The Family Center is the applied science hub of the marriage and family therapy program.
It is a training clinic.
Last year 39 therapists treated a variety of presenting problems from individual issues to parenting and family problems to couple and interpersonal problems. Four adult therapy rooms and two play therapy rooms are equipped with one-way mirrors for supervision and opportunities for MFT students to observe sessions. The clients come from several different cultures because of the diversity of a university setting and our location near Ft. Riley Army base.
It is home to research teams.
Four projects are based in the center, housed in the Campus Creek Complex along with the communication sciences and disorders clinic. They are:
- Sandra Stith’s Air Force research team that studies domestic violence.
- Camille Lafleur’s Home-Based Family Therapy Partnership that provides training for clinicians who see families in the home. The group has developed a self-care website for clinicians and is engaged in a fidelity study regarding a model of home-based therapy.
- Joyce Baptist’s clinical research study using eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) with depressed individuals.
- Amber Vennum’s work with schools program and student therapists to provide services to local high schools.
It is a distinctive opportunity for students.
Through their work with a variety of client populations, therapists at the Family Center have the opportunity to develop specializations. One of them is Erika Smith, a Ph.D. student.
“I am trained in EMDR and am in the process of becoming certified. I have found this treatment modality to be very effective for working with survivors of sexual violence and am grateful for the opportunity to work with survivors here at the Family Center,” she said.
“At the Family Center, I can work with children and families using play therapy to heal,” said Heidi Swanke, master’s degree student.
Jenny Brown, another master’s degree student, welcomed the Family Center opportunities.
“I was able to further my passion for working with the LGBT community – with transgender individuals, couples, groups and families. It has been an amazing experience to support and advocate not only for clients but for the community as a whole,” she added.
“We constantly search for opportunities for students to specialize their work through the Family Center or through external placements,” said Nancy O’Conner, center director. “Our goal is twofold – providing students with a diverse training experience and clients with the opportunity to engage with quality therapy services.”
