DMFT Doctoral Marriage & Family Therapy Example
The Doctor of Marriage and Family Therapy Program at ____ University is my first choice among doctoral programs because of the sheer excellence of your program and the fact that I see it as the finest in my area, the best fit to prepare me to meet my professional goals. I have now finished my Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis on Marriage and Family Therapy at Pepperdine University and I keenly look forward to furthering my education at the doctoral level, helping communities, families, adolescents, and adults as well as individuals. Acceptance into the Doctor of Marriage and Family program at Loma Linda will expand my education in the field of psychology, ethical competence, and systemic and relational interventions in the area of mental health. Completing your program will deepen my passion for contributing to the psychological well-being of families and individuals, helping to mitigate the disastrous effects of substance abuse, eating disorders, and trauma affecting, families, marriages, and entire communities, especially the damage it does to children.
I appreciate very much how Loma Linda’s DMFT program serves the individual as well as their family and even extended family in the same holistic fashion that maximizes respect for their individuality and the uniqueness of their circumstances, seeking the integration of past experiences, creativity, and cultural heritage into my therapeutic work. The personal growth and knowledge I hope to gain in your program will allow me to serve communities and the individuals that comprise them to the best of my ability and maximize my contribution over the course of my professional lifetime to those who are in greatest need of my support.
My professional aspirations result from the challenges that I have faced along the way, in my adolescence and early adult years. These personal hurdles and experiences have prepared me to help others who face similar challenges and have provided me with unique life experiences to serve as a vehicle for change. After finishing my Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology at Arizona State University, I went on to complete my master’s degree in clinical psychology. Continuing to grow as a result of my own therapies, with the support of family and friends, I have been able to achieve a great deal so far, overcoming many obstacles to get to this stage.
I feel strongly that my greatest contribution to the field of marital and family therapy will be to help others who struggle with a myriad of mental health and behavioral disorders. Currently, I volunteer at a local treatment center for alcohol and drug addiction where I have been developing a special focus on women, especially young adult women. This is the second alcohol and drug treatment center where I have volunteered and I have now acquired significant exposure to cognitive behavioral therapy, systemic therapy, and dialectical behavioral therapy practices. In my internship experience while in graduate school, I was able to work at two different elementary schools in Santa Ana, California providing therapy to children. This was one of my favorite experiences during my Master’s program. Working closely with children was very fulfilling, giving them a voice, and connecting with them through play and talk therapy. Working together with the families, teachers, principals and staff of the elementary schools to provide the best care, meeting the individualized needs of the child helped me to realize my professional niche and to further deepen my passion for helping children, families, and adolescents.
I currently work as an associate marriage and family therapist at an adolescent residential program, providing individual and group therapy and other mental health services. Often, I find myself dealing with eating disorders and substance abuse issues, underscoring my sense of urgency to learn as much as I can about these areas in particular. My clients struggle with many mental health and behavioral issues including but not limited to major depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, trauma, eating disorders, post-traumatic stress and substance abuse. They range in age from early teens to young adults. Providing clinical services, and facilitating groups such as relapse prevention, psychoeducation, and coping skills, provides clients with tools to live their lives in sobriety and/or cope with the many mental health challenges they encounter in their daily living. Through my own experience, I feel that I am uniquely qualified to make a difference in these client’s lives because of my high level of motivation and dedication to my profession.
Education has stood at the center of my life for as long as I can remember, providing me with fertile ground and a strong foundation for research in mental health counseling at the doctoral level. As a psychology major, what began as a general interest in human behavior and development quickly grew into a sense of purpose and a personal duty to care for those who face serious mental health challenges. This includes a deep concern for the prosperity of my community. I have focused much of my education on learning about human behavior and the causes of human suffering. As a reflection of this, during my junior and senior years of college, I allotted as much time as I could to volunteering at a number of treatment centers in Orange County. At Yellowstone Recovery, I was able to contribute to an environment designed to foster the well-being of clients on their road to recovery from co-occurring disorders. I was given the opportunity to practice rapport building skills so that I could support client progress in treatment. My duties included coaching and modeling constructive communication and behaviors as well as co-facilitation of groups focusing on substance abuse and recovery. My experiences have made me a believer in the importance of human relationships and the impact of a supportive community in the process of individual growth. I learned that the resolution of personal problems and recovery from mental illness can be brought about by focusing on the root causes of individual suffering. I saw that solutions can be found through the empowerment of individuals to become active participants in their own recovery. I have been fortunate enough to see the process of transformation take place with individuals who at first seemed hopelessly sunken in despair. I believe in the power of the therapeutic relationship and the power of therapeutic processes to bring about this change. My involvement with Yellowstone Recovery convinced me still further concerning the healing influence that a compassionate community can have for those who struggle with mental illness and chronic, self-destructive behavior patterns. Through peer support and intensive individual and family therapy, I see first-hand how clients were able to confront and resolve conflicts within themselves and their familial relations; promoting positive progressive change in the lives of others in the community.
