Chaminade University of Honolulu

Doctor of Marriage and Family Therapy

Chaminade Doctoral Student Publishes Book

Bridget Duncan, DMFT ’26 didn’t expect to be a published author before she even graduated with her doctoral degree. But the licensed marriage and family therapist, who manages a private practice, also doesn’t believe in letting a good idea gather dust.

That’s how a conversation with a doctoral program advisor at Chaminade turned into a book, published in January on Amazon. Duncan’s book’s title says it all: “Stop Dyeing Red Flags Pink: Your Roadmap to Healthy, Balanced Relationships.”

“I talk about relationships and attachment theory. What are the red flags? And why do we ignore them?” Duncan said, adding the book was written for everyone—from people struggling in relationships to professionals looking for ways to help clients.

Bridget Duncan, DMFT ’26 (in black) poses on campus with School of Education and Behavioral Sciences Dean Dale Fryxell, Ph.D., DMFT Program Director Blendine P. Hawkins, Ph.D., LMFT (right), and Emily Kahumoku-Fessler, Ph.D., LMFTS (left), associate director of the DMFT program.

Duncan said the snappy title of the book came first.

She recalls chatting with Dr. Emily Kahumoku-Fessler, LMFTS, associate director of Chaminade’s Doctor of Marriage and Family Therapy program, and mentioning just how frustrated she was about clients “dyeing those red flags pink” in their relationships.

Duncan recalls Kahumoku-Fessler telling her that would make a great book title.

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“She planted that seed,” Duncan said, adding the professors in the DMFT program followed up by encouraging her to take the leap into writing. “The idea really resonated with me and I thought, ‘Why not?’” Duncan recalled, speaking from her home office.

After the book was published, Duncan got another exciting opportunity.

She was invited to deliver a presentation on red flags in inter-partner violence at the Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma Hawai’i conference in April. Duncan said she’ll have copies of her book on-hand and looks forward to underscoring her message.

Duncan said she was able to complete her book, even with her rigorous doctoral studies, by setting a goal of writing at least 30 minutes a day. She found that once she got started, she often wrote more than that—and also made important connections to her doctoral studies.

Her dissertation, which she also hopes to publish as a book, is focused on the “potent” impacts of social media on symptoms of anxiety and depression among middle-aged adults. She said studies have previously focused on younger social media followers.

Duncan enrolled in Chaminade’s DMFT after researching programs across the country.

She said the degree at Chaminade had the supportive atmosphere she was looking for—and the flexibility she needed as a full-time therapist. “The entire faculty has been amazing and they’re the best in the field. We’re learning from the cream of the crop,” she said. “If you’re looking for a program that is going to support and challenge you, this is the one for you.”

And as for being an author, Duncan says it’s a milestone she never imagined she’d achieve.

“But everybody can do what I did,” she said. “You’ve just got to reach for it.”

Chaminade Launches Doctor of Marriage and Family Therapy Program

couple holding hands during marriage therapy

To help meet a critical need for mental health services, leadership and program administration in Hawaii, Chaminade University has launched a new Doctor of Marriage and Family Therapy (DMFT) program and is already receiving applications for the inaugural cohort—whose members will begin instruction in Fall 2022.

The doctoral degree received WASC accreditation, in recognition of the high quality of academic preparation and rigor for participating students, said the program’s director Dr. Blendine Hawkins.

Hawkins, an assistant professor of Psychology at Chaminade and a licensed marriage and family therapist, said the graduate degree will welcome students with diverse educational and professional backgrounds, including in psychology, counseling, social work or marriage and family therapy. Applicants must have a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy or completed coursework sufficient for MFT licensure. They also must be clinically active or be working to achieve licensure.

“We want to take their skills to the next level as they become expert clinicians, serving Hawaii in a culturally sensitive way,” she said, adding that the degree will prepare students for leadership, supervision and consultation, teaching in higher education, and for program administration.

“Hawaii has a dearth of experts in this field,” Hawkins said. “This program is about helping the next generation of marriage and family therapy clinicians build their skills. We think with the family in mind all the time and that’s really what sets us apart. Our prime purpose is to strengthen those connections, to honor families, to look at those areas of hurt and pain, and to help people build resilience.”

The Doctor of Marriage and Family Therapy will be delivered fully online, with both synchronous and asynchronous classes. With 10-week terms, students can complete their degree in as few as 36 months.

The degree, the only one of its kind in Hawaii, is also practice-focused and designed for working professionals. The cohort system allows participants to make progress toward their degree as a team, Hawkins said, supporting one another and building strong relationships along the way.

As part of the degree, participants will complete a dissertation and be encouraged to select an action research project focused on hands-on learning and maximizing their positive impact. “Students will be able to conduct their dissertation research in their workplace or as part of a clinic experience, understanding how to better help their clients and evaluating programs,” Hawkins said.

Chaminade President Lynn Babington, PhD, said the doctoral degree helps to meet a strong need for marriage and family therapy clinicians operating at the highest levels of the discipline. “The Doctor of Marriage and Family Therapy is all about leadership and preparing students to take the next step in their careers so they can better advocate for families and build healthier family units which in turn positively impacts our community,” she said.

“Service and social justice are at the foundation of this degree, aligning with our broader Marianist values at Chaminade that seek to educate the whole person and help students pursue positive change.”

Dr. Dale Fryxell, dean of the School of Education and Behavioral Sciences, added that the professors serving the program were hand-picked and are all experts in their field. “These faculty-mentors are not only well-versed in theory but in practice, bringing decades of experience to the program,” Fryxell said.

“They are perfectly suited to supporting our DMFT participants as they build on their professional identities in advanced levels of clinical intervention and also grow adept at systemic leadership, program building and consultation to practitioners, nonprofit organizations and healthcare entities.”

Hawkins said the program is designed to appeal to a wide range of students, including mid-career professionals and those who have just completed a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy.

Participants, she added, will have access to a strong network of support from faculty members, program advisors and Chaminade support staff. Hawkins also said the coursework—like the dissertation—is designed to stress experiential learning, skills building and leadership development.

“They’ll have opportunities to hone their skills in real-world settings, weaving in unique challenges, complexities and nuances present in Hawaii,” Hawkins said. “And at every turn, we will employ a socially just, informed lens to working with clients while recognizing no two families are alike.”