The oil sands industry is currently facing a challenge by regulators to develop dewatering technologies that can halt any further growth in the massive size of existing tailings ponds and also reclaim the contents of those ponds. The most recent technology involves in-tank and/or in-line addition of flocculants followed by a dewatering step (e.g. centrifugation, thin-lift dewatering). This work has focused on three different dewatering technologies. Firstly, a high-throughput method was developed to investigate the effects of ionic composition adjustment on MFTs dewatering through a centrifugation process. As a result, it was found that samples with different concentrations and valency of cations had different settling kinetic and higher concentrations and valency of cations caused faster settling. Also, changes in the ionic composition of samples suggest that there is a strong interaction (ion exchanging) between MFTs and added solution. Secondly, the effects of different factors (e.g. freezing time and temperature) on freeze-thaw dewatering of MFTs were studied using a temperature monitoring setup. It was found that partial freezing causes less dewatering compared to complete freezing after thawing. Finally, a lab-scale unit of low-speed rotary filtration was built and it was implemented to dewater polymer amended MFTs. By using this unit, effects of different factors were investigated on the dewatering efficiency of the rotary filtration unit through a DOE study. The DOE results showed that the flocculation conditions have a big impact on performance of the rotary filtration and for some of the DOE conditions, cakes were formed with more than 47 wt% which couldn’t be reached by just gravity settling of polymer amended MFTs. Also, freeze-thaw of the cakes after rotary filtration could increase the solids content. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc) / The oil sands industry has been challenged by regulators to develop dewatering technologies that can stop any further growth in the massive size of existing tailings ponds and also reclaim the contents of those ponds. The current dewatering technologies have different challenges that were tried to address in this study. At the first part of the research, it was tried to develop a method for rapid investigation of the effects of salt addition followed by a mechanical method (centrifugation) on dewaterability of MFTs. In the second part it was tried to investigate freeze-thaw as a natural dewatering technique and also to investigate the possibility of mechanizing this process. In the last part, an alternative dewatering technology (rotary filtration), that is predicted to be cheaper than centrifugation, was used to dewater MFTs (amended by polymer). Therefore, a lab-scale version was made and used for polymer amended MFTs dewatering. By using this technology the solids content of MFT had around 20 wt% increase (compare to the untreated MFTs).

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Continuous accumulation of Mature Fine Tailings (MFT) is a major challenge to oil sands industry. To reduce the inventory of MFT through development of novel tailings treatment technologies, it is essential to understand the stabilization mechanism of fine solids in MFT. This project aims at characterizing fine solids of MFT. A novel method is developed in this study to understand characteristics of fine solids in MFT by studying their response to the changes in water chemistry and chemical treatment. Settling and rheological response of MFT to chemical additives is determined. Combined with solids characterization of the different layers of settled MFT, an enhanced understanding of stabilization of fine solids in MFT is gained. The knowledge generated through this study will provide a scientific basis for technology development of MFT treatment. / Chemical Engineering

In this study I explored marriage and family therapy student interns' experience of anxiety during the clinical training process. Participants discussed their anxiety levels during the beginning of their clinical work and 6-22 months into their clinical training process. Phenomenology guided the manner in which this study was conducted. Nine marriage and family therapy students from the Virginia Tech Marriage and Family Therapy program were interviewed. The last two of the nine interviews were conducted after the last two participants had read the first seven interview results. This allowed them to comment and expand upon the other participants' interviews. This study did not include post-masters students as these students have more clinical experience and may experience anxiety differently. This study highlighted the importance of awareness and management of student intern anxiety levels. This study was conducted in an effort to help MFT programs and students understand anxiety in relation to the training experience of MFT students. The information presented here suggests that awareness and management of anxiety for trainees is important. The findings are both consistent with, and add to, the literature on anxiety and psychotherapy training. / Master of Science

This study explores Self-of-the-therapist (SOTT) training practices in accredited and candidacy status doctoral programs supported by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE). Seventy-seven (77) surveys were sent to full-time faculty to assess training structures, training implementation, and the common ethical concerns associated with SOTT training in Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) doctoral programs. Chi-square tests and Independent Sample t-tests were run to assess for significant associations between various personal identifiers reported by respondents and attitudes toward required therapy for doctoral trainees. The 42% response rate represented 14 of the 18 MFT doctoral programs. The resulting data revealed disagreement within individual programs regarding training and ethical structures. In addition, the following four variables were found to be significantly associated with the belief that therapy should be required for doctoral trainees: a.) Therapy should be required for master trainees; b.) The type of therapy required for doctoral trainees; c.) "Authenticity" as a favorable characteristic in supervisors; and d.) The number of years a respondent had been a client in therapy. Suggestions are offered to COAMFTE regarding ethical concerns related to SOTT training. / Ph. D.

