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 Renee Douglas Renee Douglas, a Limited Licensed Psychologist and Marriage and Family Therapist, is a University Counselor at Ferris State University. She is also an adjunct Assistant Professor at Grand Rapids Community College teaching in Language and Thought since the fall of 2001 and now in Behavioral Sciences. Renee credits her undergraduate degree in Communication Studies as the foundation upon which she has built a meaningful career and is the hallmark of her success. After transferring from Grand Rapids Community College, Renee graduated Magna Cum Laude from The School of Communication Studies at Grand Valley State University in 1998 with a BS in Communications. While the degree had a healthcare focus, little did Renee know that an entirely new career path was opening up to her. While taking the final course she needed for graduation with Dr. Corey Anton, Renee began to really appreciate the intricacy and complexity of communication, after all, she and her classmates pondered, “…how do we know a table is really a table?” which is a question Renee says communication’s scholars can truly appreciate. Although Dr. Corey Anton’s question was deeply thought provoking, she became particularly interested in the communication that takes place at the interpersonal and intimate level--that between individuals as couples and members of a family. This interest lead her to pursue a degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Michigan State University in 2000 where she was accepted into the doctoral program and is currently enrolled. During this course of study, Renee took a personal interest in women’s issues which began to intersect with her career path. It was here that Renee’s specialty in working with women healing from domestic violence, sexual assault, and childhood sexual abuse became the focus of her developing career. Renee became a therapist at the YWCA Counseling Center and after 2 years was promoted to the Director of Nonresidential Services, where she supervised the master’s and bachelor’s level counseling staff and master’s level social work interns from GVSU and Western Michigan University. Feeling at home in the environment of higher education, passionate about the issues facing women and their families, and tireless in her efforts to grow in her career, Renee continues to teach at GRCC and sees clients on contract at the YWCA. In addition, she accepted a counselor position this last fall at FSU where she provides outpatient counseling to FSU students. She is also the Co-chair of the campus Sexual Assault and Aggression Awareness Task Force and the Co-advisor for the student group SSOAR (Students Speaking Out Against Rape). “I had no real clue where I was headed, I just kept going in a direction academically that felt right and made sense to me. The study of communication is fascinating but the practice of it is even more so--especially when it’s effective. Ironically, it’s the ineffective communication that keeps me employed!” |
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| Last Modified Date: February 5, 2007 | ||
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