1996 Ph.D.

1992 M.S.

1989 B.S.

University of Georgia, Child and Family Development,
Specialization in Marriage and Family Therapy

Arizona State University, Human Development and Family Studies,
Specialization in Marriage and Family Therapy

Arizona State University, Psychology

MAJOR FIELDS OF TEACHING AND RESEARCH:

Teaching

At Iowa State University, Dr. Michaels teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies.

HDFS 370 Communication in Family Development
HDFS 675 Preventive Intervention Research
HDFS 673 Evidence Based Therapies
HDFS 573 Ethics & Professional Issues in MFT
HDFS 591 MFT Clinical Practicum

At the University of Georgia, Arizona State University, and the University of Kentucky, Dr. Michaels taught undergraduate and graduate courses in the departments of Child and Family Development, Psychology, and Human Development and Family Studies, respectively.

CFD 494 Research Methods
PGS 465 Stress and Coping
PGS 498 Remarriage and Stepfamily Issues
PGS 498 Marriage and Family
PGS 498 Prevention Research with Children
PGS 443 Abnormal Child Psychology
PGS 370/FAS330 Interpersonal Relationships
FAM 360 Introduction to Individual/Family Intervention
FAM 652 Readings in Family Studies
FAM 787 Supervision in MFT

Research

Prevention and treatment of mental health problems. Research has a trifold focus: 1) the identification of individual and contextual risk and protective factors that impact mental health, 2) intervention development and modification for specific high risk groups, 3) efficacy/effectiveness field trials.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:

Refereed Journals

Michaels, M. L. (in press). Remarital issues in couple therapy. Journal of Couple and Relationship Therapy.

Michaels, M. L. (2006), Stepfamily Enrichment Program: A preventive intervention for remarried couples. Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 31, 135-151.

Michaels, M. L. (2005). Factors that contribute to stepfamily success: A qualitative analysis. Journal of Divorce and Remarriage, 44, 53-66.

Michaels, M. L. (2003). Preventing marital distress in remarried couples. Journal of Couple and Relationship Therapy, 2, 29-42.

Werner-Wilson, R. J., Michaels, M. L., Thomas, S. G., & Thiesen, A. M. (2003). Influence of therapist behaviors on therapeutic alliance. Contemporary Family Therapy, 25, 381-390.

Barrera, M., Prelow, H. M., Dumka, L. E., Gonzales, N. A., Knight, G. P., Michaels, M. L., Roosa, M. W., & Tein, J. Y. (2002). Pathways from family economic conditions to adolescents' distress: Supportive parenting, stressors outside the family, and deviant peers. Journal of Community Psychology, 30, 135-152.

Michaels, M. L. (2000). The Stepfamily Enrichment Program: A preliminary evaluation using focus groups. American Journal of Family Therapy, 28, 61-73.

Dumka, L. E., Roosa, M. W., Michaels, M. L., & Suh, K. W. (1995). Using research and theory to develop prevention programs for high risk families. Family Relations, 44, 78-86.

Quinn, W. H., Sutphen, R., Michaels, M., & Gale, J. (1994). Juvenile first offenders: Characteristics of at risk families and strategies for intervention. Journal of Addiction and Offender Counseling, 15, 2-23.

MEMBERSHIP IN PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES:

American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy
Iowa Association for Marriage and Family Therapy
National Council on Family Relations