Graduate Programs in Social Sciences & Counseling
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The process of counseling requires the development of a trusting relationship between the client and practitioner in which the client learns new and different ways to cope with life’s dilemmas and problems. As such, its interactive relationship requires both the client and the practitioner to engage in meaningful dialogue, dedicated to problem solving.
Consequently, counseling is among the most personally fulfilling, while also among the most emotionally demanding, professions. The stressors placed on the counseling professional require a high degree of self-awareness, ethical integrity and an ongoing responsibility to develop both intellectually and emotionally from one’s life experiences.
Biscayne College is committed to providing high quality professional education in the fields of Guidance and Counseling, Marriage and Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling. The University seeks to contribute to the emotional health and welfare of consumers of counseling services within the school and community by preparing knowledgeable, as well as ethically and emotionally mature practitioners.
***Special Article***
A Conversation with Dr. Lawrence Rubin….
by Susan Buzzi, Office of Sponsored Research, Saint Thomas University/Biscayne College
When asked to conduct this interview for the upcoming STU Lecture on March 8th; as an alumni now working in Biscayne College, I was naturally thrilled; however, the opportunity to experience Dr. Rubin’s infamous “cave of consciousness” was the absolute clincher for me!
Award winning author and Director of the M.S. Mental Health Counseling program, Dr. Lawrence Rubin is surely one of the most captivating, fascinating and enlightening professors at Saint Thomas University. He is witty, candid, prolific in his writing and teaching, and creative; perhaps the most unlikely right-brain / left-brain candidate one would expect to meet (“ambicortical” as he coined himself).
Dr. Lawrence Rubin has been with the University for 21 years; with the last 15 as Program Director. A “renaissance man” he enjoys nature; “treasure hunting” and collecting vintage toys, furniture, trinkets and art (specifically 1940’s + paint-by-number works); an obvious in-your-face-fact upon entering his office. From floor to ceiling, everything has its’ place and there is a place for everything….and I mean every… little… thing! Aside from the typical couch and bookshelves, my immediate reaction was sensory overload; it was extraordinary yet overwhelming at the same time; hence the subdued lighting and ironic ambiance. Intentional? Perhaps …. genius …. without a doubt!
Born in Brooklyn, New York, he attended Brooklyn College for his Bachelors degree, Wayne State University in Michigan for his Masters and Nova University for his Ph.D. He chose the area of psychology after pre-med coursework.
Married, with 2 children, he fondly credits his wife as one of his greatest inspirations; he states, ‘I admire her dedication to our children and for life’. Besides various musicians, writers, and a professor at Wayne State University; he considers his parents (both in their 90’s) as his true mentors. Other great influences revealed themselves along the journey and were “incidental” and unexpected; yet all have had impact.
First published in 2000 for a “Paint by Numbers Collectors” article, he discovered his writing muse; and now 9 books later…. the textbook “Diagnosis & Treatment Planning for Mental Health Professionals: A Popular Culture Casebook Approach”; 2011, will be discussed at Saint Thomas University on Thursday, March 8th, 2012 from 5-6pm.
The book examines the power and effects of media and expressions; identifying “clients” from pop culture such as Tinker Bell, Snoopy, and Spiderman; and cleverly utilizes their “stories” and issues -good and bad- as vehicles to construct and uncover both positive and negative influence relevant today. Indeed, the evening promises to be an exciting one!
Dr. Rubin is a licensed therapist; blogs for Psychology Today; and has recently learned that an additional publication, “Play-based Interventions for Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders”, a collection of essays by himself and others exploring play and play therapy, will go to press.
As we concluded, and I reluctantly prepared to exit “the cave” and return to reality, I asked Dr. Rubin if he had some words of wisdom for STU alumni and graduate students; he smiled gently and without hesitation said: ‘follow your muse…and make a living of course!’
“Integrating Popular Culture in Counseling Practice: A Conversation with Dr. Lawrence Rubin”
Saint Thomas University Thursday, March 8th, 2012 5-6pm Kennedy Room #222 16401 NW 37th Avenue Miami, Florida 33054
RSVP: Erica Hernandez (305) 474-6865 ehernandez3@stu.edu
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