Associate Dean, Academic Affairs and Engagement & Director, Gordon Couples Research Lab
Biography
Gordon received her PhD in clinical psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and completed her clinical psychology internship at the Brown University Consortium. She was a College of Arts and Sciences Excellence Professor and former Director of Clinical Training in the Department of Psychology at the University of Tennessee. She recently completed two large federal grants, one of which implemented a brief relationship intervention with a primarily low-income population and the other of which investigated a couples-based smoking cessation intervention with Latino couples expecting a baby. She is currently working on a project funded by the Templeton Foundation that connects churches, community agencies, and the University of Tennessee to deliver empirically supported relationship education to Knoxville couples, as well as an NSF funded SmartHealth technology grant to reduce stress in caregivers of dementia patients. She is the co-author of two books on how to help couples recover following infidelity published by Guilford Press (one for the lay public and a companion book for therapists), and of numerous articles on forgiveness, infidelity, and treating couple distress. She was elected a Fellow in APA’s Society for Couple and Family Psychology and was recently President of that Division. She also serves on the editorial board for the Journal of Family Psychology, Family Process, and Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice. Her work regarding infidelity has been cited in national media outlets such as the New York Times, USA Today, Psychology Today, Men’s Health, Fatherly.com, OZY.com, and in regional and local TV and news media. In addition to her research, teaching, and service activities, she also maintains a private practice in Knoxville, TN. Finally, her most important role is wife to a very patient husband and mom to two wonderful daughters.
Research
Gordon’s research focuses on relational health, broadly speaking. Her current work focuses on developing ways to make relationship interventions effective and accessible for all couples. Currently, she is working on a Templeton Foundation grant to study how universities can partner with churches to deliver empirically supported relationship interventions. She is also a Co-PI on an NSF funded grant to deliver interventions via SmartHealth technologies to caregiver-caregivee dyads to reduce caregiver stress and burden. Past funded projects have included couple-based health intervention to Latino couples who are expecting a child, delivering the home-visit version of the Relationship Checkup to a large representative community sample, and a pilot study of a brief mindfulness intervention to low-income community couples.
Awards and Recognitions
2021 UTK Alexander Prize
College of Arts and Sciences Excellence Professor, University of Tennessee-Knoxville
Chancellor’s Citation for Excellence in Research/Creative Achievement
UT College of Arts and Sciences Senior Excellence in Research/Creative Achievement Award
Elected Fellow, American Psychological Association’s Society of Couple and Family Psychology
UT College of Arts and Sciences Faculty Academic Outreach Award
Consulting Editor of the Year Award for Journal of Family Psychology
Distinguished Service Award, American Psychological Association’s Society of Couple and Family Psychology
Psi Chi Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award