Kansas State University

Sandra Stith is a University Distinguished Professor and a Vera Mowrey McAninch Endowed Professor in the School of Family Studies and Human Services. She earned her Ph.D. in marriage and family therapy from K-State and was a professor in the MFT program at Virginia Tech’s Falls Church campus for 20 years before coming to K-State in 2007.  Her primary research interest is in understanding and treating intimate partner violence, or IPV. Dr. Stith recently stepped down from her roles as a professor and director of the Marriage and Family Therapy program and we had the chance to ask her a few questions.

How did you become interested in IPV research? I taught in the public schools for six years before starting graduate school and often felt helpless as I tried to teach children who were experiencing challenging home lives. I knew that I wanted my work as a therapist and as a researcher to make a difference for those children and individuals and families dealing with violence at home. My dissertation addressed police response to domestic violence. For me, it has been important to keep focused and to conduct research that can help us end violence in families. 

What have you learned through your research that surprised you the most about IPV? When I first began studying IPV I thought only men were violent and only women were victims. I quickly learned from my own research, the research of others and my own clinical experience that both men and women are not infrequently physically aggressive in their relationships. I also learned from a NIMH grant my colleagues and I received at Virginia Tech that it is possible to safely and effectively treat some couples who choose to stay together after experiencing IPV.

Do you have any memories from your time as director of the MFT program that you would like to share?  I have loved being a faculty member and program director. My most important memories are all the students with whom I have worked. I love when my former students keep in touch, send pictures of their new babies or drop by on their way through town.

What’s next for you? I am moving to a full-time research-funded position. I still chair and serve on master’s and doctoral committees, and work with a wonderful team of graduate student research assistants, but I am no longer responsible for maintaining accreditation or directing the program. I also no longer have a teaching or supervisory role in the program. I will miss teaching, but have already been invited to guest lecture and will continue to do national and international training.

What projects are you working on now? I am really excited by a Department of Defense-funded project I’m overseeing to develop a tool to predict ongoing IPV.  Recently I have begun to do research with students regarding sexual assault on campus and in the military and I am beginning to work with a student who is studying human trafficking. All of these projects, and more, keep me eager to go to work and further from thinking about retiring.

What do you enjoy the most about living in Manhattan? I moved back to Manhattan because I love K-State, have long-time friends in Manhattan and love the small town college atmosphere. I also love K-State football.

What challenges and opportunities do you see for the future of marriage and family therapists? I think it is critical for MFTs to keep up with the literature, new treatment approaches, including trauma-informed treatment, and to be active in their state and national associations. We need to be represented in state licensure decisions and in federal third party payer decisions.

Any wisdom or life lessons you’d like to share with the alumni or current students? I have been fortunate to have a career that focuses on making a difference.  That gives me great joy. I encourage students and alumni to find career paths that are exciting and energizing to them where they can make a difference.