Dr. Erica Mitchell Appointed to Michigan Board of Marriage and Family Therapy

On November 6, 2025, Dr. Erica Mitchell was appointed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer to the Michigan Board of Marriage and Family Therapy, where she will carry out a term through June 2028.

The Michigan Board of Marriage and Family Therapy was created to license and regulate the practice of marriage and family therapy in Michigan. Underlying all duties is the responsibility of the Board to promote and protect the public's health, safety, and welfare.

“I am honored to be appointed by Governor Whitmer to serve in this important role. I look forward to working with the other board members to uphold the integrity of marriage and family therapy practice in Michigan.” Dr. Mitchell said.

Dr. Mitchell joined the Department of Human Development and Family Studies in 2023 as an assistant professor and director of the MSU Couple and Family Therapy Clinic.  She is also a licensed marriage and family therapist and an American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) approved supervisor.

Dr. Mitchell has received formal training in various evidence-based interventions including Emotionally Focused Therapy, the Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program (PREP), and the Relationship Checkup. She is committed to providing clinical supervision and training informed by evidence-based practice.

Dr. Mitchell’s research evaluates brief, evidence-based interventions for couples delivered in community settings. She studies the impact of these interventions on relationship, mental health, and physical health outcomes. Her program of research is currently focused on adapting interventions for couples with low-income and economic marginalization during the perinatal period. Dr. Mitchell’s work has been funded by foundation and intramural awards.

Dr. Mitchell has also served in several leadership positions. She currently serves as the treasurer for the AAMFT Couple and Intimate Relationship topical interest network, and is an editorial board member for the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy. She also served as an associate editor for a special section in Family Process.

Dr. Mitchell received her Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies from MSU, her M.S. in Clinical Psychology from Eastern Michigan University, and her B.A. in Psychology from MSU.

EAST LANSING, MI -- Governor Gretchen Whitmer reappointe  Laurie Linscott, director of the Michigan State University Child Development Laboratory, to her Early Childhood Investment Corporation Executive Committee from August 7, 2025, to July 22, 2029. 

The Early Childhood Investment Corporation (ECIC) was created in 2005 to be a statewide leader in early childhood. ECIC collaborates to increase public and private investment in the earliest years, to elevate issues affecting young children and their families, and continuously improve Michigan’s comprehensive early childhood system, ensuring every child has the opportunity to succeed in school and in life.

“I feel honored by the reappointment,” Linscott said. “My entire career has been spent in community collaboration working to help build systems that are unified to make it easier for children and families to access what they need.” 

According to the Michigan Department of Education, children’s brains develop 80% between birth and the age of three. 

“The research that continues to come out on brain development means that this is a significant time for us to support children and families and have accessible systems that do that,” Linscott said. 

During her third term, Linscott hopes the committee can support growth in the number of providers, locations and options for families. With the current focus on expansion of early care and education opportunities for children and families and to develop systems in support of sustainability.

Throughout her first and second appointments to the committee that began in 2017, Linscott witnessed Michigan communities gain greater awareness of and investment in early childcare and education. ECIC’s director prioritized diversifying funding, community investment and family leadership. During this new term, Linscott hopes to continue the momentum around investment in early childcare and education. 

“We have businesses, chambers of commerce, early care and education settings all talking and planning together,” she said. “My vision is to continue that movement to become a sustainable system.” 

In addition to the ECIC, Linscott participates on a number of committees, helping to shape early child care and education opportunities in communities and throughout the state. Her passion for building unified systems and helping families learn how to advocate for their children stems from her own experiences as a mother who had a child who received Early On services understanding services available and learning to navigate systems.“

She brings her passion for supporting families to her work as director of the MSU Child Development Lab. The CDL was created with a three-pronged mission: research, teaching and outreach. A center that provides quality early care and education, teacher training, and the opportunity to support research on child development, the CDL also helps families learn how to advocate for their children’s needs.

“Watching children develop is so rewarding, especially being part of the community you serve gives you a chance to see them grow up,” she said. “And more rewarding is watching the university graduates of our program grow and to see what they’re doing in the field when they go back to their communities -- how they’re transferring the knowledge here and embedding it in the community in a way that meets that community’s needs.” 

The CDL also supports classroom inquiry and university research in child development and education. The research committee consists of Linscott, a Department of Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) faculty member, the assistant director at each CDL site and teacher representatives. This ensures that university research has a practical and meaningful application in real classroom settings. 

“You can only have meaningful research and teacher education if you have high quality programs for families. That’s truly at the center of everything we do,” Linscott said. 

Through her work with children in the classroom, her ability to train the next generation of early care and education professionals, and her leadership in collaborating to build empowering systems for families, Linscott has spent her career making a difference across Michigan. 

“Laurie’s appointment to the ECIC is a testament to her reputation as a leader in early childhood education and development and reflects the CDL and HDFS reputation as a valued asset,” said Dr. Andrea Wittenborn, professor and chair of the MSU Department of Human Development and Family Studies. “We appreciate her willingness to serve and represent us at such a critical time to shape public policy.” 

To learn more about the MSU Child Development Lab’s programs, training and outreach, visit https://hdfs.msu.edu/outreach/cdl.