Content Warning: Mention of February 13, 2023, shooting at MSU.
On January 1, 2023, the MSU Couple and Family Therapy Clinic (CFTC) welcomed their new director Dr. Erica Mitchell. Dr. Mitchell is an MSU alumna who completed her bachelor’s degree in Psychology and her PhD in Human Development and Family Studies, the home department of the CFTC, and who also served as the CFTC coordinator from 2017-2019. For Dr. Mitchell, this is more of a welcome back home.
“Given I completed my own doctoral training here, I had a lot of knowledge of and familiarity with the CFT clinic and program, and the HDFS department,” Dr. Mitchell said. “I always found the program and department to be supportive and collaborative and was excited by the opportunity to return. I was also eager to get back to a CFT program and be more involved in graduate student education and training.”
Dr. Mitchell earned her M.S. in Clinical Psychology at Eastern Michigan University.
“Towards the end of my masters program, I realized that I didn’t want to do full time clinical work but that I was also interested in teaching and doing research,” she said. “I also knew that I wanted more training in systems theory and working with couples and family systems, so I returned to MSU to complete my PhD in Human Development and Family Studies, with a specialization in Couple and Family Therapy.”
After she graduated with her PhD in HDFS, she completed a 2-year postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Psychology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Dr. Mitchell then worked as a research assistant professor and as the assistant director of Healthy Connections Knoxville in the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. In her role, she oversaw a new university-community partnership that implements and examines accessible and effective relationship education. She trained and supervised clinicians and community volunteers to deliver empirically supported treatments designed to strengthen romantic relationships, while overseeing multiple research projects linked to the initiative.
“During my time at UTK, I also experienced a personal transition to parenthood, and given some of the challenges I experienced during this, I became more interested in doing research with perinatal couples and couples transitioning to parenthood, specifically adapting and designing interventions to address the unique needs and circumstances of this population,” she said. “My current program of research focuses on this population, while maintaining the focus on community-based research and increasing access to relationship services.
Her most recent research focuses on developing, disseminating, and evaluating interventions for couples during the perinatal period, and increasing access to relationship services.
“I am currently working on a project with colleagues from the University of Tennessee to develop an asynchronous online family-based education program for patients with gestational diabetes mellitus, or GDM,” Dr. Mitchell said. “An online delivery format will provide more equitable access to GDM education.”
Dr. Mitchell has expertise in several evidence-based treatments (e.g., EFT, PREP, Relationship Check-up), is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and is an American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy Approved Supervisor.
Dr. Mitchell reflected on the challenges of her first semester as director. Just six weeks after Dr. Mitchell started in the CFTC director role, she and her team faced incredible challenges after the February 13 shooting on campus.
“This semester was incredibly difficult with the shooting that occurred on campus and navigating the response of the clinic. While we do provide therapy services, all of our clinicians and clinic staff are students themselves, so trying to balance providing services to our clients and the community, while also giving our therapists and staff time and space to grieve and process the tragedy themselves.”
She is grateful to be back at MSU in the HDFS department and the CFT program and clinic.
“The environment in our department and program is incredibly supportive and collegial.”
Dr. Mitchell, her spouse and 2-year-old daughter welcomed their second daughter/sibling this at the end of May. While she hopes to spend some time outside, she’s not sure how much time she’ll have this summer for the outdoors with their new little one.
“Summertime in Michigan is my favorite – I like to be outside as much as I can – going to the park, swimming, and long weekends up north.”
The MSU Department of Human Development and Family Studies is delighted to welcome Dr. Mitchell as the new director. To learn more about the Couple and Family Therapy Clinic, visit hdfs.msu.edu.
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By Katie Rose Frey