The purpose of this study was to determine the potential contribution of vocational and technical education to the future social-economic development of Albania. To achieve this purpose, a panel of experts was involved in the formulation of statements and the determination of each statement's value as a contributor to future social-economic development. This study was conducted using a Modified Delphi Technique to identify and prioritize statements generated as part of this research methodology. The study was accomplished through solicitation of responses from a 17 member panel of experts. The panel consisted of individuals representing government service, non-government organizations, Albanian educators, and international educators involved in different educational projects in Albania in the last ten years. Each of the experts was asked to identify statements that vocational and technical education can contribute to the future social-economic development of Albania. Responses provided by the panel members and the statements added by the researcher were edited and organized into a list with 71 statements. The panel of experts was asked to rate this list and means and standard deviations were calculated for each statement. The criterion to determine the importance of statements was defined as a mean being equal or higher than 3.5 on a 5-point Likert scale. The criteria employed to determine panel consensus was defined as a standard deviation being equal or less than 1.00. From the list of 71 statements, 68 were concluded to have been important and have reached consensus by the panel. The 68 statements on which the panel of experts reached consensus were rank ordered according to their means.A content analysis of the ranked statements revealed that statements clustered around common themes. These themes included VTE's Planning Procedures and Policy, Program and Institutional Development, Values and Work Ethics, Productivity, Communication and Analytical Skills, and Linkages.From these results, it was concluded that the process for the development of an effective VTE program that will contribute to the social-economic development of Albania will be long and complex. This process will involve many people, agencies, and organizations all working together. Hence, it was recommended that the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs take the lead in this process. / Ph. D.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary (2018) defines heartbreak as “crushing grief, anguish or distress.” Heartbreak can lead to biological, psychological and social responses and consequences. Heartbreak from the dissolution of a romantic relationship is a form of disenfranchised grief, which is defined as the griever’s belief that society does not recognize their source of grief as legitimate (Doka, 1989). The literature shows that talking about grief helps those who experience it (Fisher & Archer, 2008). Hence, the present study sought to provide a consensus of the best practices that marriage and family therapists have utilized to help broken-hearted clients. I employed a modification of the Delphi technique, a research method which seeks to reach consensus on a topic through group communication between experts in the subject area discussed (Hsu & Sandford, 2007) in order to gather data about best practices from marriage and family therapists on how they have helped their broken-hearted clients. This study consisted of a total of 20 experts, who are licensed marriage and family therapists. The findings suggest that the disenfranchisement of the grief resulting from the dissolution of a romantic relationship is closely associated with the symptom of sadness experienced by the broken-hearted. In addition, the way in which MFTs can help the disenfranchised griever is by providing an empathic presence in sessions, generating historical conversations through the use of a genogram, involving family members in the therapeutic process and having future oriented conversations. The results of this study have illustrated a plethora of techniques and best practices that have reportedly proven successful in helping the broken-hearted client.