Marriage & Family Therapy News
Three Falk Students Receive Fellowship Honors from the AAMFT
From SU News, By Michele Barrett –
Jennifer Coppola, Gift Nleko and Shaelise M. Tor, graduate students in Falk College’s Department of Marriage and Family Therapy and School of Social Work, are recipients of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy’s (AAMFT) Research & Education Foundation Minority Fellowships. The AAMFT’s Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) includes a competitive review and selection process of doctoral and master’s students from across the country to support their growth and development as future practitioners in marriage and family therapy.
The AAMFT MFP fellowships include awards for doctoral students at the dissertation completion stage of their curriculum, which Coppola received. Nleko was awarded the Now is the Time MFP fellowship as a master’s student interested in service provision to the nation’s youth. Tor received the doctoral fellowship to support completion of her pre-dissertation core curriculum.
Funded by a grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the AAMFT Foundation has created the MFP to support the training of practitioners or practitioner/researchers in culturally competent mental health and substance abuse services, treatment, and prevention.
Jennifer Coppola, a doctoral candidate, has a background in human development from the University of Rochester. Trained on the Transgender Treatment Team at Falk College’s Couple and Family Therapy Center at Peck Hall, her current research investigates couple relational processes, including the impact of gender, sexual, and racial minority stress. Her dissertation focuses on attachment and fairness-related relational experiences of transgender women and their cisgender partners. She hopes to progress her research to include conceptualizing integrative therapeutic models that serve marginalized populations. Clinically, her work is dedicated to the transgender and LGBQ+ communities, and multistressed couples and families. She uses contextual and attachment theories, an affirmative intersectional lens, and emotionally-focused couples therapy (EFT).
Coppola presents her research work and model of couples therapy nationally and internationally. “I believe in utilizing a self-of-the-therapist approach to training. Cultural humility in clinical practice involves a lifelong commitment to reflection and disassembling power and privilege,” she says. Upon graduation, Jennifer plans to continue teaching in the MFT field, and extend her research. She also has a part-time private practice.
Gift Nleko, a native of Nigeria, was diagnosed with polio at age 3. Due to the civil war in Nigeria, she and her family sought political asylum in Houston, Texas, when she was 9. “My experiences as a disabled Nigerian-American refugee inspire my work with diverse, underrepresented and socially disadvantaged populations,” she says. Having graduated from Lamar University with a B.S. in psychology, she immediately enrolled in Falk College’s dual master’s program in social work and marriage family therapy. She has gained hands-on experience providing therapy at the Couple and Family Therapy Center, serving clients with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders at Family Counseling Services- Cortland, and co facilitating the Domestic Violence Group and Healthy Relationships workshop series at the YWCA of Syracuse & Onondaga County.
Gift currently interns at the Syracuse University Counseling Center, providing mental health and substance abuse services, while contributing to a diverse campus environment. Her past research as a McNair Scholar focused on the effect of father absence on adult daughter’s mate selection. She will continue exploring the correlation between father absence, mental health, substance abuse, trauma and relational attachment.
Shaelise M. Tor is a second-year doctoral student who completed an M.S. in marriage and family therapy at the University of Rochester. Her current research interests include participatory research with refugee and immigrant populations; the impact of race and cross-cultural relationships in family therapy and advocacy; families involved with multiple systems of care; and relational ethics and attachment injuries. She currently serves clients in an outpatient couple and family therapy center as well as in a satellite, community-based clinic utilizing a postmodern attachment and experiential approach that emphasizes resilience and the impact of power and oppression.
“I hope to increase access to culturally humble mental health care and decrease barriers to care by utilizing non-traditional modalities of therapy,” she says. Upon completion of her doctoral studies, it is her goal to be on the faculty at a university where she can conduct research, teach, and supervise future generations of therapists.
The American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) is the professional association for the field of marriage and family therapy, representing the professional interests of more than 50,000 marriage and family therapists throughout the United States, Canada and abroad. The AAMFT Research & Education Foundation funds systemic and relational research, scholarship and education to support and enhance the practice of systemic and relational therapies to advance the health care continuum, and improve client outcomes.
