Professors urge international collaboration in family therapy
November 26, 2013
To encourage international collaboration among marriage and family counselors, four Lewis & Clark professors collaborated on a workshop showcasing their connections with therapists in the global south.
Assistant professor Marisol Garcia, professor and department chair Teresa McDowell, associate professor Andrea Brown, and associate professor Pilar Hernandez-Wolfe led the workshop. In their presentation, “Building And Sustaining International Relationships in the Family Therapy Field,” they discussed how family counselors can dialogue with peers in countries like Uganda and Colombia. Garcia and her colleagues aimed to describe “how culture, politics, history and economics influence the process of sharing work across cultural groups at a global level.”
The professors presented their work at the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) conference in October 2013 in a presentation that included a lecture, interactive exercise, and discussion. Their goals for participants included increased global and social awareness and improved ability to work cross-culturally.
The AAMFT offers ethical guidance, publications and conferences for over 50,000 marriage and family counselors in the United States, Canada, and abroad.
Read more about international dimensions of the Marriage, Couple, and Family Therapy program at Lewis & Clark.