Campus Location
Dallas Campus (Online)
Date of Award
2-2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Department
Organizational Leadership
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Committee Chair or Primary Advisor
Robert Voelkel
Second Committee Member or Secondary Advisor
Jeff Cranmore
Third Committee Member or Committee Reader
John Kellmayer
Abstract
The child welfare system in the United States requires collaboration across various agencies in the provision of services. Although collaboration between mental health therapists and state agencies is fundamental when the goal is to provide quality care and achieve positive outcomes for families involved with Child Protective Services (CPS), the system is characterized as complicated and fragmented. Using Bronstein’s 2003 model of interprofessional collaboration to understand the dynamics of collaboration between mental health therapists and CPS workers in Texas, this qualitative descriptive research study described mental health therapists’ perceptions of collaborating with CPS workers in delivering therapy services to CPS-involved families, the benefits of smooth transitional intervention services, and the coordination of services by CPS workers to facilitate family reunification. Purposive sampling of six mental health therapists allowed for participants to engage in semistructured individual interviews. Four major themes emerged from the study: (a) communication and collaboration, (b) time, (c) organization of caseworker procedures, and (d) reunification. Bias and challenges emerged as secondary themes. Implications for changes in policies and practices and additional research are presented. Keywords: interagency collaboration, child protective services, child welfare, family reunification, mental health therapists
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Fields, Tamara P., "Voices From the Field: Mental Health Therapists' Perceptions of Collaboration With Child Protective Services Workers" (2025). Digital Commons @ ACU, Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 858.
https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/etd/858