Building relationships

As the field placement coordinator for La Salle University's Marriage and Family Therapy Program, Jeanae Hopgood, LMFT, M.Ed., CST, PMH-C, CAGCS, supports students as they take the next step in their academic journey.

At La Salle, Hopgood supervises and guides graduate students as they begin working with clients directly through hands-on internships at community mental health clinics, nonprofits, and private practices across Philadelphia.

Jeanae Hopgood, LMFT, M.Ed., CST, PMH-C, CAGCS, loves seeing people evolve and grow.

As a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT), sex therapist, perinatal mental health specialist, and advanced grief counseling specialist, Hopgood works with her clients as they navigate challenging life chapters, learn about themselves on a deeper level, and find alignment in their everyday.

As she supports her clients, many of whom are Black, Brown, and LGBTQIA+, they are often discussing topics such as race, sexuality, identity, loss, and grief in their sessions. She looks to be a beacon of hope for her clients when they feel like they haven't been able to access services or support in a way that's been helpful in the past.

"That's what keeps me coming back, is helping people through these hard moments and being a witness to the beauty of transformation," she said.

While Hopgood finds purpose through her therapy practice, she's found another way to support others as the field placement coordinator within La Salle University's Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) Program, a role she began in the summer of 2023.

At La Salle, she supervises and guides graduate students as they begin working with clients directly through hands-on internships at community mental health clinics, nonprofits, and private practices across Philadelphia.

This is an integral part of the University's MFT program which requires students to complete three semesters of internship work over one calendar year. Supervision is required for each student's field placement. In total, the internship must fulfill the 600-hour requirement. Guidelines are determined by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE).

Not only do students gain experience working with clients directly, who could be children, adults, couples, families, or a combination of various populations, but they receive guidance from Hopgood, their on-site supervisor, and support from their fellow classmates when they meet as a group to discuss their progress.

Hopgood said she aims to help place students in locations where they want to be, working with the groups they're most interested in. But by working in a variety of settings, students maximize their learning through real-world exposure to different scenarios.

While Hopgood said the response from students is largely positive, beginning the internship process can come with some nervousness.

"They're excited to be in the room, actually getting to do the work, and to really see how these systems, theories, and models work with actual people in real life, so that's really exciting for them," she explained. "Oftentimes, it's also overwhelming, though. There's also the, 'whoa, I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing with this,' or, 'I have a really challenging case,' or 'I'm really struggling with this particular dynamic.' Or even adding in the just the paperwork of it all."

Whatever the challenge may be, Hopgood along with the on-site supervisors and other faculty members within La Salle's MFT Program aim to provide guidance and mentorship as students experience a new part of their studies for the first time.

She said she's heard from students how much they appreciate how helpful, kind, and supportive the MFT faculty is.

"One checkpoint I do with students is a site visit. This happens during their first semester of internship. That is where I get a lot of information, from the student and their supervisor, about their caseload and what are things actually looking like on site, and who they are actually working with. It's a great opportunity to compare and to normalize. They will say things like, 'I can't believe this happened,' and I often say, 'you're going to see that a lot, so get comfortable with it' and I think that helps to ease some of their new therapy anxiety as well," she said.

Hopgood's relationship with the University's MFT students grows as they continue through their internship process. She said those relationships, along with all the connections built with one another, are important and require a level of empathy, understanding, curiosity, and problem solving. Those bonds are something that students can learn from as they enter into their therapy work.

While Hopgood completed her MFT education at another Philadelphia university, she's seen how strong the La Salle community is since joining the program. She noted that while students sometimes begin the program at different times, they still find ways to create lasting friendships and a support system that allows them to ask questions and learn from each other.

"They found ways to have relationships with each other that feel really close, supportive, and nurturing, and I think that's really beautiful," she noted.

- Meg Ryan, M.A. '24