From progressive studies and publications to incredible student development, the Marriage and Family Therapy Program at the Couple and Family Therapy Center of Purdue University Northwest has been on the leading-edge of its field for years. On Friday, the university held a public ribbon cutting to officially induct a facility of equal merit.
“This is a very special event for the university, for the Marriage and Family Therapy program, and Couple and Family Therapy Center,” said Dr. Seda Gulvas, Interim Director of the PNW Couple and Family Therapy Center. “The relocation of the center was a long time coming.”
The training facility for the program used to be located at an outdated building on 169th Street in Hammond. While this space allowed for them to conduct the necessary training, it did not allow for the program to expand its services and capabilities. The new location is equipped with top-notch video and recording equipment, an efficient online data program, and adequate space to hold all types of therapy sessions.
These features allow for the students to maximize their learning experiences. For the first-year students, it is also an opportunity to advance the program and start anew. Allie Gillespie, a first-year student pursuing a master of science in Marriage and Family Therapy, was especially excited about the opportunity to accelerate the program.
“For [first year students] I think it helps in our transition...obviously [the students before us] leave a legacy that we’re trying to follow, but it marks a new step forward,” she said. “This grand opening brings this grand responsibility, an opportunity we have to continue to make what has already been done even better.”
One of the most impressive aspects about the program is the individualized training that is implemented in a field that can be ethically complicated at times.
“What I love about our faculty is that they’re very much committed to not just forming you into a marriage and family therapist, but also making you [develop] your own unique style, taking what each individual brings to the table and using their talents and skills as a therapist,” Gillespie said.
The acceptance of different strengths and the commitment to developing each student as an individual results in a variety of professionals equipped to assist a very diverse community. The Northwest Indiana area has great diversity with clients coming from every walk of life. Because of the in-depth training these students receive, everyone who needs assistance can find it at Purdue University Northwest.
The Purdue University Northwest Chancellor, Thomas L. Keon, expressed the importance of a university that strives to improve the community in which it resides.
“A metropolitan university, or as I describe it, a hometown university, is a university that doesn’t function as an island..but really becomes an active participant in the surrounding environment with the goal of not only making our environment better, but sharing the wealth of resources that we have as a university and doing it in a very simple way,” Keon said.
The real-world experience the Marriage and Family Therapy students receive prepares them to give to their community in more ways than one. This is the ultimate goal of PNW, and it is a mission that the Marriage and Family Therapy Program fully embraces.
To learn more about the program or to find out how you can benefit from its counseling services, visit their website.
