"Promoting School-Based Family Counseling Globally"
Oxford Symposium in School-Based Family Counseling
21st
Anniversary
2003-2023
Who We Are
The Oxford Symposium in School-Based Family Counseling
PRESENTS A COMPELLING VISION OF INTEGRATION ACROSS THE WORLDS IN WHICH OUR CHILDREN LIVE AND ACROSS THE DISCIPLINES WITHIN WHICH HELPING PROFESSIONALS ARE CATEGORIZED.
THE OXFORD SYMPOSIUM is an invited, residential conference limited to approximately 25 members.
SCHOOL-BASED FAMILY COUNSELING
Making A Difference
The objective of the Oxford Symposium
is to make visible the “invisible college”
of international experts in School-Based Family Counseling
and to provide opportunity for information exchange,
co-operation and collegial networking.
Watch this 5 minute video in which Dr. Brian Gerrard provides an overview of the Oxford Symposium in School-Based Family Counseling
A Global Community
The Oxford Symposium in School-Based Family Counseling (SBFC) is not simply a conference—it is a call to establish and participate in a worldwide community of stakeholders in School-Based Family Counseling, thereby opening the door to an ongoing process of information exchange and collegial discussion.
We are Interdisciplinary and Multicultural
Symposium members come from diverse professional disciplines and include: counselor educators, teachers, social workers, special educators, school administrators, counselors, principals, psychologists, family therapists, physicians, psychiatrists, experts in counseling theory and practitioners in sociology, social psychology, public policy and the law.
What Participants Like Best About the Symposium
“The relaxed, collegial atmosphere – opportunities to learn, to share, to have fun. Well organized.”
“Collegiality, respectfulness, international and multicultural, ‘similarities and differences’, personal contacts made, ideas, re-awakening of one’s own learning.”
"The spirit of the Symposium. There is a seriousness about the affair. This is not ignorant optimism. This is a group intentionally facing the challenges of our day and choosing to battle such obstacles with hope."
“Stimulating presentations; very good accommodations; great planned activities; plenty of opportunity for a meeting of the minds.”
“Meeting peoples from many different countries and agencies. Thank you for such a wonderful opportunity, it has been a great experience.”
"This is one of the best professional experiences I've had. The international, interdisciplinary & diverse perspectives that are presented are so valuable."
“The people who attended it, and their kind hearts.”
Special Interest Groups
Research, Intervention and Discussion Teams
Pine Ridge Reservation Collaboration Team
This collaborative team was initiated by Oxford Symposium member Amanda Carlow, a school counselor on the Lakota Sioux Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, to address youth suicide in her community. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for Native American youth in the 15- to 24-year-old age group and 2.5 times the national rate.
Parent, Teacher, and SBFC Professional Communication Team
In order to reduce and minimize the gap between parents-children-teachersschool and communities
school and communities, we have to learn more:
1. When and why are these worlds mismatched and competing?
2. What parents/teachers/principals/communities/governments doing to bridge this gap?
3. What are the ways to understand and minimize the discontinuity between home and school?
Disastershock Global Response Team
The mission of the Disastershock Global Response Team (DGRT)
is to help children, families and schools cope with the emotional stress of natural and man-made disasters. Current projects of the DCRT are: a website and a clearinghouse for disaster coping research; online resources for teachers, administrators, parents, children, and mental health professionals; translating coping materials into different languages; provision of free resource materials to communities affected by disaster.
SBFC Refugee and Immigrant Research and Intervention Team
Internal Family Systems Team
Many refugees and immigrants experience hardship and discrimination in their new country. Common problems are: difficulty speaking and learning the majority language, challenges in raising children and helping them succeed in school, difficulty securing work and housing, challenges accessing legal and health services, using transportation, and dealing with cultural barriers. This team is committed to finding ways to empower refugees and immigrants through approaches that strengthen families and provide school support.
SBFC Evidence-Based Research Team
The Internal Family Systems Model (IFS) has evolved over the past twenty years into a comprehensive approach that includes guidelines for working with individuals, couples, and families. The IFS Model represents a new synthesis of two already-existing paradigms: systems thinking and the multiplicity of the mind.
This team will bring interested Symposium members together to look critically at the evidence base for SBFC and to plan projects to build the evidence base further over the next 5 years. Team objectives include: To assess the current effectiveness literature for SBFC (does SBFC “work,” and what are the key components of SBFC that make it effective? What are the best extant studies for SBFC). To plan a multi-site, international pilot study using the SBFC model. To disseminate the work in various peer-reviewed journal outlets as well as social media spaces. To begin to think about using our pilot work to seek funding for a larger series of studies of SBFC across the varied national and international contexts we work with.
Where We Meet
2003 Keeble College, Oxford
2004 Brasenose College, Oxford
2005 Brasenose College, Oxford
2006 Brasenose College, Oxford
2007 University of Hong Kong
2008 Brasenose College, Oxford
2009 University of Barcelona
2010 Brasenose College, Oxford
2011 University of Hong Kong
2012 Brasenose College, Oxford
2013 Brasenose College, Oxford
2014 University of Hong Kong
2015 Brasenose College, Oxford
2016 Brasenose College, Oxford
2017 Venice International University
2018 Brasenose College, Oxford
2019 Brasenose College, Oxford
2020-2022 International Webinar
2023 Brasenose College, Oxford
Although Oxford is our home base, approximately every 3rd year we try to meet at a different location.
