Education professor receives Lifetime Achievement Award

Fort Worth, TX

5/3/2010

By: Allison Schorr, Schieffer School of Journalism

Dr. Frank N. Thomas, TCU associate professor of education, was the recipient of the 2010 Louisiana Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (LAMFT) Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award. Thomas has been a licensed marriage and family therapist in the state of Texas since 1992 and a professor in the College of Education’s counseling program since 2005.

“It's humbling to be honored by my Louisiana peers,” said Dr. Thomas. “LAMFT has become my family therapy ‘home,’ and to have them recognize my professional contributions with this award is truly a capstone event for me.”

According to its website, the LAMFT is the only professional association in Louisiana which advocates on behalf of marriage and family therapists, the profession, and families. It is a division of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) and represents licensed marriage and family therapists and interns in Louisiana who uphold the high training and practice standards of the AAMFT. Only California and Texas have more marriage family therapists than Louisiana.

The Lifetime Achievement award was presented at the LAMFT Annual Conference held in Baton Rouge, La. in February. Thomas was a session presenter and has presented at previous LAMFT conferences as well. This year he was a co-presenter for a session titled “Just do it - The therapist’s recursive relationship of being and acting with couples in therapy.”

One of his former mentors Dr. Bradford Keeney, Hanna Spyker Eminent Scholars Chair at the University of Louisiana, at Monroe, now president-elect of the Louisiana Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, said “Frank was my student, then my colleague, and now my advisor, friend, and brother. He has become one of most important voices to carry forth the future of marriage and family therapy. He inspires us all and keeps us laughing when things get tough."

Keeney said Thomas was chosen for the award for his leadership in family therapy as evidenced by the positions he held at state and national levels of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and the influence he has had on several generations of students. He has exhibited scholarly contributions to scholarship that include numerous published articles, books and speaking performances throughout the world that combine clinical acumen and a keen sense of humor.

Thomas received his B.S. from the University of South Dakota and his Ph.D. from Texas Tech University. He has been a presenter at many conferences and workshops, served on numerous editorial boards for mental health journals and been published in multiple professional books and journals. Thomas is involved at TCU through his membership on the TCU Honors College Faculty Advisory Committee, TCU College of Education Cabinet and TCU Graduate Council. He is a clinical member and approved supervisor of the AAMFT and the Texas Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.