Research Methods in Family Therapy

Douglas H. Sprenkle, PhD, until his death in 2018, was Professor Emeritus at Purdue University, where he was developer and former Director of the Doctoral Program in Marriage and Family Therapy Dr. Sprenkle was past Editor of the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy and the author or editor of over 130 scholarly articles and books. He received the Osborne Award from the National Council on Family Relations, which is given biannually for outstanding teaching, and the Outstanding Contribution to Marriage and Family Therapy Award, the Cumulative Career Contribution to Marriage and Family Therapy Research Award, and the Training Award from the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. Dr. Sprenkle also won the Award for Significant Contribution to Family Therapy Theory and Practice from the American Family Therapy Academy.

Fred P. Piercy, PhD, is professor and head of the Department of Human Development at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He has served two times on the Board of Directors of AAMFT, and as the chair of the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education. Dr. Piercy is also a member and fellow of both AAMFT and the American Psychological Association. He has written over 160 published articles, 5 books, and 35 funded grants. Most recently, he is the coeditor of the Handbook of the Clinical Treatment of Infidelity (with Katherine Hertlein and Joseph Wetchler). Dr. Piercy has won both national and university teaching awards. He has also collaborated extensively with colleagues from the University of Indonesia and Atma Jaya University (in Jakarta, Indonesia) and was the principal investigator of a World AIDS Foundation-funded project in Indonesia.