A Social Media Ethnographic Study on the Marriage and Family Therapy Field’s Use of Social Media to Educate the Public About Its Unique Systemic Relational Orientation

Author

• Franchesca Fontus, Nova Southeastern UniversityFollow

Date of Award

2022

Document Type

Dissertation - NSU Access Only

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Advisor

Christopher Burnett

Abstract

Personal loss is described as a life altering event that can have significant effects on therapists' clinical work and their therapeutic relationships (Hubbs, 2001). Nevertheless, there are very little existing research on therapists' experiences of personal loss of a familial loved one and how this phenomenon effects their clinical practice, particularly in the field of family therapy. Furthermore, explorations on personal loss that are included in the literature are generally presented from an individualistic framework. There is limited research centered on understanding this phenomenon through a family systems theory perspective, which according to Bowen (1978) observes an individual through the lens of a family unit and conceptualizes personal loss through the framework of a familial emotional process, exploring previous and present generations. The purpose of this study was: (1) to examine the topic of personal loss, by approaching the phenomenon from a Bowen Family Systems Theory framework; (2) to explore the experiences of working therapists who had encountered the personal loss of a familial loved one; and (3) to uncover how the impacts of those experiences had translated into their actual clinical practice(s). The study was conducted through qualitative research and utilized an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) methodology. This research aimed to provide a broader perspective on the subject of personal loss, as well as offer considerations for training and practicing therapists.

NSUWorks Citation

Franchesca Fontus. 2022. A Social Media Ethnographic Study on the Marriage and Family Therapy Field’s Use of Social Media to Educate the Public About Its Unique Systemic Relational Orientation. Doctoral dissertation. Nova Southeastern University. Retrieved from NSUWorks, . (110)
https://nsuworks.nova.edu/shss_dft_etd/110.