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Dr. Kate Warner, Assistant Professor of Marriage and Family Therapy
Coordinator, MS in Marriage in Family Therapy
Ph.D. (Systemic Studies) Nova Southeastern University, 1998
kwarner@valdosta.edu
Office: 229) 293-6264
University Center: 1145
Hello, my name is Kate Warner, and I direct the Masters of Marriage and Family Therapy Program. Before I arrived at VSU, I directed the Family Therapy program at Seton Hill College. I graduated from Kalamazoo College in Michigan with a major in Sociology and later competed my PhD in Marriage and Family Therapy at Nova Southeastern University in South Florida. I am an American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy Approved Supervisor and a Florida Supreme Court Certified Family Mediator. I am a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Florida and Georgia. In addition to my training in Marriage and Family Therapy and Family Mediation, I’ve spent time in private practice as well as working at a domestic assault shelter and in a home-based family preservation program.
My research interests include therapy with involuntary clients, the intersection of spirituality and family therapy, death and dying, and the use of therapy with children involved in the juvenile justice system—especially therapy that is provided by balanced and restorative justice programs. While I consider myself primarily a qualitative researcher, I am currently involved in two mixed methods research projects that focus on the juvenile justice system.
As a therapist, I am committed to non-pathologizing methods of therapeutic intervention. In fact, it was the non-pathologizing aspects of Family Therapy that drew me to the field. I don’t find labels useful, and I work hard to help my clients in ways that don’t leave them with a negative definition of themselves. I also work from a systemic/contextual perspective; meaning, that I believe all behavior makes sense in context. One of the things I love about family therapy is learning how each client’s perspective makes sense to them. In addition, I also consider myself to be a constructivist, which for me means that I expect each person to have a unique meaning system that I must understand before I can begin helping them find ways of changing that fit their world view.
I teach several classes in the MFT program, including Practicum, Interventions in MFT, and Treatment Issues in MFT. All of the therapy ideas and interests I’ve described above inform my teaching.
Choosing a program that leads to a career as a clinician can be a confusing process. I would be glad to talk with you about a career in Marriage and Family Therapy.