Research

Couple and Family Therapy faculty and students are actively involved in research both inside the University and in community-based programs.

Dr. Adrian Blow, HDFS Chairperson and Professor, conducts research on issues related to families and trauma. His most recent work is focused on military families, change processes in family therapy, and couple resiliency processes.

Dr. Lekie Dwanyen, Dean's Research Associate, studies the relational effects of traumatic stress and mass trauma exposure. She is interested in the development of family-level traumatic stress interventions for communities internally or externally displaced from war and political violence. 

Dr. Kendal Holtrop, Associate Professor, maintains a program of research focused on parenting and parenting interventions. Her research activities include adapting and implementing evidence-based interventions in community settings as well as examining parenting practices and family processes to inform intervention work.

Dr. Andrea Wittenborn, Professor, studies the process and outcomes of interventions for depression, including methods for personalizing treatment. Her research targets interpersonal mechanisms of depression with the goal of decreasing depressive symptoms and enhancing close relationships.