Northcentral University

Greetings Colleagues! 2018 is now one for the books! It was a wonderful year filled with so much that is wondrous about being human. As a DMFS Team, we had so many remarkable and stretching experiences together and in our individual and family lives. Thanks to each of you for your dedication to living life to the fullest, learning from your experiences, contributing to the lives of others, and the effort to make the world a better place. In our profession, we get the opportunity to do those things each day. I am so grateful to be a part of such a remarkable team of people! We anticipate many opportunities for growth and development as a department as we move into the New Year – 2019 will be another fantastic year! There will be fewer substantial changes to the tools we use, only tweaks to hopefully make them more efficient and user-supportive. The change to nonprofit status will likely bring "ripple effect" changes to some of our processes, and so we will need to be on the balls of our feet – ready to take full advantage of those changes. Some of the plans that have been put in place within the DMFS include: 1. Launch of enhanced versions of the Foundations courses, with the inclusion of authored content (textbook and videos) 2. Addition of three new specializations (b and c may eventually be expanded to support certification or licensure) a. Systemic Treatment of Trauma b. Sex Therapy c. Systemic Treatment of Addictions 3. Successful completion in February of the CSWE initial site visit for Candidacy status 4. Continued growth in the MSW program 5. Initial planning to launch, in the near future, a doctoral degree in Social Work 6. Continued effort to enhance the flow of communication and information throughout the Department, the SSBS, and NCU Thanks to each of you for your willingness to dedicate time and energy to the preparation of MFTs. We are engaged in changing the world – here's to an amazing year!! Darren Adamson, PhD | Chair, Dept. of Marriage and Family Sciences

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