Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects
Date of Award
2019
Document Type
Dissertation - NSU Access Only
Degree Name
Doctor of Marriage and Family Therapy (DMFT)
Advisor
Tommie Boyd
Abstract
Clothing allows individuals to feel at home with themselves and also allows for expression of their own personal creativity and individuality. The way someone dresses is a reflection of their emotional state. While these two entities have been reviewed separately, this applied clinical project viewed the two systems as one. This project highlighted an approach created by the therapist that encapsulated the self-reflection process of the clients. It examined how that self-reflection process influenced the way in which the clients viewed themselves internally and transformed the way they presented themselves through dress. Research was conducted through an archival review of case studies that have been carried out in therapeutic sessions with the researcher and a thematic cross case analysis was utilized through a Bowen Family System Lens. The findings through the self reflection processes of the therapist found four main themes of their approach: focus of the self, understanding the self, selflessly selfish, and deserving. The two subthemes were mood and appearance. In the creation of the themes being used in the therapeutic process, the clients shifted their way of thinking and it translated to their way of being, the presentation of self. With this development of the approach, future research and trainings will be developed to enhance and enrich the research on mood and appearance.
NSUWorks Citation
Melanie S. Hussain. 2019. The Elephant in the Therapeutic Room: Nelson’s R.E.A.C.T Professional Guideline for Working with Registered Interns in Private Practice Concerning Intimate Partner Violence. Doctoral dissertation. Nova Southeastern University. Retrieved from NSUWorks, . (121)
https://nsuworks.nova.edu/shss_dft_etd/121.