Research Interests

• Applying cybernetics and social constructionism to social systems transformation
• Theoretical and qualitative research
• Systemic and social justice practices in mental health training and advocacy
• Intersectionality and cultural contextual factors within social system structures 

Biography

Dr. Bethany Simmons, LMFT-S, LPC is an Adjunct Senior Lecturer at CIIS in the Transformative Studies Ph.D. program and a Professor and Program Director at California Lutheran University M.S. Counseling Psychology-MFT Program. She has been teaching systemic thinking and practice to graduate students since 2006. She has been serving as chair and committee member on dissertation committees since 2011. Her scholarship focuses on systemic pedagogy and practice with several publications used to train clinicians to think and practice systemically. At the heart of her work, Bethany is focused on transdisciplinary systemic and structural change to transform oppressive structures in society and globally. She is the founder of The Big Systems Collective (BSC), a diverse transdisciplinary group of change agents and educators from across the United States committed to creating social justice systemic change through cybernetic action. Bethany focuses on theoretical, qualitative and clinical application research methods in her scholarship. In addition to scholarship pertaining to systemic training practices, her current research applies systemic, cybernetic and social constructionist theories to address oppression, social responsibility, power, privilege, intersectionality and social control within mental health practices and societal systems.

Education

B.A. Psychology, Minor in Human Development and Family Studies, Penn State University

M.A. & Ph.D. Marriage and Family Therapy, University of Louisiana at Monroe 

Awards & Distinctions

• Invited keynote speaker for American Society of Cybernetics, national and international conferences and academic institutions
• Invited reviewer for peer-reviewed journals and book publishers
• AAMFT Approved Supervisor and Clinical Fellow 

Publications 

Simmons, B., & Banker, J. (2020). Culturally contextual family therapy with involuntary clients. In B. Canfield (Ed.)., Intercultural Perspectives on Family Counseling (1st ed.). Routledge Press.  

Jardine, R. & Simmons, B. (2020). Not/my president: Presidential race in Southern Black and White American families. In Davis, C. & Crane, J. (Eds.)., The Personal is Political: Body politics in a Trump world. Brill Publishing. (Authors share equal contribution)  

Sutton, J., Simmons, B., Hammiel, N.M., & Ray, W.A. (2019). Training therapists in system logic and practice. Journal of Systemic Therapies, 38(1), 44-60. New York: Guilford. (Authors share equal contribution)  

Simmons, B. & Janowski, J. (2019). Conducting therapy in the community based organization. In Loewy, O., Manton, C., Avineri, M., Davis, S., Read, M., & Bhullar, J. (Eds.), Working in the California Community Behavioral Health System: A Navigational Tool (pp. 83-91). Santa Barbara, CA: Olivia Loewy & Associates.  

Shannon, S., Sutton, J., Simmons, B. & Holowacz, E. (2019). Family rules. In J. Lebow, D.C. Breunlin & Chambers, A. (Eds.)., Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy. Switzerland: Springer Publishing. 

Simmons, B. & Sutton, J. (2018). Epistemology in family therapy. In J. Lebow, D.C. Breunlin & Chambers, A. (Eds.)., Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy. Switzerland: Springer Publishing.