NSU’s College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS) with Beijing Normal University and Tianjin Normal University, jointly sponsored the Third International Forum on Marriage and Family Therapy. The event was held in Tianjin, China. The Department of Family Therapy (DFT) in CAHSS had three faculty members and five doctoral students participate as presenters. The focus of this conference was “Social Harmony and MFT in China and the World.” With more than 250 participants from around the world, the impact of the DFT presence has led to invitations to advance training in university programs throughout China.
DFT faculty presenters included Tommie Boyd, Ph.D., Chair; Jim Hibel, Ph.D.; and Pei-Fen Li, Ph.D. Boyd’s presentation was titled: “Connecting Systemic Family Therapy Practices and Health Care Settings.” Li, along with a DFT doctoral student, Jaeuk Shin presented on “MFT Practice in Eastern Cultures: Lessons Learned from Taiwan, Korea, and Saudi Arabia.” Hibel presented a three-day post workshop on “Narrative Therapy: Foundational Ideas and a World View.”
DFT doctoral students Elizabeth Jarquin, Clinton Lambert, Nelson Perez, Victoria Repp, and Jaeuk Shin were also presenters. Jarquin and Repp presented “A Solution-Focused and Narrative Approach to Working with Domestic Violence in Australia.” Jarquin presented “Sculpting Intervention for Japanese Children and their Families Facing School Refusal.” Perez presented “Case Study of a Cuban Immigrant Family through their Integration in Miami from a Multicultural Perspective.” Lambert presented “Hard Choices: Underlying Principles of Ethical Decisions in Ethical Dilemmas.”
This conference was hosted by Xiaoyi Fang, Ph.D., professor at the Institute of Developmental Psychology and world renown researcher, Beijing Normal University, Bai Xuejun, Ph.D., Professor and President of the Academy of Psychology and Behavior, Tianjin Normal University, and Boyd, Chair of DFT. NSU and DFT were a part of the founding of this International Forum and have had a number of faculty and students present over the past six years.