It’s been a while. I am, undoubtedly, an entirely different person than I was when I posted my first article on this blog. Because it has been so long, I have hidden other blog posts, because I wanted to entirely revamp this blog and begin anew. So what have I been up to? And what am I writing a blog for?
I graduated with my Master of Science in Child Development and Family Studies, with a Specialization in Marriage and Family Therapy in December of 2017, from Purdue University Northwest (previously known as Purdue University Calumet). After graduation, I worked for a few months, but moved back to Michigan (my home state) in March 2018. I am now actively seeing clients as a Limited Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LLMFT) in Rochester, MI.
Throughout my time in graduate school, I focused on the things I am most interested in: non-traditional relationship styles, sexuality, and gender. I presented posters at national and state-level conferences with titles such as, “Sex Education and Collaborative Work Within Marriage and Family Therapy,” “Navigating Relational Issues in Polyamorous Relationships: A Structural Family Therapy Approach,” and “Feminist Solution-Focused Brief Therapy and the Sexual Empowerment of Women.” These posters were all based on papers I had written in graduate classes (and I am still working on getting some of them published in an academic journal). Other papers I wrote in classes included “Unique Factors in Transgender Couple Relationships and Affairs” and “The Ethics of Working with BDSM Relationships in Therapy.” Last, but certainly not least, I completed my Masters Thesis entitled, “Marriage and Family Therapists’ Attitudes and Perceptions of Polyamorous Relationships.” I tell you this to show the amount of research, time, and passion I have put into increasing my knowledge around these topics.
Now that I have graduated, I am still consistently learning. I am now free to read about the topics I truly care about and specialize in those issues. I am increasing my knowledge-base every day. I have grown both personally and professionally, and I am excited to share the things I have learned with my clients, my readers, and the people around me.
So what will this blog be about? I have completely revamped it, from the title to the format to the content. I will continue to focus on the same topics I wrote about in graduate school. I will be sharing information about non-traditional relationship styles, sexuality, and gender. I intend to discuss these topics from my feminist, solution-focused, and mindful perspective. It is my hope that this blog will also grow, change, and adapt as I do. If my own identity impacts my ability to see things clearly, or if I offend a reader in any way, I ask that you let me know so that I can continue to educate myself and be more mindful in the future. Thank you in advance, and I hope you will find this blog helpful!
-Steph.