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Couple and Family Therapy

Recent Graduate Updates

Master’s Degree Recipients:

  • Nicole Gonzales recently had a beautiful baby girl and will look for a clinical job after the first of the year.  She plans to stay in the MHK area.
  • Samantha Ricard is working at a group practice in Fort Collins, Colorado.
  • Emily Engel is working in Missouri at a crisis agency.
  • Morgan Bialas is living in Spearfish, South Dakota working for Behavior Management Systems with children and families and doing in-home therapy.
  • Preston Morgan is in Manhattan and has begun his first year of the PhD program at K-State.
  • Laura Schachtner is working at Southeast Mental Health Center, a community mental health facility in Fort Scott, Kansas.
  • Natira Staats has begun work on her PhD at Texas Tech University.

Doctoral Degree Recipients:

  • Prerana Dharnidharka is living in Mumbai, India and has recently opened a private practice in the city.
  • Cameron Brown is an Assistant Professor in the Marriage and Family Therapy program at Texas Tech University.
  • Stacy Conner is an assistant professor at Washburn University in the Department of Human Services.

Join us on Social Media!

The CFT program now has a public facebook page and an alumni facebook group. If you are not yet a member of the group, check it out! The alumni group provides a way for alumni to network with each other and stay connected. Feel free to post personal or professional updates, information on jobs or ask others for ideas on clinical resources or potential referral options. In addition, follow us on twitter @KStateCFT for regular program updates and pictures.

 

Our new program director, Glade Topham

Glade TophamIt is my great pleasure to introduce myself to the K-State MFT community. For the past 13 years I have been a member of the MFT faculty at Oklahoma State University, serving as their program director for the past nine years. Although it was difficult to leave because I treasured the relationships I developed with faculty, staff and students at OSU, I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to be part of such a stellar program at K-State and look forward to all of the opportunities ahead.

Prior to OSU, I received my B.S. in family science, M.S. in MFT from Brigham Young University and Ph.D. in MFT from Texas Tech University. My wife, Becky, and I have six children: Josh, 18, who is starting his freshman year at Utah State University this fall; Andrew,16; Aubrey, 13; Emily, 10; Maci, 7; and Alyssa, 5.

Continue reading “Our new program director, Glade Topham”

Reflections with Sandra Stith

Sandra StithSandra Stith is a University Distinguished Professor and a Vera Mowrey McAninch Endowed Professor in the School of Family Studies and Human Services. She earned her Ph.D. in marriage and family therapy from K-State and was a professor in the MFT program at Virginia Tech’s Falls Church campus for 20 years before coming to K-State in 2007.  Her primary research interest is in understanding and treating intimate partner violence, or IPV. Dr. Stith recently stepped down from her roles as a professor and director of the Marriage and Family Therapy program and we had the chance to ask her a few questions.

How did you become interested in IPV research? I taught in the public schools for six years before starting graduate school and often felt helpless as I tried to teach children who were experiencing challenging home lives. I knew that I wanted my work as a therapist and as a researcher to make a difference for those children and individuals and families dealing with violence at home. My dissertation addressed police response to domestic violence. For me, it has been important to keep focused and to conduct research that can help us end violence in families.  Continue reading “Reflections with Sandra Stith”