Limited knowledge is available around the experiences of queer Lebanese American young adults, specifically around family secrecy around their sexuality. This gap in the marriage and family therapy research has significant implications, and erases the experiences of queer Arab young adults around disclosure of their sexual identity. This study examined the experiences of 19 Lebanese American young adults navigating secrecy around their sexual identity. Research questions presented were the following: a) How do queer Lebanese American young adults experience family secrecy surrounding their sexual identity and relationship? b) How do queer Lebanese American young adults interpret the process of family secrecy and are impacted by family secrecy? c) What are queer Lebanese American young adults' experiences of shifts in boundaries and alliances as a result of family secrecy? The study utilized structural family therapy or SFT (Minuchin, 1974) as the theoretical framework to guide the conceptualization of family dynamics and how they are impacted by the family secrecy surrounding the participants' sexuality. Findings illustrated the complexity of the family secrecy process, which is fraught with complex emotions, which resulted in a decision-making process around who to include in the secret, who to keep out of the secrecy, as well as strategies employed to maintain the secrecy and protect the family members from the implications of disclosure. Participants described the process as stressful and signifying shame around their sexual identities, and feeling as though their two identities, Lebanese and queer, were conflicting and could not coexist together. Findings also demonstrated the family unit's resilience and collectivism through participants relying on their family members, particularly mothers and siblings, to navigate this complex landscape. The findings have research and clinical implications, emphasizing the need to extend the discourse around sexual identity and disclosure to include Lebanese and Middle Eastern families within the field of family science. / Doctor of Philosophy / Limited knowledge is available around the experiences of queer Lebanese American young adults, specifically around family secrecy surrounding their sexuality. Past studies have focused on the experience of queer White individuals disclosing to their families, but very little has been known about the experience of Middle Eastern and Arab queer youth. The purpose of this study was to experience the emotions and meaning made around the secrecy, as well as the secrecy's impact on the family relationships and structure. The research questions presented were a) How do queer Lebanese American young adults experience family secrecy surrounding their sexual identity and relationship? b) How do queer Lebanese American young adults interpret the process of family secrecy and are impacted by family secrecy? c) What are queer Lebanese American young adults' experiences of shifts in boundaries and alliances as a result of family secrecy? Based on an analysis of 19 interviews, structural family therapy was used as a theory to frame the findings and help understand the impact of secrecy on the family relationships and structure, as well as the meaning and emotion experienced as a result of the secrecy. Overall, analysis revealed several key findings. The experience of disclosure and secrecy around sexuality is highly relational, in order to remain connected to their families. The experience of secrecy is not "all good" or "all bad". Strategies around secrecy were adopted by both queer Arab young adults and their families, and mothers or mother figures in particular played a crucial role in dictating the way secrecy was navigated, who was included in the secrecy process, as well as co-creating strategies with queer young adults on how to deal with extended family. This study has important clinical and research implications, in continuing to expand the conversation around disclosure and queerness, as well as amplifying the voices of Lebanese American young adults and their families.

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<p>The purpose of this study was to examine the values Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) clinicians and researchers hold regarding effective dissemination strategies. Professional role was measured using self-report. Using Carnine’s three gaps in dissemination as a foundation, a questionnaire was created to measure perspectives about dissemination strategies. It was hypothesized that clinicians would value accessibility and usability more highly, whereas researchers would value trustworthiness more highly. Clinicians were also hypothesized to perceive current dissemination strategies as less effective. Subjects were recruited for an online study through social media and online correspondence with MFT programs, yielding 38 subjects. An exploratory factor analysis found that the questionnaire scales did not measure the constructs as originally intended. New constructs were created using the results of the factor analysis. A General Linear Model was used to determine if participants’ ratings on these new scales differed based on professional role. No significant results were found, indicating that researchers and clinicians have similar attitudes about effective dissemination strategies. Qualitative questions were also coded in order to find common themes answering why dissemination is important, how dissemination strategies are currently being used, and what barriers are still present in the dissemination process. The implications for clinical work and research are explored. Limitations and future directions are also discussed.</p>

Research relevant to the unique needs and experiences of racial/ethnic/cultural (REC) minority groups in social science literature is essential to the work of policymakers and clinical practitioners. However, the social sciences have traditionally failed to publish a sufficient number of articles that address these needs and experiences or even adequately report the racial and ethnic makeup of their samples. The purpose of this study is to provide an updated look at Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) literature and how often sample participants’ ethnicity is reported, how frequently studies focus on ethnic issues or specific REC minority groups, which REC minority groups and topics receive the most attention in minority-focused studies, which REC minority groups and topics receive the most attention in funded studies, and how these trends have changed over time. Specifically, five journals (American Journal of Family Therapy, Family Process, Journal of Family Therapy, Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, and Contemporary Family Therapy) were selected for inclusion in the analysis and were examined inclusively from 2000-2017. Results and suggestions for future research are discussed.

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