Oxford View of Christ College with St. Mary's Church in the background
Past Symposia have attracted members from Argentina, Australia, Canada, China, the Colville Federated Tribes, Denmark, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Lebanon, Macau, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The Dining Hall, Brasenose College
WHERE MEMBERS COME FROM
THE DANISH UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION
PONDICHERRY UNIVERSITY, INDIA
ALBUQUERQUE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, NEW MEXICO
CITY UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG
VICTORIA UNIVERSITY
CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE
VALUES BASED EDUCATION INTERNATIONAL, UK
THE WILLIAM GLASSER INSTITUTE
LOYOLA UNIVERSITY, CHICAGO
THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG
GEORGE FOX UNIVERSITY
STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK COLLEGE
THE 2ND KIDNERGARTEN OF HEDONG DISTRICT, TIANJIN, CHINA
UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER
QUEENSLAND UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX
UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS
ADLER SCHOOL OF PROFESSIONAL PSYCHOLOGY, CHICAGO
ACONCAGUA UNIVERSITY, ARGENTINA
SHANDONG NORMAL UNIVERSITY
GEORGIA SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO, SACRAMENTO CAMPUS
UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA
SOUTH SACRAMENTO COUNSELING CENTER
HUMBOLT, CALIFORNIA
MULBERRY BUSH SCHOOL, OXFORD
THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA
WOODS HOMES, CALGARY
THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM
FLINDERS UNIVERSITY
HORIZON, OXFORD
YESHIVA UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSIDAD AUTONOMA DE MADRID
CALIFORNIA PACIFIC MEDICAL CENTER
NORTH-WEST UNIVERSITY, POTCHEFSTROOM CAMPUS
UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA
THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA, FAIRBANKS
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, LOS ANGELES
OCTAVIO PAZ SCHOOL, BARCELONA
UNIVERSITY OF MACAU
STELLENBOSCH UNIVERSITY
SOUTHWEST TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITY OF MALAYA
UNIVERSITY OF AUCKLAND
UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA, GROENKLOOF CAMPUS
UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO
CHAMINADE UNIVERSITY
CHARTER SCHOOLS, LOS ANGELES
UNIVERSITY OF THE WESTERN CAPE
CHRISTIAN BROTHERS RESIDENCE, NEW YORK
JOHN MUIR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, SAN FRANCISCO
RAND AFRIKAANS UNIVERSITY
INNER TEMPLE, LONDON
RHODES UNIVERSITY
NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE
CHILDREN’S AID SOCIETY, ONTARIO
THE HONG KONG POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY
STANFORD UNIVERSITY CENTER ON ADOLESCENCE
BREWSTER MIDDLE SCHOOL, NORTH CAROLINA
UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY
WOOD'S HOMES FOUNDATION
CHILD AND ADOLESCENT MENTAL HEALTH, CALGARY
LA TROBE UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITY OF STRATHCLYDE
ALLIANT UNIVERSITY
PONTIFICIA UNIVERSIDAD CATOLICA ARGENTINA
CHILD AND PARENT RESOURCE INSTITUTE, CANADA
LEBANESE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY, BELLEVUE HOSPITAL
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
STUART, FLORIDA
UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO
CURTIN UNIVERSITY
HACETTEPE UNIVERSITY
ATHABASKA UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME DE NAMUR
UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD CENTER FOR SUICIDE RESEARCH
DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS, STATE OF ALASKA
TABOR COLLEGE, KANSAS
BALL STATE UNIVERSITY
WELLINGTON INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
SPALDING UNIVERSITY
WESTED, CENTER FOR CHILD AND FAMILY STUDIES
UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI
NELSON MANDELA METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER
HONG KONG INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION
CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE UNIVERSITY
DAISY INGRAHAM SCHOOL
BETHELEM TERTIARY INSTITUTE
UNIVERSITY OF HAIFA
PORTIA BELL HUME BEHAVIORAL HEALTH & TRAINING CENTER
EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY
THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG
UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD
HOCHSCHULE FUR ANGWANDTE WISSENSCHAFTEN
CHARLES STURT UNIVERSITY
MINNESOTA STATE UNIVERSITY, MANKATO
Sponsoring Organizations
Institute for School-Based Family Counseling is in the business of changing and shaping lives. The work we do at our Non-Profit Organization is aimed at providing a holistic approach to solving some of our society’s biggest challenges. We make sure our partners are empowered by creating opportunities for individuals and communities. The Western Institute for Social Research is our co-sponsor for the Oxford Symposium in SBFC.
Institute for School-Based Family Counseling
The Institute for School-Based Family Counseling is the primary sponsor of the Oxford Symposium in SBFC. The Institute for School-Based Family Counseling exists to promote the development of School-Based Family Counseling as a discipline through multi-culturally sensitive programs that educate mental health professionals, educators, and the general public on the nature and value of School Based-Family Counseling.
http://www.instituteschoolbasedfamilycounseling.com/
Western Institute for Social Research
The Western Institute for Social Research in Berkeley, California grants Bachelor's, Master,s and Doctoral degrees. WISR’s programs are designed to provide community-involved adults with high-quality learning opportunities, combining academic theory and research with experience-based knowledge and insights, to help people develop satisfying personal careers while providing leadership toward educational innovation, community improvement and constructive social change.
CONTACT: Dr. Brian Gerrard
Director: Oxford Symposium in School-Based Family Counseling gerrardb@usfca.edu