Research

Couple and Family Therapy faculty and students are actively involved in research both inside the University and in community-based programs.  A few examples are:

Dr. Adrian Blow has begun a program to train community mental health providers to more effectively work with military personnel following their return from overseas deployment. The "Star Behavioral Health Providers" program is supported by the Michigan National Guard, the National Guard Bureau, the Military Family Institute, and the Center for Deployment Psychology, and the program is funded by the Flinn Foundation of Detroit. The program includes three levels of training for the mental health professionals with a focus on understanding the experiences of veterans both in the field and upon returning home, learning some of the language used in military settings, and providing evidence-based interventions for the treatment of PTSD.

Dr. Blow continues his US Department of Defense-funded research and service program for post-deployment National Guard personnel and their families. The program, "Risk, Resiliency, and Coping in National Guard Families," brings post-deployment men and women and their families together in a resort setting for a weekend of rest, relaxation, and learning.

Dr. Ruben Parra Cardona is continuing his research testing the efficacy of a culturally-adapted research-based parenting program (Parent Management Training-Oregon) in the Detroit area. Mexican immigrant parents have been recruited for a 12-week parenting course that includes sessions specific to parenting a cross-cultural context--dealing with parents' desires to maintain their cultural heritage while raising children in the US. Remarkably, the "Prevention for Latino Families," can boast of a 90%+ completion rate. Respect for cultural values is critical for the success of this program which includes a family dinner each week and child care. "Prevention of Latino Families" is funded by the US National Institutes of Health (National Institute of Mental Health).