Professor joins counseling and family sciences department
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| Suzanne Hanna, PhD, recently joined the faculty of the Graduate School’s department of counseling and family sciences. Besides teaching, she will coordinate medical family therapy tracks and doctoral internships. |
Suzanne Hanna, PhD, officially joined the Graduate School's department of counseling and family sciences in January of 2002.
Dr. Hanna is professor of counseling and family sciences and will coordinate doctoral internships for students, as well as coordinate medical family therapy tracks.
"I wanted to come to Loma Linda because of the progressive, visionary atmosphere of the University," says Dr. Hanna. "I also loved the descriptions of people working together collaboratively and wanted to be a part of it."
Her interest in Loma Linda also stems from the advances made in numerous kinds of research at the University. "I am interested in a research-based practice of marriage and family therapy, as well as in the training and education of family therapists," she states.
Her areas of interest in research include the health and mental health of disadavantaged populations, the influence of sibling position in families, and the effects of obesity and sickle cell anemia on the family and how the family can cope with these problems.
"I also have interest in collaborating in unusual fields, such as combining family therapy with brain research," she adds.
Before coming to Loma Linda, Dr. Hanna was an associate professor and director of the therapy program at the University of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky, where she spent 12 years.
As professor of counseling and family sciences, Dr. Hanna brings to the department many years of experience in a number of areas. "I have 25 years of clinical experience and have seen many changes take place in the medical field," she comments.
She is also active in the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and has extensive experience with disadvantaged populations such as minorities, low income, and poverty-level families.
"We're just thrilled to have Dr. Hanna here," exclaims Mary Moline, PhD, chair of the department of counseling and family sciences. "We're very lucky to have someone with such a wealth of knowledge and experience in the field of family therapy."
Using her extensive experience in the field, Dr. Hanna hopes to help Loma Linda University students obtain a global view of the value of marriage and family therapy while also integrating a sense of spirituality into their work. "I'd like to help them develop the discipline and patience it takes to become a nationally respected scholar, and also give them a chance to learn state-of-the-art advances in the field," she informs.
Dr. Hanna received a bachelor's degree in psychology from Brigham Young University in 1972. In 1977 she earned a master's degree in educational psychology from the University of Utah. Her PhD in marriage and family therapy was received from Brigham Young University in 1982.
Dr. Hanna lives in Moreno Valley where she cares for her 83- year-old mother at home.
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