Publications
Explore a growing library of articles and resources focused on mental wellness, relationships, grief, and personal growth. Each piece is created to provide practical tools, compassionate perspective, and evidence-informed insights you can return to whenever you need support along your path.
Some pieces may incorporate academic research or clinical insights to help illuminate complex experiences.
For more direct tips, tools, and everyday guidance, we encourage you to explore our Resources page.
The Lived Experiences of Individuals Whose Partners Have Completed a Family Therapy Focused Doctoral Program
The full publication can be accessed via the The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy
Abstract: Successful completion of a doctoral program requires dedication and commitment from the student and their family system. However, previous research pertaining to graduate student relationship satisfaction has sought out the perspective of the student. In this phenomenological research study researchers inquired about the lived experiences of eight partners of graduate students completing a doctoral program with a family therapy focus.
Researchers inquired about the lived experiences of the partners of the graduate student, and through thematic analysis identified five essential themes:
PhD as a priority
Learning to have congruent communication
Tension
Maintaining appreciation
Differentiation and re-integration
The researchers join the voices of the participants in calling for changes to the on-boarding process for new doctoral students, and their partners. Educational institutions can provide realistic expectations of the demands on the doctoral student and their partners, thereby providing informed consent in the process. There is also opportunity for leadership to actively reduce stigma around highly successful individuals in academia accessing mental health services.