I currently work at Ocean Hills Recovery in San Juan Capistrano where I have been introduced to a family of professional individuals who strive to help clients find solace in the midst of mental health crises, supporting them throughout and helping them to rebuild often shattered lives. I have found co-facilitating group therapy sessions to be especially fulfilling. Clients generally experience a reduction in anxiety and leave the group with coping skills that enable them to better manage their lives and take ownership over their continuing growth and personal development.
My decision to pursue the doctoral degree in mental health counseling has been greatly influenced by my upbringing and family dynamics. My home life as a child and adolescence was marked with frequent crises. During these times my younger brother struggled deeply with depression and substance abuse. As a result, there was a tremendous amount of conflict in my family. My parents’ marriage was strained and our home life was in disarray. This was my first encounter with the tragic and grim reality of drug addiction and alcoholism. I came to see that driving his negative behaviors was a tremendous amount of pain and suffering and our family made modest progress at the development of compassion and empathy with the help of counseling, helping all of us to grow and learn to better appreciate the importance of communication for conflict resolution.
I have seen counselors for much of my life, and in retrospect it was during this period of time that I began to develop faith in the process of counseling to heal emotional wounds and mend essential relationships. Using counseling as a main tool through these experiences has increased my passionate pursuit of counseling with a focus on MFT. I appreciate the way that therapeutic techniques help others just as my family had been helped in the past. In 2015, I actively sought involvement in an assortment of mental health facilities across the Southern California area. Each facility was designed to provide support and recovery to individuals suffering throughout the Orange County area. Clients were provided with opportunities for a safe environment they would have otherwise not been afforded due to environmental barriers and obstacle in their lives. My role within the organizations include the development and processing of an array of groups focused on topics such as overall optimal mental health, recovery, life skills, physical wellness, and cultivation of self-esteem.
I am especially thankful that my professional experience thus far has afforded me the opportunity to work with diverse populations and clients from all walks of life. I have worked with males and females of all ages with a variety of ethnic and racial backgrounds. Both centers focused heavily on the treatment of alcohol and drug abuse in addition to treatment for patients with co-occurring disorders such as bipolar and schizophrenia. I have been able to work one-on-one with individuals facilitating client independence, recovery, coping skills, and re-integration into the community. In 2016 I was given the opportunity to volunteer at South Coast PostAcute, where I had the opportunity to spend extensive time with patients suffering from bipolar and eating disorders. I work for promoting recovery and emotional wellbeing of my clients and I still have much to learn in order to aid in the lasting reduction of mental suffering and the promotion of growth.
During my first two years of college I struggled to find a balance between my personal and family issues and keep my focus on my school work at the same time. As a result, I did not attain satisfactory grades in some lower and upper division courses. My grades improved, however, better reflecting my capacity as a graduate student. I have achieved a 3.4 GPA in the last 42 semester units and have exponentially increased my grade point average. I am prepared for the dedication, commitment and sacrifice required of a graduate program. I see my greatest strength as the extensive time that I have devoted to volunteering in the field of mental health counseling, helping me to develop strong social and interpersonal skills. I possess an intense curiosity in personality, behavior and the causes of human suffering. In addition, I strive for authenticity, genuineness, and compassion in my interactions with others. I also find great value in self-examination and seek to continually develop my own self-awareness.
I have chosen a career in mental health counseling because of the way that it helps to reduce human suffering. While suffering is a part of life, I have personally seen that through counseling, individuals are able to find relief, support, and ultimately the strength inside themselves to move forward. Counseling enables one to be heard, to have a voice within themselves, break through mental barriers, and move towards solution. The benefits of counseling are seen all throughout society as a whole. Counseling increases the well-being of a community through improving interpersonal relationships. I have experienced firsthand the healing benefits of counseling and would be honored to be involved in this process for others. I see becoming doctoral level professional in this field to be an enormous honor and privilege. I see counseling as a vehicle for contributing to positive, lasting and meaningful change in society. My past and current experiences with volunteer work, community involvement, and employment have prepared me to work with a diverse assortment of individuals in therapeutic environments
After completing my doctoral degree in counseling, I plan to become a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, practicing in mental health clinics, hospitals, or family service agencies, serving as a counselor in facilities that deal with mental illness in general and co-occurring disorders and eating disorders specifically. I would also like to open my own private practice in the pursuit of helping as many individuals as possible. As an MFT professional, I look forward to many decades to come, helping individuals and families to deal with mental illness, co-occurring disorders, and general challenges and hardships in their lives.
Thank you very much for your time and consideration.
DMFT Doctoral Marriage & Family Therapy Example
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