About our authors
Mark E. Young is professor emeritus at the University of Central Florida. He received his bachelor's degree from Miami University, his master's from Wright State University, and his doctorate from Ohio University. For more than 20 years, he worked as a therapist in various settings including community mental health, college counseling centers, corrections and private practice. He has published more than 40 articles and book chapters in the counseling field and has garnered more than 6 million dollars in research funding for the UCF Marriage and Family Research Institute which he cofounded. He is the author of 5 textbooks including the widely used, Learning the Art of Helping, Counseling and Therapy for Couples and Counseling Today. Dr. Young has been honored with several awards for his work and in 2012 was named American Counseling Association Fellow. He is cofounder of the UCF Marriage and Family Research Institute, which, since 2003, has been teaching relationship skills to couples with low incomes. His professional writing has focused on therapeutic methods, spirituality, techniques, wellness and couples.
Sejal M. Barden is an Associate Professor at the University of Central Florida. She received her bachelor's and master's degree from the University of Florida and her doctorate from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She is the Executive Director of the UCF Marriage and Family Research Institute and has been the Principal Investigator on large-scale federal funding aimed at rigorous evaluations of teaching couples and individuals about healthy relationships. Her research has focused on the intersection of culture, chronic illness, and intimacy, seeking to provide therapeutic interventions in ways that are accessible to all persons.
Lynn L. Long is retired Professor and Chair of the Counseling Department at Stetson University. Her career spanned more than 40 years as a private practitioner, teacher, and practicum and internship supervisor of marriage and family therapy. Based on her private practice of couples counseling, articles, books, inspirational supervision and national and international presentations at conferences, she codeveloped the Integrative Model of Couples Counseling. The model has been successful with couples worldwide and used by students and practitioners for more than 20 years.
