Date of Conferral
7-9-2026
Date of Award
July 2026
Degree
Doctor of Social Work (DSW)
School
Social Work
Advisor
Veronica Cano
Abstract
There was a gap in the existing strategies in social work practice regarding the structural and systemic barriers to health care treatment for clients with serious/severe mental illness (SMI). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention documented that addressing mental health destabilization in the United States is important and requires an understanding of the mental illness to be addressed, including its causal factors, the relationships between the mentally ill and their community/environment, and the methodology for effecting care. This general qualitative study explored what licensed social workers perceived as structural and systemic barriers to health care treatment access for their clients with SMI. Additionally, the study explored participants’ perceived solutions for removing the structural and systemic barriers to health care treatment access faced by clients with SMI. Systems theory provided the framework for the study. Eleven licensed social workers were recruited from a pool of licensed social workers who treat or have treated clients with SMI. The study’s key findings included services, access locations, and a public understanding believed to be necessary to reduce/eliminate systemic and structural barriers to treatment for clients with SMI. The potential implications include a holistic health care treatment approach and public sentiment toward the client and others, including acceptance of others and the provision and receipt of quality health care.
Recommended Citation
White, Myron Curtis, "Licensed Social Workers’ Perceived Structural and Systemic Treatment Barriers for Clients With Severe Mental Illness" (2026). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 20348.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/20348
