Multicultural Focus

“This program goes beyond superficial and comparative knowledge of race relations. It delves into the complexities of multiculturalism and forces students to be sensitive to ethnic, racial, and cultural influences on individuals.”
– Zohreh Ordou, MFT Master's student

"If you are looking for a program that exposes you to some of the most cutting edge thinking in the field on multicultural therapy, this is probably the program for you."
– Karl Speirs, MFT Master's student

“I have greatly benefited both personally and professionally from the wealth of diversity in the student body.” – Julie Griggs, MFT Doctoral student

The MFT program at the University of Connecticut is dedicated to promoting cultural democracy within our diverse local, national, and global communities. Our training philosophy includes integrating multiculturalism into all of our courses. We strive to create an inclusive learning community in which there is a focus on building cultural competency. Our program encourages students to become increasingly aware and responsible for their relational, emotional, and cultural selves. Of course, we welcome students of all ages, abilities, races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, socio-economic backgrounds, and nationalities.

MFT faculty research and publications in the area of diversity include such topics as:

• The racial experiences of MFT graduate students
• Internationalizing family science programs
• Critiquing MFT literature from a critical race theory lens
• Racial dialog groups in MFT training
• Valuing social justice in MFT education
• Enhancing diversity in MFT training programs
• Engaging in critical conversations in therapy with multiracial clients
• Researching with a critical multicultural lens
• Relational therapy with a critical multicultural lens
• International student experience in MFT programs
• Developing culturally centered family therapy
• Developing measures of therapist cultural competence
   

We believe the strongest learning communities are those rich with diversity. Our master’s and doctoral students are unique in many ways including where they grew up, the families in which they were raised, their social classes, sexual orientations, abilities/disabilities, languages spoken, cultural values and beliefs, particular personal characteristics, professional experience, and so on. Following is a brief description that includes some identifying information about our recent graduating, current, and incoming
classes:

The class of 2005
Of nine students in this class, seven are female. Five are European-American, one is Yugasolv, one is South African, one is Canadian, and one is Peruvian. Four are Christian/Protestant, one is Conservative Jewish, two are Roman Catholic and one is Agnostic. Three have learning disabilities and/or physical disabilities.

The class of 2006
Of seven students in this class, five are female. Six are European American and one is Persian American. Religious affiliations include Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Unitarian Universalist, Agnostic, Presbyterian, and Catholic/Buddhist.

The incoming class of 2007
This year, we admitted eight students to begin in the fall of 2005. Six are female. Their religious affiliations include Christian/Protestant, LDS, and Roman Catholic. One incoming student is from India, five are European American, one is African American, and one is Chinese American.

Current and incoming doctoral students
In the fall of 2005, we will have a total of 12 doctoral students in the program. Six are European American, one is Chinese, one is Turkish, one is Asian Indian, one is Yugaslov, one is Dominican Republic American, and one is Peruvian. Nine are female. Among other religions, they identify as Christian, Roman Catholic, and Muslim. Three have learning and/or physical disabilities.

If you get a chance to know the MFT students at UCONN, you will find them to be a warm, energetic, bright, and caring group of people with diverse personal and professional experiences.