Marriage and Family Therapy Archives | Syracuse University Today https://news-test.syr.edu/topic/marriage-and-family-therapy/ Wed, 14 Oct 2026 16:35:51 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.3 /wp-content/uploads/2025/08/cropped-apple-touch-icon-120x120.png Marriage and Family Therapy Archives | Syracuse University Today https://news-test.syr.edu/topic/marriage-and-family-therapy/ 32 32 Online Marriage and Family Therapy Students Come to Campus /2026/10/14/online-marriage-and-family-therapy-students-come-to-campus/ Wed, 14 Oct 2026 16:35:50 +0000 /?p=344852 A group of online MFT students recently traded in their laptops for face-to-face interactions during a residency on campus with fellow students and faculty.

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Online marriage and family therapy master's students from around the country gathered on campus in September for a three-day residency.

Campus & Community

Online Marriage and Family Therapy Students Come to Campus

A group of online MFT students recently traded in their laptops for face-to-face interactions during a residency on campus with fellow students and faculty.
Sean Grogan Oct. 14, 2026

For students earning a graduate degree entirely online, the chance to sit across from a professor or classmate in person can be rare.

Not so in the (A&S), where its highly regarded (MFT) program intentionally builds that opportunity into the curriculum. Recognizing the human-centered nature of the practice, a signature residency creates a valuable network for participants, while introducing them to the resources and dedicated professionals of the Syracuse University campus.

This year, 25 students traveled from states across the country for the program’s fourth graduate residency since 2020, an immersive three days of workshops, panel discussions and hands-on practice designed to turn distance learning into shared experience. Among the attendees were students from Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Washington, D.C., Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas, Washington and New York.

The September residency gives students completing clinical training in communities nationwide a chance to come together in person to sharpen clinical skills, pursue professional development and build connections with peers and faculty. The reflective activities help students integrate their academic and clinical learning while deepening their understanding of systemic therapy and professional practice.

“One of the things I love about the residency is seeing students who already know each other online meet in person for the first time,” says , professor of practice and chair of the Department of Human Development and Family Science. “There’s such a nice moment of recognition because they aren’t meeting as strangers. They already have relationships with each other. Being together in Peck Hall gives them another way to connect, learn from each other and see themselves as part of a larger professional community.”

The residency reflects a broader commitment within A&S to address grand challenges facing society, particularly those tied to health and well-being. By training clinicians equipped to meet growing demand for mental health services, the program extends that mission beyond the classroom and into communities from coast to coast.

“What stood out to me this year was the openness and support of students across programs,” says , the MFT master’s program director. “Online students were meeting with residential students, watching their cases and offering beautiful support. Even without knowing each other, there was a level of openness and trust in their communication and feedback. Each student seemed to understand the delicacy of clinical work and worked as a team during observations.”

In a field built on human connection, that time together may be nearly as essential to a student’s training as anything covered in a syllabus.

“My cohort was already pretty connected in the online space, but spending time together added a layer of understanding and emotional safety we hadn’t experienced before,” participant Anne Esse says. “In an online course, you’re never sure if you’re just a sea of faces instructors see every week or not. It felt like they all knew us individuals, as if we’d been attending their classes in person.”

Fellow participant Nikki Shayer says all of the sessions and exercises “were excellent.”

“Each session was a different topic, of course, but each one made me think about things with a different eye,” she says. “I think that’s what I’ve been loving the most about this program, and about the residency experience—all the knowledge and wisdom shared just lingers, and I’m able to connect dots together that I wouldn’t have been able to before. It was really an enriching experience; I’d love to do it again.”

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]]> Students pose for a group photo outside Syracuse University’s Peck Hall. Tracey Reichert Schimpff Awarded William Wasserstrom Prize /2026/05/11/tracey-reichert-schimpff-awarded-william-wasserstrom-prize/ Mon, 11 May 2026 15:03:36 +0000 /?p=338187 The prize honors outstanding success as a graduate seminar leader, research and dissertation director, advisor and role model for graduate students.

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Campus & Community
Campus & Community

Tracey Reichert Schimpff Awarded William Wasserstrom Prize

The prize honors outstanding success as a graduate seminar leader, research and dissertation director, advisor and role model for graduate students.
May 11, 2026

Tracey Reichert Schimpff, associate chair, master’s graduate director and associate teaching professor for the marriage and family therapy (MFT) program in the College of Arts and Sciences’ (A&S’) Department of Human Development and Family Science (HDFS), is the 2026 recipient of the William Wasserstrom Prize for the Teaching of Graduate Students.

Awarded annually to an A&S faculty member who exemplifies the qualities of William Wasserstrom, a beloved professor of English at Syracuse University who died in 1985, the prize honors outstanding success as a graduate seminar leader, research and dissertation director, advisor and role model for graduate students. Wasserstrom was celebrated for his broad learning and deep investment in the graduate seminar experience.

‘No More Fitting Recipient’

Professional
Tracey Reichert Schimpff

“Today’s graduate students are tomorrow’s faculty, scholars, researchers and leaders,” says A&S Dean Behzad Mortazavi. “The mentors who shape these students are also shaping the trajectory of their fields. Professor Reichert Schimpff exemplifies that responsibility in every dimension of her work. There is no more fitting recipient of this prize.”

Over 17 years at Syracuse, Reichert Schimpff has taught more than 400 graduate students in courses covering ethics, complex trauma, family therapy and clinical supervision. She has guided students through the licensure process with exceptional results: 85% of MFT program alumni have been licensed as marriage and family therapists over the past decade, with 95% of online graduates achieving their credentials. Her research specializes in community violence and trauma; she developed one of the first MFT courses focused specifically on complex trauma and helped establish the Certificate of Advanced Study in Trauma-Informed Practice.

