A Family Affair: Therapist’s SPU Research Relevant to Challenges at Home

In her private practice, Marcia Hoover counsels people suffering a wide range of troubles, from depression and anxiety to multiple sclerosis (M.S.) She is especially equipped to work with families dealing with M.S.—her husband Rick suffers from the debilitating disease. “[Patients with M.S.] are used to people not understanding. But I am able to see some of the hidden symptoms and how that might affect them in their family relationships.”

Marcia’s private practice is built on the foundation of her studies at SPU. She decided to investigate M.S. through the pursuit of a master’s degree. What followed was “very dramatic.” Her studies were interrupted by three major personal surgeries and then three more surgeries in the following three years. Meanwhile, her husband’s M.S. had progressed and he had to stop driving, so her responsibilities increased. “I got through it thanks to what I learned in the MFT program.”

Master’s in hand, she went on to earn her Ph.D. in SPU’s Clinical Psychology program — a memorable time. For her research, Hoover’s focus was not on the symptoms of M.S., but on “protective factors” — practices that help people work through the hardships of the disease. “M.S. is a very mysterious disease,” she explains. “There is a lot of grief involved in it. I wanted to focus on what helps people as opposed to their problems.”

She found that stress levels for married M.S. patients decrease in proportion to the perceived amount of support from their spouse. Marcia was also surprised to observe that male caregivers tend to be just as supportive to M.S. patients as female caregivers. “I’d like to go back to some of these people that were in my study and find out what was behind their success to being so supportive.”

Seattle Pacific University has become a common thread in Hoover’s family. “My Ph.D. program started the same day that Paul, my youngest son, started as a freshman at SPU. I was running from my orientation to his orientation to setting up his dorm room.” Meanwhile, her oldest son David began in the same MFT program Marcia enjoyed.

Hoover, who currently lives in Redmond, plans to continue with her private practice. (www.doctorhoover.com) While some might find it a dispiriting endeavor, to deal with such heavy burdens at the office and then continue to explore them at home, Hoover’s spirits are still high at the end of the day. “We were trained at SPU how not to bring work home with us. At the end of the day, I feel energized by having walked beside people in this way.”