Gay adoptive fathers and their children are becoming more visible in American society. Consequently, a deeper understanding is needed of the challenges and opportunities gay fathers experience in social interactions. Using a phenomenological approach, gay adoptive fathers from 20 families were interviewed about their experiences parenting as gay men. Although fathers led fulfilling lives as parents, many of them faced uninvited social interactions that reminded them of their place in a heterosexual order. These reminders of heteronormativity included scrutiny about their parenting, concerns about the well‐being of their children, and decisions regarding disclosing information about their families. This article illustrates the use of a social constructionist lens to understand the emotional burdens gay adoptive fathers carry navigating these interactions in public settings. By narrowing the focus on such encounters, this article attunes practitioners and educators to gay fathers' emotional worlds while deepening their understanding of the social fabric of heteronormativity.
Informed by an empirically-based implementation model, this study examined how social work faculty, student, and fieldwork instructor approaches to using the evidence-based SBIRT protocol affected implementation and model fidelity. Data were obtained from two rounds of focus groups with three groups of stakeholders (faculty, students, and fieldwork instructors) about their experiences teaching, learning, using, and supervising SBIRT and were analyzed using a hybrid inductive and deductive process. Analyses yielded three main categories of approaches: those that impeded implementation and model fidelity; those that supported implementation but were not congruent with model fidelity; and those that supported both implementation and model fidelity. Lack of consciousness about model fidelity was an issue across groups. Efforts to find a fit between the protocol, settings, and professional approaches to social work often led to implementation but questionable model fidelity. Repeated exposure to new material and opportunities to engage with it, having specific tools, and supporting learners' efforts to uphold social work values can promote faithful implementation.