Marriage & Family Therapy News
Falk College announces new Certificate of Advanced Studies in Child Therapy
Falk College today announced a Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) in Child Therapy, addressing a growing national shortage of mental health professionals trained to work with children and adolescents and their families. The CAS in Child Therapy is designed for master-prepared licensed/certified professionals, and students currently enrolled in master-level licensure qualifying programs.
The core courses and elective options in the 12-credit program include the theoretical foundations of therapy with children and their families/caregivers, as well as evidenced-based practice approaches and techniques. Completion of the certificate prepares students for clinical practice with children in mental health, school and residential settings and community agencies.
According to the most recent Surgeon General’s Report on Children’s Mental Health, almost 21 percent of children and adolescents ages 9 to 17 have evidence of distress associated with a specific diagnosis. Approximately half of this group had some treatment in one or more sectors of the de facto mental health service system. However, the remaining 11 percent received no treatment, translating to a majority of children and adolescents with mental disorders not receiving any care.
“Employers are seeking trained professionals who can work with children around a range of presenting concerns. In an era of evidence-based practice, our certificate program in child therapy affords master-level clinicians an additional credential as they approach a highly competitive job market,” notes Professor Thom deLara, chair, Department of Marriage and Family Therapy. “The certificate will also help address the significant shortage of child-centered practitioners in the mental health work force by creating a consistent cadre of appropriately educated and trained professionals.”
Many of the courses in the CAS will be taught at Peck Hall, a 30,000 square foot facility in the Syracuse community with three smart classrooms, a 24-station computer lab and an on-site Center for Couple and Family Therapy where students gain valuable hands-on experience. Students will also take courses in the newly renovated Falk Complex. Students can enroll in the program full or part time in the fall or spring semesters, as well as during the summer.
The Department of Marriage and Family Therapy is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education. Now in its 45th year, Falk College’s Department of Marriage and Family Therapy offers one of the oldest programs of its kind in the country, with clinical course offerings that address society’s needs, from couples therapy and military family trauma to LGBTQ therapies, among others.
American Foundation of Suicide Prevention hosts clinician training October 21
The American Foundation of Suicide Prevention, Central New York Chapter, will host an attachment-based family therapy (ABFT) suicide prevention training for clinicians on October 21, 2016 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Maplewood Suites in Liverpool, New York.
The ABFT model is an empirically supported, trust-based, emotion-focused psychotherapy model designed to improve family and individual processes associated with adolescent suicide and depression. Its goal is to repair interpersonal ruptures, and rebuild an emotionally protective parent-child relationship.
The workshop will be instructed by Guy Diamond, Ph.D., the primary developer of Attachment-Based Family Therapy which has received funding and support from several state and national foundations. Dr. Diamond is currently a visiting professor and interim director of the doctor of philosophy program in the Couple and Family Therapy department at Drexel University’s College of Nursing and Health Professions.
The workshop offers 6.5 hours of continuing education credit through the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC).
The Attachment-Based Family Therapy Clinician Training was made possible by AFSP Central New York Chapter’s Out of the Darkness Walks and by in-kind sponsorships from New York State Senator Patty Ritchie and Falk College.
Falk College attends graduate school fairs across New York, U.S. this fall
Falk College will attend many graduate school fairs this fall to connect with prospective graduate students in person and discuss interests and opportunities. This season’s travel schedule will take Falk College graduate admissions staff to many regional events in New York State and to major cities across the United States, such as Philadelphia, Boston, San Diego, and Washington D.C.
Falk College highlights graduate programs at November 4 information session
Syracuse University faculty, staff and current students will welcome potential graduate students interested in Falk College graduate studies in child and family studies, food studies, public health, marriage and family therapy, nutrition science, social work and sport management during its Graduate Program Information Session on Friday, November 4, 2016 from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. in Grant Auditorium in White Hall, part of the Falk College Complex.
The presentation will provide detailed information on Falk College graduate programs in:
In addition, information and advising will be available regarding Falk’s Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) programs including child therapy, trauma-informed practice, addiction studies, food studies and global health.
There will be time for a question-and-answer session, as well as a time to meet with faculty, staff and current students. Light refreshments will be served.
Refugees and Their Changing Family Experience
A story by Kathleen Haley with SU News
Refugee families risk their lives to escape war and violence. Their first priority is their safety.
But what happens when they settle in new homes in different countries free from conflict? Everything has changed—they’re separated from family, they’ve lost their homes and livelihoods—and their past struggles still live in them.
Assistant Professor Rashmi Gangamma wanted to understand the family experience for refugees in the midst of loss, upheaval and resettlement, and has undertaken research to explore how they make meaning of their relationships. The work could ultimately inform therapy interventions.
“I was interested in knowing more about their lived experience, what happens to family relationships when they are abruptly—and very violently sometimes—displaced from their home country and then moved to different places and ultimately resettle in a host country,” says Gangamma, who is in the Department of Marriage and Family Therapy in the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics.
After joining Syracuse University in 2012, Gangamma was introduced to the work by one of her colleagues, Daran Shipman, who had worked with the refugee population.