Explore Falk Graduate Programs at November 2 Info Session
Syracuse University’s Falk College will host a Graduate Information Session on Friday, November 2 in Falk Complex, White Hall, Room 335 across from the Falk College Admissions Suite. Faculty, staff, and current students will welcome potential graduate students interested in helping professions in counseling, therapy, public policy, and advocacy; health professions such as public health, epidemiology, nutrition, and wellness; as well as careers in sport and sporting events management. The two-hour event will start at 4 p.m. and will include a brief overview presentation, a question and answer session, and time to meet with faculty and students. Light refreshments will be served.
Detailed information will be provided on graduate programs in human development and family science (M.A., M.S., Ph.D.), food studies (M.S.), global health (M.S.), public health (M.S.), marriage and family therapy (M.A., Ph.D.), social work (M.S.W.) as well as the dual degree program (M.A./M.S.W.) in marriage and family therapy and social work, nutrition science (M.A., M.S.), and sport venue and event management (M.S.).
Details on Falk College Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) programs in addiction studies, child therapy, dietetic internship, global health, food studies, and trauma-informed practice will also be provided.
Admissions staff will be available at the information session to meet with students and provide information on academic programs, housing, and scholarships, including the new Falk College Scholarship Merit Award program for high achieving Syracuse University undergraduate students applying to a Falk College master’s degree program in 2019.
For more information about this event, and to register for it, contact Falk College Admissions at 315.443.5555, email falk@syr.edu.
Department of Marriage and Family Therapy Statement of Support
Welcome to the new semester. Last spring the SU community was involved in an incident that shocked us. At the time, some in the MFT Department met and issued a statement that we attempted to deliver to the wider community. Because we have not seen it in print, we wanted to make sure it was on our website. The statement is below.
In light of the recent horrific videos that showed members of the SU community making statements and performing acts that dehumanize others, we state that we strongly condemn this and other similar behaviors, and the culture that encourages it. These incidents so close to home have harmful impacts on our community. We support efforts to examine and dismantle systems that perpetuate these behaviors, including those within our own campus. In addition to institutional efforts, sometimes being able to talk about how these experiences impact us to someone who will listen and hear your experience, can help the healing process. The Department of Marriage and Family Therapy wants to remind students that we offer culturally sensitive and trauma informed services to the SU community. Our services through the Couple and Family Therapy Center are free, and are at Peck Hall, 601, E. Genesee Street, Syracuse, NY. To contact our services, please call 315 443 3023.
Falk College Welcomes the Class of 2022
Falk College is thrilled to welcome back returning Syracuse students and to extend a special welcome to the Class of 2022, new transfer and graduate students! We are so happy to have you in the Orange family, as well as our family here at Falk College. As you meet your professors, classmates, and roommates, you’ll soon be feeling right at home. We are here to help you along the way. If you have any questions or concerns, please connect with Falk College’s Office of Student Services at (315) 443-3144 or falkss@syr.edu or visit 330 Barclay Hall in the Falk Complex.
Here are a few tips to help you get settled during these first few weeks:
Download the Syracuse Welcome Guide. Available through the Office of First-Year and Transfer Programs, the 2018 Syracuse Welcome Guide contains the complete schedule for Syracuse Welcome 2018 and other important information about your arrival at Syracuse University.
In addition, new graduate students should visit the graduate school website and check out the calendar of events specifically for graduate students. Similarly, new international students can find helpful information by visiting the Slutzker Center for International Services.
Attend New Student Convocation for new students and families on Thursday, August 23 at 5:30 p.m. in the Carrier Dome.
Attend Falk College welcome events. Please join us for the Dean’s Reception for new students and families on Friday, August 24 from 10 to 11 a.m. in Grant Auditorium in the Falk Complex, followed by light refreshments served outside in the Falk Courtyard. Afterwards, the Dean’s Welcome Meeting for new students will take place at 1:30 p.m. in Grant Auditorium immediately followed by Department Meetings from 1:45 to 3 p.m.
Explore the Student Involvement Fair Wednesday, September 5 on the Quad from 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. In the case of rain, it will be held in Goldstein Auditorium in the Schine Student Center. With more than 300 student organizations on campus, we are confident you’ll find something that fits your interests.
Check your SU email account. As a Syracuse University student, you now have a SU email account. The University’s primary method of communication is email sent to your SU account (not your personal email account). It is very important that you check your SU email account on a regular basis so you do not miss important communications from the University. If you have any questions, please contact Information Technology Services (ITS).
Connect with Falk College on social media. You can follow us @SUFalkCollege. Many other Syracuse University offices, schools, colleges, academic programs, clubs and more are also on social media. Visit the Social Media Directory. It’s a great way to discover all that’s happening on campus.
