The Department of Counseling and Family Sciences is overjoyed to welcome Shondel Mishaw, DMFT, MEd, LMFT to the department, and specifically to the Doctor of Marital and Family Therapy (DMFT) program. The DMFT program trains advanced clinical therapists in organizational leadership skills, applied research methodologies, and advanced clinical and supervisory skills. As such, the needs of the program are often reflective of the cutting-edge growth in the field, necessitating faculty that have real world, lived, and practical experience to incorporate into student mentoring, curriculum development, and research. The DMFT program aims to model the growth mindset we nurture in students by maintaining an eye to the future, a desire to meet the needs of an array of underserved communities, and the willingness to continually grow and adapt.
Dr. Mishaw is an alumna of the DMFT program and has expressed a drive and passion for education. The DMFT program has grown tremendously over the past several years and Dr. Mishaw brings superb experience in clinical leadership, research, and Marital and Family Therapy training and education. Her extensive experience will benefit curriculum development and advancement to meet the needs of our growing student body. By bringing her years of experience in clinical leadership to teaching, students will learn firsthand of the need for strong leaders in our field. Dr. Mishaw is able to lead by example in the classroom, incorporating her work experience into tangible and meaningful examples.
Further, Dr. Mishaw has supported the growth of the Housing Authority County of San Bernardino (HACSB) research lab to support opportunities for DMFT students to gain real world applied research experiences. Loma Linda University and HACSB have had a decade-long partnership in which students support evaluation and needs assessment efforts to ensure that housing services meet the needs of vulnerable populations. This partnership is mutually beneficial as HACSB aims to preserve the excellence of its programs and LLU strives to continually expand the excellence of DMFT student education.
Dr. Mishaw's ability to stand out as a leader in applied research in the past three years contributes to her ability to fulfill the needs of the DMFT program. In addition, her experience conducting an organization-wide needs assessment for Children's Institute brings multimodal research experience that will greatly benefit students. Through her career, Dr. Mishaw has sought to serve those most in need of care and brings this compassion, excellence, and justice to her work as an educator. She embodies the mission focus learning objectives upheld by all Loma Linda University faculty and will be an asset to the Counseling and Family Sciences department. We look forward to the many wonderful contributions Dr. Mishaw is sure to make to the department!