Dyane Watson, professor of practice and HDFS chair, nominated Reichert Schimpff for the award, writing that “in the spirit of Professor William Wasserstrom’s legacy, Dr. Reichert Schimpff cultivates habits of inquiry and reflection that remain with students long after they leave the seminar room.”

One student credited Reichert Schimpff’s teaching with strengthening their “critical thinking and motivation for pursuing our profession.”

Another reflected: “I adore Tracey as a professor and a human being, and have never seen someone who so deeply and genuinely cares about her students.”

Another Ph.D. candidate captured the impact directly: “She has helped me become a more rigorous thinker, a more confident scholar and a more intentional professional. She holds students to a high standard because she believes in the future we are capable of producing.”

Mortazavi presented the award at the Graduate School doctoral hooding ceremony on May 8.

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]]> University’s Human Dynamics Programs Realign to Strengthen Collaboration and Community Impact /2025/08/25/universitys-human-dynamics-programs-realign-to-strengthen-collaboration-and-community-impact/ Mon, 25 Aug 2025 13:38:02 +0000 https://syracuse-news.ddev.site/2025/08/25/universitys-human-dynamics-programs-realign-to-strengthen-collaboration-and-community-impact/ Over the summer, four academic disciplines focused on preparing students as professionals in the human, health and social services fields (formerly housed in the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics) transitioned to new academic homes across the University.

The School of Social Work now resides in the School of Education.
Marriage and family therapy joined human development and famil...

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Campus & Community University’s
Campus & Community

University’s Human Dynamics Programs Realign to Strengthen Collaboration and Community Impact

Over the summer, four academic disciplines focused on preparing students as professionals in the human, health and social services fields (formerly housed in the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics) transitioned to new academic homes across the University.

  • The now resides in the School of Education.
  • Marriage and family therapy joined human development and family science and the united department is now in the .
  • The University’s have joined the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

Concurrently, the was reimagined as the nation’s first standalone college of sport on a Research 1 campus.

These changes align with the University’s goal of creating academic synergies among, and supporting the continued growth and impact of, human dynamics programs. They also reflect the University’s ongoing commitment to human thriving, one of the areas of strategic excellence outlined in “Leading With Distinction,” the University’s .

The moves were announced in fall 2024 following strategic evaluation by the Human Dynamics Task Force, which was informed by input from students, faculty, staff and community partners. The task force’s goal was to ensure that each human dynamics program is positioned for long-term success, deeper collaboration and greater impact as they transition out of the Falk College and into new schools/colleges for the 2025-26 academic year.

Human Development and Family Science (HDFS)/Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT)

New home: College of Arts and Sciences (both disciplines housed in the Department of Human Development and Family Science)

Degrees offered: B.S., HDFS; M.A., MFT (in-person/online); Ph.D., HDFS; Ph.D., MFT; minors in human development and family science, child and family policy, mindfulness and contemplative studies and gerontology

Why it fits: These disciplines align with the College of Arts and Sciences’ (A&S) commitment to solving global challenges around health and well-being and will provide new avenues for collaboration and creativity. Cross-program partnerships will expand student learning opportunities in health-adjacent fields, drive research innovation and significantly enhance A&S’s collective impact on individual and community well-being. HDFS and MFT are natural additions to such existing A&S departments as psychology, communication sciences and disorders, health humanities, LBGTQ studies, neuroscience and women’s and gender studies.

Bringing these programs into A&S strengthens our commitment to interdisciplinary research and teaching that supports individuals and families across the lifespan. We are excited to welcome faculty and students whose work aligns so closely with our mission.

— College of Arts and Sciences Dean Behzad Mortazavi

Public Health

New home: Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs

Degrees offered: B.S., public health; B.S., public health and management (in partnership with the Whitman School of Management); MPH.; MPH/MBA dual program (in partnership with the Whitman School)

Why it fits: Public health’s move to the Maxwell School fits with the school’s academic strategic plan, which includes a focus on addressing health and health disparities. Public health and public policy are highly interrelated, and Maxwell is uniquely positioned to provide evidence-based solutions to the challenges facing public health leaders and practitioners. Opportunities for growth and collaboration will be enhanced across existing external partnerships (such as the public health department’s work with the New York State Department of Health) and within key Maxwell research centers and institutes, such as the Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion and Population Health, Aging Studies Institute and the Policy, Place, and Population Health Lab.

This is a natural fit for the public health department and for the Maxwell School. Adding these experts in global and environmental health, infectious disease and other top public health issues to our community of world-class scholars on population health, aging and health policy, as well as our health scholars across the social sciences, will further enhance our vital voice in the study of health and in the development of health policy.

— Maxwell School Dean David M. Van Slyke

Social Work

New home: School of Education

Degrees offered: B.S.W.; M.S.W. (in-person/online); J.D./M.S.W. (in partnership with the College of Law); social justice minor

Why it fits: The core values of social work—service, social justice, dignity and the worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity and competence—align closely with the School of Education’s mission of mentoring and nurturing the next generations of educators, scholars and leaders who will have meaningful and sustained impact in their communities. The addition of social work to the school brings new possibilities for interdisciplinary research and curriculum development, with social work faculty bringing to the table deep community partnerships, a strong research profile and an enthusiasm for working collaboratively.

I look forward to the new opportunities presented by closer collaboration with programs that share our historical commitments to inclusive pedagogy and practice, as well as to reciprocally valuable partnerships in Central New York. We will benefit from our new colleagues’ expertise in online teaching and their dedication to veterans and military-connected families.

— School of Education Dean Kelly Chandler-Olcott

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