“As I did more research, I realized there’s so much more research to be done—especially when it comes to wellbeing and mental health,” says Gangamma, a family therapist. “It’s a fairly new area of research for me but something that I very quickly became passionate about.”
Gangamma received a $5,000 seed grant through Falk College to study the family experiences of Iraqi refugees resettled in Syracuse. Last year, she conducted interviews with 11 individuals who were displaced following the 2003 U.S.-led war and now live in Syracuse.
“My interviews were focused around the context of displacement, whether they experienced a change in their relationships, how the relationships evolved, how were they maintained and any changes in family interactions with each other,” Gangamma says. “Since I’m also a clinician, most of my work has been with an eye toward what we can do to plan better interventions.”
Witness to violence
Some individuals had arrived in America with a partner and children, but there were also individuals who had arrived by themselves, separated from family. Most of them had moved to the United States between 2008 and 2013 and had been witness to ethnic tensions and violence.
“Some participants talked about being targeted to the extent that they had to leave almost overnight,” she says. “Those who were not directly targeted were exposed to other forms of violence. They were witnessing violence in their neighborhood or witnessing health consequences of being exposed to depleted uranium-tipped ammunition used during the war.”
The refugees all talked about not feeling safe, not being able to trust others, a lack of opportunities and a deterioration in the quality of life in their home country—very different as compared to their life before the war, Gangamma says. When they moved to neighboring countries, there were difficulties in finding work and their struggles continued.
“The sense of loss didn’t end when they left Iraq. They have left behind their family, property and the life that they knew,” Gangamma says. “That doesn’t go away. It’s all interwoven in their narratives.”
Despite their past experiences, language barriers or discrimination, “participants were very much invested in making a better life for themselves,” which may not be the case for all refugees. “One of the things that stood out was how forward-focused and future-oriented they were,” Gangamma says.
Effects on the family
With all of these challenges, there were, of course, effects on their family relationships.
“Almost all of them said there was a change—and how could there not be a change? Most of them said they moved closer to each other, because they are the only ones they can rely on,” Gangamma says.
Without forming outside networks, including other members of the local Iraqi community, the family becomes the only social support and eventually there may be a strain on the family. “I would be interested to see how that plays out in the parent-child relationships. For instance, as children get older, what kind of consequences will that have,” Gangamma says.
Gender roles
Another aspect in the changing relationships was that of gender roles. Women experienced their male family members being more engaged in child care and household responsibilities, Gangamma says.
She wants to look further at those changing gender roles and whether they conflict with traditional beliefs, how family members resolve those issues. Questions such as these would be important while providing culturally sensitive treatment services, Gangamma says.
Gangamma, who presented her work at last fall’s National Council on Family Relations conference, hopes to expand the number of research participants, including Syrians; explore more in-depth understanding of issues, such as cultural loyalty, and whether that has an impact on health and wellbeing; and possibly do an international multi-site study.
“In one sense, I’m really excited about the possibilities because there is so much that needs to be done,” Gangamma says. “But it’s also unfortunate that we still have so much to do.”
Falk College’s Marriage and Family Therapy Program Reaccredited by the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy
The Ph.D. program in Falk College’s Department of Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) was recently awarded reaccreditation by the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy’s (AAMFT) Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE).
The COAMFTE is a specialized accrediting body that reviews master and doctoral degrees, and post-graduate degree clinical training programs in marriage and family therapy. The accreditation process is voluntary and requires self-study by the program, an on-site review by a selected group of peers, and a review and decision by the COAMFTE to determine compliance with accreditation standards. Accredited programs are reviewed at least every six years.
The marriage and family therapy program at Syracuse University is one of the longest-standing and most distinguished programs of its kind in the country. In addition to its Ph.D. program, the department offer’s a master in marriage and family therapy. The newest offering in the department’s academic portfolio is a Certificate of Advanced Study (CAS) in trauma studies, with additional specialty tracks currently under development.
In 2013, Falk College expanded the presence of the Department of Marriage and Family Therapy and its Couple and Family Therapy Center in the Syracuse community with a new location at Peck Hall, 601 E. Genesee Street. The program’s expansion continues to yield an increasing the number of trained professionals providing mental health services to meet a substantial need nationally and locally. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that employment of marriage and family therapists is projected to grow by 30.6 percent by 2022, which is much faster than the average growth rate for all occupations. Peck Hall also supports increased continuing education services to practicing professionals in Syracuse and surrounding communities. For more information about the Department of Marriage and Family Therapy, contact 315-443-9329. For information about the Couple and Family Therapy Center, contact 315-443-3023.
MFT 642: Couple & Family Therapy with LGBTQ Relationships offered January 11-15, 2016
Dr. Deb Coolhart will teach MFT 642 January 11-15, 2016, providing an overview of the specific issues LGBTQ couples and families face and ways in which these issues impact relationships and other social systems. This graduate-level course is ideal for graduate students in MFT, Social Work, Child and Family Studies, Women’s and Gender Studies, Counseling and related programs.
