From Insight to Action:Working with Students in the Helping

Professions to Practice what they Preach

Jane E. Newell, M.A.Principal Investigator (PI)

Doctoral Student, Family Social ScienceUniversity of Minnesota

Collaborative Family Healthcare Association 13th Annual ConferenceOctober 27-29, 2011 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania U.S.A.

Track I-1 DataBlitzOctober 28, 201110:30 AM

Faculty Disclosure

I have not had any relevant financial relationships during the past 12 months.

Need/Practice Gap & Supporting Resources

• The helping professions (biomedical and mental health) are oriented to the care of others – but often at the expense of the helping professional, him/herself

• Medical students, residents, and graduate students report higher levels of

- depression & anxiety- divorce & relationship problems

• It is important for educators to help students and young professionals to learn healthy ways of individual- and relational- functioning/balance early (i.e., before they are ingrained)

ObjectiveTo provide participants with new knowledge about how to engage students in the helping professions to purposively attend to their own health.

Expected OutcomesAt the end of this presentation, participants will be able to: • Describe the paradox regarding new professionals’ skill-set in

facilitating patients’ health vis-à-vis providers’ own, often-cited poor health

• Describe key content areas of a popular and applied course in the social sciences designed to engage learners in a process of self-focus alongside the conventional erudition that one would expect from a psychosocially-oriented curriculum

• List key methods used in the effective delivery of a course designed to facilitate self-focus and personal/interpersonal behavioral changes on the part(s) of the new professional

• Describe results evaluating the course’s effectiveness in mobilizing learners to apply principles of self- and relational- care into their own lives and functioning

Course DescriptionIntimate Relationships is a course that focuses on the interpersonal dynamics of couples, and on the dynamics of couples in-context. We will explore how intimate relationships evolve and develop – and how they succeed or fail. We will talk about a variety of important relationship topics and skills, including dating, cohabitation, marriage, sexual orientation, gender roles & power, communication & conflict resolution, relationship problems (e.g., abuse, infidelity, divorce), and couple enrichment/couples’ therapy. The science of these foci as studied by sociologists, social psychologists, anthropologists, historians, marriage and family therapists and family social scientists is incorporated throughout.

Research Questions1) Which subjects covered are most salient for this population?

2) What teaching methods are most effective for this population and subject matter? 3) Would students who have taken this class describe a qualitative difference in their intimate relationships resulting from their participation in this course?

4) How would they describe their intimate relationships as they are now compared to before taking the course?

Expected Outcome 1

• Describe the paradox regarding new professionals’ skill-set in facilitating patients’ health vis-à-vis providers’ own, often-cited poor health

The Paradox for Helping Professionals

Long hours with little control or predictability Emotional drain from patients, colleagues,

superiors, institutions, legal system, etc. Open boundaries – call, pagers, unexpected

work demands Most intense relationships are often at work Medical Education is NOT flexible, so the

Couple and/or Family MUST be (Mendenhall)

Addressing The Paradox

• Young emerging professionals in the helping fields are trained to provide guidance for others in their intimate relationships while research documents that their own relationships tend to suffer

• This course addresses that paradox by giving participants the ability to develop a strong self-focus and set of relational and communication skills at the individual, relationship and career levels

Expected Outcome 2

• Describe key content areas of a popular and applied course in the social sciences designed to engage learners in a process of self-focus alongside the conventional erudition that one would expect from a psychosocially-oriented curriculum

Course Topics: Students’ Rank Order of Relevance

1. Attachment Styles & Family of Origin Influences2. Relationship Development –Authenticity & Commitment3. What is Intimacy?4. Sexual Intimacy5. Intimacy Killers & Intimacy Healers6. The Dance of Intimacy – Relational Processes7. Mending and Ending Relationships8. Boundaries9. Long Lived Relationships10. Relationship Formation – Meeting & Dating 11. Long Distance Relationships12. Relationship Formation – Gender13. Intimacy in Cultural and Religious Contexts14. Intimacy in GLBT Relationships

Evidence of Self-Focus in Students’ Selections of Relevant Course Topics

Students rated Attachment and Family of Origin issues the most relevant topic and Relationship formation: Authenticity & Commitment second most relevant topic1. Demonstrated students’ engagement in course

content as a transformative process rather than a traditional course of teacher as “expert” and students as “passive recipients”

