Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects
Date of Award
2023
Document Type
Dissertation - NSU Access Only
Degree Name
Doctor of Marriage and Family Therapy (DMFT)
Advisor
Ron Chenail
Abstract
This autoethnography is a personalized account of the researcher’s six-year journey (2013-2018) as a mentor, educator, therapist, and father to construct modalities, practices, and a theoretical framework for an experiential strength-based approach to normalize the situations and experiences of men as fathers. Given the increasing research and practice interest in father engagement, it is argued that many fathers engage fully in group learning when the use of accommodating approaches is maximized (Andronico, 1996; King, 2001 & Jenkinson, 2016). For three years (2018-2021), the researcher encountered a number of challenges and experiences as he worked to improve program efficiency and increase effective engagement with the fathers, using the experiential strength-based model. Working with fathers and mentors and including community activities, the strategies proved effective for fathers' engagement in the Fatherhood Mentorship Program. The researcher chronicled and traced his transitions and experiences of constructing and implementing the experiential strength-based approach through autoethnographic writing. As the subject and the researcher in the applied clinical project, the reflection on the culmination of my experiences as a mentor, educator, therapist, and father, developing the theory of change described through autoethnography as a qualitative methodology. The analysis will illustrate arguments, present outcomes, and suggest conclusions by reliving the researchers' experiences. The implications endorse the urgency of awareness, the weight of the importance of socialization issues, and the understanding of new demands and expectations confronting fathers in the 21st century. Recommendations to enhance father engagement and the effectiveness of strategies will be provided for further study.
NSUWorks Citation
Ron Christopher Osborne-Williams. 2023. The Lived Experiences of Single Parents Bringing Children to Therapy. Doctoral dissertation. Nova Southeastern University. Retrieved from NSUWorks, . (140)
https://nsuworks.nova.edu/shss_dft_etd/140.