Prof, students awarded for demonstrating excellence in field of marriage and family therapy
The Texas Association of Marriage and Family Therapy (TAMFT) recently honored Dr. Sofia Georgiadou with the Professor of the Year Award. Georgiadou, an assistant professor of family therapy at University of Houston-Clear Lake’s (UHCL) College of Human Sciences and Humanities, received the award for her exceptional guidance of students toward high standards of care for future practice in Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT). Students from UHCL’s Family Therapy program, who are also TAMFT members, nominated her.
“This was my first professional academic award in the 17 years I have been in the U.S., aside from the Fulbright Foundation Scholarship I received for my master’s studies,” Georgiadou said. “Knowing that this award came to me, thanks to nominations from students in our program made it even more meaningful. Their appreciation for all my hard work and efforts to teach them well and promote our Family Therapy program is the highest form of recognition.”
Georgiadou has been instrumental in increasing enrollment in the Family Therapy program through a comprehensive outreach campaign. This campaign included presentations and activities at UHCL and other locations. She also engaged with UHCL alumni and other undergraduate psychology programs in Texas to promote the program. Her efforts proved successful, nearly tripling the applicant pool compared to the previous year.
She also developed an undergraduate family psychology course at UHCL to enhance visibility for the Master of Arts (M.A.) in Family Therapy program. This course, PSYC 3332 Family Psychology, raised awareness about the family therapy profession among UHCL undergraduate students and attracted prospective applicants to the program. Over 20 undergraduate students enrolled in Fall 2023.
In addition to the Professor of the Year Award, TAMFT honors students for their achievements based on nominations. Georgiadou nominated two of UHCL's Master's in Family Therapy second-year students, Sophie Synek and Lauren Godfrey, for TAMFT's Master Level Student of the Year Award, and both students won. Georgiadou, Synek, and Godfrey all received their awards during the TAMFT Annual Conference in San Antonio on April 11, 2024.
“Sophie and Lauren have not only been diligently and successfully advancing through their coursework, but they have also devoted significant amounts of time and energy to fundraise for our Family Therapy Student Association, generating funding for guest speakers, trainings, and many other student activities,” said Georgiadou.
This marks the second consecutive year that a student from UHCL’s M.A. in Family Therapy has received TAMFT's Master's Level Student of the Year Award. In 2023, John Kelly, a second-year student in the Family Therapy program, received the honor. This is a notable achievement for UHCL’s Family Therapy program, since TAMFT considered nominees from several other university family therapy programs in Texas for both the Professor of the Year and Master's Level Student of the Year awards. These include the programs at Our Lady of the Lake University, Texas Woman's University, Abilene Christian University, Texas Tech University, and Texas Wesleyan.
Georgiadou expressed hope that the MFT field gains wider recognition in the future through more states passing MFT license portability legislation and increased reimbursement rates for family therapists from insurance companies.
“Well-compensated family therapists are essential to resolving the mental health crisis we face as a nation,” she added. “Seeing people’s behaviors in context and understanding how their struggles may make sense given their relationships and broader societal barriers are more important than ever. We need more systemic thinkers in this world.”
To learn more about UHCL’s MFT program, visit the Family Therapy Program webpage .