In This Together: Working Towards a Trauma-Informed Community
On Friday, November 20th, 2015 the Marriage and Family Therapy department hosted an introductory workshop for social service practitioners, teachers, nurses, physicians, police, juvenile justice workers, marriage and family therapists, social workers, mental health counselors, and child specialists who work in high-violence, traumatized neighborhoods in the Syracuse area.
This workshop served as the introductory module of a multiple-phase training program in trauma-informed practice. Speakers included:
- Linda Stone Fish, M.S.W., Ph.D., Falk Family Endowed Professor of Marriage and Family Therapy at Syracuse University, and co-author with Mary Jo Barrett, of the book Treating Complex Trauma: A Relational Blueprint for Collaboration and Change.
- Street Addictions Institute, Inc.’s Timothy ‘Noble’ Jennings-Bey, founding director of the Trauma Response Team, and Arnett Haygood-El.
- Sandra D. Lane, Ph.D., MPH, Falk College Public Health Professor at Syracuse University, founding director of Syracuse Healthy Start, and developed the CARE (Community Action Research and Education) model currently being used for her project on neighborhood trauma and gun violence.
- Local psychologists Bill Cross, Ph.D., Master Trainer and Consultant, Trauma Resource Institute, and Ron Fish, Ph.D., Clinical Director of Psychological HealthCare, who specialize in the Trauma Resiliency Model.
Syracuse University’s Falk College Highlights Graduate Studies at November 6 Information Session
Faculty, staff, students available to talk about programs, coursework, student life
Syracuse University faculty, staff and current students will welcome potential graduate students interested in the Falk College’s graduate programs in child and family studies, public health, marriage and family therapy, nutrition science, social work and sport management during a special Fall Information Session for graduate studies on Friday, November 6. The presentation begins at 4:00 p.m. at Falk College, Room 200.
Detailed information will be provided on graduate programs in addiction studies, child and family studies (M.A., M.S., Ph.D.), food studies (M.S.), global health (M.S.), marriage and family therapy (M.A.), 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 our Certificate of Advanced Study (CAS) program in trauma-informed practice will be available along with information on other Falk College CAS programs in, dietetic internship, and global health.
Falk College receives grants to assist trauma victims of neighborhood violence
Grant awards from the Community Foundation of Central New York and the John Ben Snow Foundation will support a new collaborative project, led by principal investigator, Linda Stone Fish, Falk Family Endowed Professor of Marriage and Family Therapy. The project, entitled, “In This Together,” will provide workshops to help social service professionals, educators, health care practitioners, juvenile justice workers, clergy, and mental health counselors learn how to identify and address signs of trauma. The program will also provide grief counseling, healing circles, mindfulness-based stress reduction, and therapy to community members impacted by violence.
Most of the people on the front lines of gang and gun violence, including the residents and the responders assisting them, have witnessed violence and its aftermath personally. Affected individuals often struggle with grief, helplessness and fear, which can lead to substance abuse, revenge violence, and detachment from friends, family, and schooling, among other challenges. “We believe that offering trauma-informed practice in the neighborhoods of greatest violence will begin to address the most often ignored trauma, and may reduce the grief and rage that fuels the next act of violence,” says professor Stone Fish. “Our unique partnership with therapists and Trauma Response Team members who are trusted by the community make us ideal to address this need. In this process, we are training our students in culturally competent and trauma-informed practices so they are ready to meet the community in ways they can be helpful.”
Stone Fish is the co-author of the book, Treating Complex Trauma, which presents the Collaborative Change Model (CCM), a clinically evaluated model that facilitates client and practitioner tools for clients struggling with the impact and effects of complex trauma. The In This Together collaboration includes Tracey Reichert-Schimpff, director of clinical services in the Department of Marriage and Family Therapy, Sandra Lane, professor of public health and anthropology, Dessa Bergen-Cico, associate professor of public health, and, Rachel Razza, associate professor of child and family studies, all from Falk College, and Robert Rubenstein, professor of anthropology and international relations, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. Psychologists Ron Fish and Bill Cross who specialize in the Trauma Resiliency Model (TRM) are part of the collaborative efforts. Additional partners include Syracuse University’s Couple and Family Therapy Center, the Syracuse Trauma Response Team (TRT), led by founding director, Timothy ‘Noble’ Jennings-Bey and Arnett Haygood El, both from the Street Addictions Institute, Inc., Mother’s Against Gun Violence, the Syracuse Police Department, and area healthcare institutions and community agencies.
In addition to developing trauma-informed care programs in the community and preparing future practitioners in this area, including a Certificate of Advanced Study in trauma-informed practice, research and practice in the field of trauma is a focal point in Falk College and includes: study and data collection specific to violence and gang activity as ‘street addictions’ to address communities in trauma and public safety as a public health problem; a training program funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to prepare military veterans in conducting research with other veterans; PTSD-focused programming and research, including mindfulness-based stress reduction and healthy eating, designed for the needs of veterans and military families; how veterans’ experiences of complex and morally fraught circumstances in military service in time of war affect their emotional, mental, and spiritual health; neurobiology of trauma; coursework in EMDR Therapy, which relieves many types of psychological distress, and;
courses and an academic track focused on trauma in medical settings with children.
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