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Student Highlights

Meredith Farnsworth, Research Team
2 July 2020
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Military REACH Research Associate

Meredith Farnsworth is pursuing a PhD in marriage and family therapy at the University of Georgia and has been a graduate research assistant for Military REACH for almost two years. She is a critical thinker who aims to accomplish tasks thoroughly and continually improve as a writer and scholar. Meredith primarily spends her time writing TRIP reports, research reports, and family focus articles. During her time with REACH, Meredith has:

Meredith is described by her colleagues as fun, articulate, easygoing, hardworking, insightful, and passionate about improving the lives of individuals and families. We are thankful to have a teammate like Meredith that pushes us towards our goal of excellence. Meredith shared with us about how she manages graduate school and how marriage and family therapy intersects with Military REACH.

1. What is one of the biggest challenges of becoming a marriage and family therapist?

One of the biggest challenges of becoming a marriage and family therapist is learning about yourself on a new level so you can be an effective therapist. Sometimes, our own problems get in the way of doing our job well, and this is a process every therapist encounters through their development.

2. How does the clinical work you do intersect with military family research?

While some clients I have seen were currently active duty Service members, many clients have been impacted by the military in other ways, such as growing up in a military family or having a close family member who is a service member or veteran. Military family research is important for understanding all the different ways that one might be impacted by the military beyond service members and veterans, and that has been relevant to my clinical work over the years.

3. What Military REACH product or task are you most proud of having accomplished?

I really enjoyed working on the Child Sexual Abuse report, as we were able to report on relevant research concisely. It can be difficult to communicate a lot of information clearly, concisely, and effectively, but it is important for audiences that want to practically use it.

4. What are ways you practice self-care while in graduate school?

One of the most important self-care practices for me is spending quality time with my close friends. Every week, my best friend and I go catch a movie at the local theater and then head to Target to shop around. This has become a weekly routine for us and is easily my favorite part of the week as it helps me decompress from work!

5. If you had to describe yourself in three words what words would you choose and why?

Practical, intuitive, and balanced – I approach tasks and therapy in very practical ways so that they are accomplishable and realistic, which is a quality that I bring to many different realms of my life. Intuitive is a quality that helps immensely in my clinical work as it allows me to navigate what clients might be feeling even without them having language for those emotions just yet, as emotions can feel complex and tangled at times. Balanced is a quality I strive toward and one that I highly value. Balancing the many realms of my life to take care of my mind, body, and spirit is important in bringing my full self to each realm (whether that be work, family, or friends).
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