Josephine Paul

Josephine Paul is a PhD student in Social Health Sciences at Vrije Universiteit, Brussels. Her doctoral research investigates how psychotherapy, in a culinary setting, co-creates a collaborative-dialogic space that enriches the identity stories of adolescents who struggle with anxiety. More specifically, her goal is to gain insight into the experience and meaning of participating in collaborative-dialogic practices in a culinary setting and to explore the identity stories of adolescents who have been formally diagnosed or who self-identify as anxious, from the adolescent’s perspective. She holds a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from St. Mary’s University, Texas, USA and a bachelor’s degree in Vocational Education, with an emphasis on food and beverage preparation, from Sacramento State University, California, USA. Josephine’s background spans a diverse range of disciplines that include working as a European trained pastry chef and a culinary arts instructor in the San Francisco Bay Area for many years before becoming a licensed psychotherapist. She is currently the Director of Mental Health Services for Xavier Academy and is on faculty at the Houston Galveston Institute, Houston, Texas