Healthy relationships: Alums train the next generation of marriage, family therapists

Merranda Marin ’99 ’07, Marcel Montañez ’13 and Kourtney Vaillancourt ’00 ’03 have a combined five degrees from NMSU and more than three decades of teaching experience. All three graduated from NMSU’s Marriage and Family Therapy Program in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences and currently run the program.

As leaders of the only brick-and-mortar program in New Mexico that trains graduate students for careers in marriage and family therapy, the trio has been at the forefront of stemming a growing shortage of mental health care providers in the state.

“I am proud to say we have a 100% job placement rate for our graduates, and about half of our students choose to work in communities across the state, bringing high-quality care to New Mexico families in need,” says Vaillancourt, a college professor, licensed marriage and family therapist, and director of the program.

Montañez joined the program in 2005, followed by Vaillancourt in 2007 and Marin in 2012. Together, they follow a systems-based teaching framework and maintain connections to national organizations to better serve students with the newest evidence-based practices.

Marin recently completed a term as chair for the membership board of American Psychological Association. Vaillancourt works closely with the American Association for Marriage and Family. Vaillancourt and Marin also serve on state regulatory boards for the practice of psychology and counseling and therapy, respectively. These boards are charged with the responsibility of protecting health, safety and helping maintain public trust in the profession.

It’s that systemic lens that separates marriage and family therapy from other professions, says Marin, a professor, licensed psychologist, and licensed marriage and family therapist.

“We train our students to see things from a systems perspective and work to enhance and build good-quality relationships with others regardless of the setting, whether it’s a friendship, a spousal relationship or a parent-child relationship,” Marin explains. “Marriage and family therapy is a core mental health profession recognized by the federal government, but it differs from psychology and counseling. We do similar work in different ways.”

The Family Research and Resource Center on NMSU’s Las Cruces campus has been a key component of the program since 2001. It serves students and families from NMSU, Doña Ana Community College and the Las Cruces community, providing free or low-cost therapy, research-based resources, education, activities and referral services. More importantly, it gives students hands-on training while providing much-needed services to the community.

“We’re providing services for free as much as we possibly can to give our students the training experience, but also to fill that gap for the people who can’t find services elsewhere,” Vaillancourt says.

Marin’s and Vaillancourt’s familiarity with New Mexico’s demographics and challenges, combined with their research expertise, allows them to effectively guide students in providing quality and culturally competent care.