Finally, remember the Falk College Office of Student Services is here to help you with any questions or concerns. Once again, welcome and best of luck! Let’s make this semester a great one!
Falk 2018 Convocation Speech
by Fanta Drame, 18′
Good Afternoon Everyone,
It is such an honor to be here today.
During my first encounter with public health, sitting in Dr. Byrne’s class, I learned about the social determinants of health, the different aspects of one’s life and surroundings that determine his or her health status. Or more generally speaking, the factors that determine one’s outcomes.
Social determinants tell us that first generation students will struggle. Low income families will be set for failure and lack access to opportunities. Minorities will be placed at the bottom of the social ladder and be at a constant disadvantage. Tall people will play basketball and all SU students’ favorite color will be orange.
However, if I have allowed my background to determine my outcomes, I wouldn’t have travelled to India, South Africa and Brazil all in one semester to conduct preliminary global research on the healthcare systems, I wouldn’t have done a risk communication project with the CDC on Ebola messaging, I wouldn’t have been able to maintain one of the highest GPA’s in the Public Health Department and be a University Scholar and I wouldn’t be able to say that my favorite color is actually lavender.
Syracuse University, but more specifically the Falk department and faculty, my roommate and great friend Aryonna, Dr. Lane and Professor Thompson and my close colleagues Shamayan and Bre taught me how to turn my disadvantages into my biggest assets. Falk allowed me to use my background in my public health career to relate to the communities I hope to serve, and use that to my advantage to create and implement innovative solutions to decrease the health disparities.
I would like to say thank you for pushing me beyond my limits and giving me the necessary tools to think critically and actively engage, and thank you for answering my countless emails and most importantly thank you for allowing me to recognize that our social determinants don’t determine our futures, they make us more determined.
Determined to be great;
Determined to be agents of change;
and Determined to be limitless.
Thank you and congratulations to us all!
~ Fanta Drame, Falk College Department of Public Health, Food Studies & Nutrition 2018 graduate
Trans Support Day benefits transgender community
More than 50 attended Trans Support Day on April 12, 2018, including individuals, couples, parents, and kids. Hosted by the Syracuse University Trans Team, the event included clothing and makeup giveaways, makeup tutorials, legal advice for ID changes. The clothing and makeup giveaways were made possible by generous donations to the Trans Team’s clothing and makeup drive.
The event also included a visit from a speech-language pathologist, Josie Zanfordino, a lecturer and clinical supervisor in the Speech Pathology Department at Ithaca College and the co-founder of the Transgender Voice and Communication Clinic.
The Syracuse University Trans Team is part of the Syracuse University Couple and Family Therapy Center, housed within the Falk College Department of Marriage and Family Therapy, located in Peck Hall, just north of main campus on E. Genesee Street. Students on the Trans Team receive specialized training to provide gender-affirmative therapy for transgender people and their families and assist in the readiness process for medical gender transition.
More information is available online for those who wish to learn more about the Couple and Family Therapy Center and the Trans Team.
SU Trans Team to host Trans Support Day April 12
The Syracuse University Trans Team will host Trans Support Day to benefit the Syracuse-area transgender community on April 12, 2018 from 2 to 7:30 p.m. in Peck Hall, located at 601 E. Genesee Street just north of main campus.
The Trans Team is part of the Syracuse University Couple and Family Therapy Center, housed within the Falk College Department of Marriage and Family Therapy. Students on the Trans Team receive specialized training to provide gender-affirmative therapy for transgender people and their families and assist in the readiness process for medical gender transition.
The April 12 event will incorporate a clothing drive and makeup giveaways from 2 – 6:30 p.m., legal advice for ID changes and makeup instruction tutorials from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m., and a visit from voice expert Josie Zanfordino from 5 – 6 p.m. The event will conclude with networking and refreshments from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
The Trans Team will be collecting clothing and makeup donations for the drive from March 26 – April 5 at two drop off sites: Room 300 MacNaughton Hall in the Falk Complex, and Floor 3 of Peck Hall. To support the clothing drive, please donate lightly used clothing. such as shirts, sweaters, pants, leggings, shorts, rompers, and dresses; accessories like scarves, belts, shoes, bags, undergarments, hair accessories, jewelry, and sunglasses. Any size, age, and gender items are welcome. Larger sizes are in high demand. For the makeup drive, please donate new and unopened makeup items, such as eyeliner, eye shadow, mascara, lipstick, foundation, and blush.
