Caitlin Edwards (they/she) is a doctoral candidate in the Couple and Family Therapy track in the department of Human Development and Family Studies. Their advisor is Dr. Andrea Wittenborn. Caitlin’s research interests lie in cultural adaption of attachment-based couple and family therapies, processes in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), and integration of LGBTQIA+ populations into therapeutic research. Their interests have led them to research the unique attachment experiences of lesbian women, how couples in therapy experience hope for their relationship, the association between attachment and hope, how therapists make cultural adaptations when using EFT, the development of an adherence measure for Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT), and the first systematic documentation of how EFT therapists adapt the model to account for the unique lived experiences of LGBTQ + individuals. They are currently involved in a community engaged research projects with Michigan PMTO, examining the substance use of bisexual individuals in a nationally representative sample, and using theater testing to document how the lived experiences of sexual and gender minority clients influence their experiences of EFT. Caitlin’s research draws heavily from attachment theory and queer theory, with a feminist framework of values, attention to diversity, and desire for social change.