Jane E. Newell, M.A. Principal Investigator (PI) Doctoral Student, Family Social Science

1. Track I-1 DataBlitz October 28, 201110:30 AM 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 Science University of Minnesota Collaborative Family Healthcare Association 13th Annual Conference October 27-29, 2011 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania U.S.A.

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

3. 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)

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

5. Expected Outcomes At 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

6. Course Description Intimate 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.

7. Research Questions 1) 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?

8. Expected Outcome 1 • Describe the paradox regarding new professionals’ skill-set in facilitating patients’ health vis-à-vis providers’ own, often-cited poor health

9. 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)

10. 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

11. 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

12. Course Topics: Students’ Rank Order of Relevance • Attachment Styles & Family of Origin Influences • Relationship Development –Authenticity & Commitment • What is Intimacy? • Sexual Intimacy • Intimacy Killers & Intimacy Healers • The Dance of Intimacy – Relational Processes • Mending and Ending Relationships • Boundaries • Long Lived Relationships • Relationship Formation – Meeting & Dating • Long Distance Relationships • Relationship Formation – Gender • Intimacy in Cultural and Religious Contexts • Intimacy in GLBT Relationships

13. 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 topic • Demonstrated students’ engagement in course content as a transformative process rather than a traditional course of teacher as “expert” and students as “passive recipients” • Demonstrated self-focused & engaged orientation to their participation in the course content

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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.”

17. 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

19. 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.”

20. 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

21. Did you see any noticeable changes in your intimate relationships?

22. 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”

23. 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.”

24. 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”

25. 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….”

26. ACTION: Individual level Global “What HAVEN’T I done differently?!”

27. 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)”

28. ACTION: Relationship Level Global “Encouraging more openness and conversation about important issues in my intimate relationships”

29. 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”

30. ACTION: Career Level

31. 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”

32. 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).”

33. 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.”

34. Session Evaluation Please complete and return theevaluation form to the classroom monitor before leaving this session. Thank you!