After graduating from the MFT program at K-State in May 2012, I accepted an assistant professor position in family ecology at the University of Alberta where I have enjoyed success in both research and teaching. My area of scholarship is focused on intimate relationship formation, development and maintenance from the transition to adulthood into midlife, and understanding the key processes that contribute to personal health.
I began collaborating with professors in psychology and sociology, exploring how prior life experiences influence later intimate relationships. We received a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) to explore midlife relationship functioning with data gathered from a sample of Canadians surveyed over 25 years. I have used these data to understand how changes in mental health (self-esteem, expressions of anger and depression) during early adulthood are linked with relationship outcomes during midlife. The results are exciting, highlighting the potential for early mental health intervention to enhance well-being in the future.
I have maintained the fruitful professional relationship with my major professor from K-State, Jared Anderson. We have collaborated on projects ranging from couple relations’ impact on health outcomes to intimacy among Chinese young adults. I recently received another grant from SSHRC to fund exploration of data from the German Panel Analysis of Intimate Relations and Family Relationships, a long-term study documenting couple relations in three age cohorts.
In addition to teaching an introductory survey course about intimate relationships and graduate-level research methods courses, I teach an undergraduate course focused on families. I love teaching this course, as it provides an avenue to apply my family therapy knowledge and experience. Students are exposed to basic family assessment tools and skills to engage the entire family in intervention efforts.
My experience in the MFT program was crucial in preparing me to be successful as a faculty member in a research-intensive university setting. I developed a scholarly writing style that helped me secure two federal grants and publications in top family journals. The excellent mentoring I received as a student provided me a great example to follow with my own students. The opportunity to develop and teach my own course as a doctoral student gave me an advantage in the classroom. In all, the high-quality education I received gave me a solid foundation on which I’ve been able to enjoy early career success that I intend to continue into the future.
