možný přínos vzájemného vztahu a také možnosti, jak zejména klientům zasaženým traumatem lépe porozumět, jak je podpořit a účinně jim v rámci poskytované služby pomoci.
Pomáhá sociálním a dalším odborným pracovníkům najít si cestu i k těm nejzranitelnějším a nejohroženějším klientům, jejichž životy jsou v důsledku prožitého traumatu často plné chaosu, obav a strachu, otřesené ztrátou zdravých vztahů s druhými, ztrátou pocitu důvěry, bezpečí a kontroly. Pomáhá naučit se přijímat klienty s ohleduplnějším a respektujícím postojem a lépe si uvědomit, jak je může minulost ovlivňovat v současnosti a jakou formu podpory a péče skutečně potřebují. 

Publikace se věnuje nejen teoretickým východiskům trauma-informovaného přístupu, ale také jeho využití v práci s vybranými cílovými skupinami a je obohacena o pohled a zkušenosti českých i zahraničních odborných pracovníků z aplikační sféry. Nepřináší však jen odborné poznatky – je také laskavým ujištěním o odvaze, nezlomnosti navzdory okolnostem a síle lidskosti.

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Milan Douša - Tatiana Gmitrová - Oskar Tóth - Matúš Vyrostko (eds.)

Peer-reviewed proceedings of contributions from the 5th year of the doctoral students' scientific conference, February 6, 2020

The dynamically evolving contemporary society creates expectations and demands among citizens for public administration to be efficient, reliable, open, professional, and fast. New theories of knowledge, in connection with constant changes, must also include practical application and reflection of these characteristics in the public administration system in practice. For this reason, it is important to pay attention to new approaches from both theoretical and practical perspectives to the application of modern public administration in the conditions of the V4 countries.

Given that public administration is an interdisciplinary scientific discipline that utilizes knowledge from a wide range of scientific fields and thus enables a comprehensive approach to solving problems of modern public administration, the peer-reviewed proceedings of contributions from the doctoral students' scientific conference are divided into three sections: socio-economic, political science, and legal. The sections eruditely respond to current public administration problems from both theoretical and practical perspectives.

PhDr. Milan Douša
Chairman of the Organizing Committee

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Magdaléna Halachová - Vladimír Lichner - Katarína Šiňanská (eds.)

Proceedings of Contributions from the Scientific Conference Held on April 25, 2013, in Košice

The proceedings of contributions from the scientific conference were created as part of the national round of the Student Scientific and Professional Activities event in the field of study 3.1.14 Social Work, which took place on April 25, 2013, in Košice.

The central theme of the proceedings focuses on addressing various problem areas within social work as both an academic discipline and a practical activity. These contributions were prepared by students and young researchers under the guidance of experienced professionals. The topics covered in the proceedings include issues such as social services, field social work, school social work, and similar areas. Additionally, they highlight the dangers of socio-pathological phenomena such as truancy, drug addiction, poverty, bullying, and more.

The presented results clearly demonstrate the importance of social work and other helping professions in working with specific client groups.

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Lucia Tóthová

The monograph offers a comprehensive perspective on the theoretical, methodological, and empirical dimensions of participatory visual research within the field of social work. It is grounded in the understanding that social work plays a crucial role in amplifying the voices of vulnerable groups and promoting social justice, with particular attention paid to persons with disabilities who frequently encounter limited opportunities for participation as well as persistent social, communicative, and environmental barriers. The author analyses the concept of participation in alignment with the principle of “Nothing about us without us” and presents the PhotoVoice method as an interdisciplinary tool that integrates participatory action research, critical pedagogy, feminist epistemologies, and documentary photography. The method is understood not only as a research technique but also as a form of visual advocacy, enabling participants to articulate their experiences, needs, and perspectives in ways accessible to both professional audiences and the wider public. The monograph reflects on the development of PhotoVoice in international scholarship and highlights its potential to transcend traditional academic boundaries toward participatory and transformative practice in social work. The empirical section comprises three projects conducted by the author in the Slovak context, focusing on diverse groups of persons with disabilities and their families, who face specific social needs and everyday barriers. The findings demonstrate the potential of PhotoVoice to strengthen participation through accessible and meaningful visual tools. The monograph also addresses methodological, ethical, and terminological considerations and adopts an inclusive understanding of disability consistent with contemporary approaches in social work.

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Zuzana Dankulincová a kol.

The scientific monograph is the output of the Care4Youth project, which aimed to map the current system of care for adolescents with emotional and behavioral problems (EBP) in Slovakia. It captures what the care system is and what its possible shortcomings are from the perspective of all those affected (adolescents with problems, their parents, care providers and other institutions involved).

It also looks at the trajectory of adolescents with EBP in the care system, i.e. when and how adolescents with problems enter and leave the care system, or pass from one type of care to another and what impact different trajectories have on them.

Last but not least, the aim of the monograph was to provide expert information on what are the risk and protective factors that will affect their success in the care system or, conversely, that threaten them. All this in order to support the proposal for improvements in the care system that would benefit all stakeholders.

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