• retired professor
• author, photographer, and storyteller
• systems thinker and philosopher
• honored husband of Lori the Brilliant
• proud father of Allison the Magnificent
• keen observer of humans and human systems (I love watching the watchers)
• photographer
• novice but enthusiastic numismatist and exonumist (international and US coins, tokens, medallions, etc.)
• cat lover
• 5/8 Norwegian and 1/4 Finnish, plus 2% Sami (indigenous peoples of northern Scandinavia)
• guitarist and vocalist
MORE (if you care to know):
• a South Dakota boy at heart, though I’ve lived in Texas more than 40 years
• have a few deep friends plus a host of inspiring acquaintances
• an outgoing introvert; I recharge by being alone with my thoughts
• zealously organized and (in a previous life) was probably a border collie because I love to “herd” things: coins, data, archival materials
• crave order and love chaos
• achieved the rank of nidan (second-degree black belt) in aikido, the “loving” martial art, and was a sensei (teacher) for several years until retiring from the art at age 62
• cancer survivor
• named after my grandfathers Frank (paternal) and Nels/Nils (maternal)
“You destroy the myth about Texas men, and thanks for that.”
~ the late Insoo Kim Berg, MSW, co-author of Interviewing for Solutions and Solution-Focused Therapy founder and author
“You have an amazing talent and experience…I have an enthusiasm about you and the special imagination you add to an event. You are a good, dear friend, a born teacher and story-teller – one of my favorite deep comedians and a great soul.” ~ the late Lynn Hoffman, MSW, author of Foundations of Family Therapy and Family Therapy: An Intimate History
“His students have an enthusiasm for the field in a way few teachers are ever able to inspire.” ~ Bradford P. Keeney, PhD, author of Aesthetics of Change, The Creative Therapist, and Bushman Shaman
“He has an intelligent humor. I like that.” ~ Aleksi Litovaara, World Cup champion snowboarder and member of the Finnish Olympic Team
OTHERS’ WORDS ABOUT ME
- Emeritus Professor of Counseling, College of Education, Texas Christian University
- Author or Editor of 6 books and over 120 scholarly publications
- Presented 81 peer-reviewed and 195 invited presentations
- Publications and presentations have been translated into Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, Lithuanian, Swedish, German, Norwegian, Hebrew, Afrikaans, Japanese, Korean, and Finnish
- Publications and presentations, from local to international, are in the areas of systems thinking (cybernetics), solution-focused supervision, self-of-therapist and therapist well-being, solution-focused practices with children/adolescents and their families, ethics, spirituality, humor, couples therapy, client and supervisee experiences and perspectives, and psychotherapy interventions
- Practiced psychotherapy for over 40 years, focusing on brief models of therapy in my teaching, supervision, and practice the last 35+ years
- Pro bono (free) counseling work was through Give An Hour®, providing individual and couples therapy for US military veterans returning from war and conflict theaters
- Other writing, research, and presentation areas include contextually-sensitive approaches in these areas: multicultural supervision, competency-based approaches to business management and human resource development, social constructionist theory and practice, and training for other front-line practitioners including ministers, nurses, and teachers
Michael Chase Spain
How do I subscribe to your blog? I want to receive updates everytime something new is posted.
Love you, Frank
Michael
franknt1
Hi Michael, I don’t know! But I’ll ask my guru — no one’s asked before. I’ll get back to you — Love to you, /fnt/