2. Demonstrated self-focused & engaged orientation to their participation in the course content

Expected Outcome 3

List key methods used in the effective delivery of a course designed to facilitate self-focus and personal/interpersonal behavioral changes on the part(s) of the new professional

Effective Delivery of Course Content: An Active and Transformative

Processes• Unique pedagogy that engages students

experientially in course content• Design: Twice weekly course participation

Lecture • Lecture rated as the #1 effective method• Personal stories of professor of record• Contemporary video and music selections

Discussion session: application of course content• Small and large group processes• Students write 25 page applied paper about

themselves

Student Quote: Lecture

“Tai has a talent for lecturing and knows how a course should be run. It was so refreshing to take a course from a professor who truly loves what he does but can also make time for his students

and thinks hard about what will help his students to do their best. One of the highlights of

my undergrad and time at the u.”

Final Paper

• Designed to give students access to developing self-focus by:– Writing a 25 page paper about themselves and

their intimate relationships– Defining core course concepts– Demonstrating application by writing about

specific events in their intimate relationships– Flexibility to be creative/expressive

Student Quote: Final Paper

“It was emotionally challenging for me and resulted in a lot of stress and tears, but after I had completed it it was like a weight had been

lifted. I could actually allow myself to look at my past and not feel as guilty or terrible about my

decisions and how life had been handled in terms of my relationships, because I better

understood why things happened the way they happened and learned what I could do to change

things for the future.”

Expected Outcome 4

Describe results evaluating the course’s effectiveness in mobilizing learners to apply principles of self- and relational- care into their own lives and functioning

Did you see any noticeable changes in your intimate relationships?

Individual Level: Global

Increased self-awareness

“I’ve been assured that the way I am feeling is okay – how to handle it is the key”

Individual Level: Specific

Increased Self-Awareness

“I have learned now to really cherish who I am as a person, meaning the intimate relationship I

have with myself has improved.”

Relationship Level: Global

Increased Relationship Awareness

“I no longer see relationships as two people fulfilling each other, but as two whole people creating something bigger than a life alone”

Relationship Level Awareness: Specific

“With my new boyfriend I have immediately told him how I function in relationships. I tend to

distance a little because I'm very independent and have had friends who completely lose touch with me once they date someone. I told him that

right away and to let me know if I'm not spending enough time with him or acting

distanced. I also am more conscious of how I argue….”

ACTION: Individual level

Global

“What HAVEN’T I done differently?!”

ACTION: Individual Level

Specific“’I statements’ have been a huge thing for me as well as

maintaining my own identity”

“I no longer argue the same way – used to kitchen-sink, pulling in arguments from months ago or little things that aren’t even the problem – but rather something that I was right about to make me sound right all the time – no longer do that, stick to the issue at hand. (However, unable to stop others when they do it)”

ACTION: Relationship Level

Global

“Encouraging more openness and conversation about important issues in my intimate

relationships”

ACTION: Relationship Level

Specific“Opened communication with my boyfriend and used a

more understanding approach when a disagreement occurs”

“In a romantic relationship, for every negative thing that is said to your partner, there are five positives that

need to be said (I think that’s what it was). I have always been quite positive with my BF but after hearing

that it made me even more conscious about my word choice when I am upset with him”

ACTION: Career Level

Changed Major

“Halfway through taking this course, I knew that I wanted in some capacity to work with others on some level of facilitating the information I learned in this course. I changed my major to

Family Social Science so I could continue developing the language, skills, and information

necessary to find a career in a field relating to family counseling and/or relationship therapy”

Chose Graduate Trajectory

“This class was a primary influence on my decision to become a marriage and family therapist”

“I choose to attend graduate school for counseling services. I feel intimate relationship class is one of the

motivation to work with people (couples).”

Self-Determined Family Science NOT a Good Fit

“I really wanted to work with people, to let them come and talk to me tell me their problems and let me help

them work out their problems. Taking this course made realize that maybe being a consultant wasn't the right

thing for me I don't think that I want to listen to people's problems all day about their relationship

especially when it's something that in my opinion is common sense but to those people, they just can't seem

to get it through their head.”

Session Evaluation

Please complete and return theevaluation form to the classroom monitor

before leaving this session.

Thank you!