For more information, please contact Anne Metzger-Wormuth at (315) 443-3023 or acmetzge@syr.edu.
Shipman’s article provides insight on the experiences of transgender therapists
Daran Shipman, MA, LMFT, Clinic Supervisor in the Department of Marriage and Family Therapy at Falk College, recently published an article in the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy entitled, “Clinical and Supervisory Considerations for Transgender Therapists: Implications for Working with Clients.” The article provides insight on the experiences of transgender therapists and seeks to encourage more conversation around the need for acknowledging and understanding these perspectives.
January 2018 courses to focus on therapy with military families, LGBTQ relationships
Several January 8-12, 2018 course offerings for graduate students in marriage and family therapy and other mental health professions, among other programs, will be offered. MFT 788-Systemic Family Therapy with Military Families will emphasize evidence-based trauma-informed clinical practice and provide systemic approaches to working with Veterans and military families. Professors Thom deLara, department chair, and Dyane Watson, will teach the course offered at Peck Hall. MFT 642-Couple and Family Therapy with LGBTQ Relationships, also offered at Peck Hall, will provide an overview of the specific issues LGBTQ couples and families face and ways in which these issues impact relationships and other social systems. The course will be taught by Professor Deborah Coolhart.
MFT 788: Systemic Family Therapy with Military Families
For graduate students in Marriage and Family Therapy and other mental health professions, and mental health practitioners
This course will emphasize evidence-based and trauma-informed clinical practice, will provide systemic approaches to working with veterans and military families, and will provide a framework for the course. Students will examine the primary and secondary impact of deployment, conflict and military lifestyle on the social and emotional functioning of the family and its individual members. They will come to understand military culture and language as a context for approaching clinical practice with military families. Students will learn trauma-informed approaches to practice, and evidence-based models for clinical practice. The family life cycle will be explored, as will issues of spirituality and community support systems. Students successfully completing this course will have an understanding of, and an ability to work with, veterans and military families.
MFT 642-Couple and Family Therapy with LGBTQ Relationships
For graduate students in MFT, Social Work, Child & Family Studies, Women’s & Gender Studies, Counseling and related programs
This course provides an overview of the specific issues LGBTQ couples and families face and ways in which these issues impact relationships and other social systems. The self-of-therapist will be examined in relation to sexual and gender identity development and the ways in which therapists’ identities may impact clinical work with LGBTQ couples and families. Students will gain LGBTQ-affirmative clinical skills and explore topics including couple dynamics, heterosexual/cisgender privilege, coming out, internalized oppression, intersection of other cultural identities, the formation of families and parenting, gender transition, polyamory, and intersexuality.
Marriage and family therapy alumna sees rising need for trauma-informed practice
For alumna Carrie Land-Steves G’09, marriage and family therapy was an obvious career choice. After completing her undergraduate studies in social science, she looked into graduate school and found Syracuse University to be an “immediate fit,” from the program and courses, to the professors and students.
As a Clinical Supervisor at Vera House, a Syracuse agency offering comprehensive domestic and sexual violence programs, Land-Steves provides support and guidance to the therapist and carries her own client cases, as well. “The most rewarding part for me is being able to witness people heal, grow, and become the versions of themselves that they want to be. I am honored every day to be able to bear witness to survivor’s pain, suffering, resilience, and healing.”
There are ways anyone and everyone can help end domestic and sexual violence, says Land-Steves. To start, “Have conversations. Honest conversations,” she says. “Domestic and sexual violence often happen in isolation, and if we can continue to have some of these challenging conversations, we can continue to change ourselves, culture, and norms.” Or, she says, consider donating your time or resources to an agency like Vera House.
“I see an increase in therapists becoming trauma-informed and this is very hopeful. I would argue that every client who goes into a therapeutic space has experienced a trauma at some point in their life,” says Land-Steves. “Being able to assess and identify what the client is needing to heal from that trauma is something that every clinician needs to be able to address, support, and treat.” Falk College offers a Certificate of Advanced Study (CAS) in Trauma-Informed Practice, which can equip mental health professionals with additional skills in trauma response and intervention.
“It is our role [as therapists] to create a space where all individuals, couples, and families can process their history or current events and gain more clarity and find healing,” she explains. “I cannot imagine myself doing anything else.”
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