I received my B.A. from Pennsylvania State University, and my Ph.D from the University of Minnesota. I have been licensed as a California Psychologist since 1983.
For my doctoral dissertation, I studied conflict patterns in premarital couples and helped develop a test to facilitate premarriage counseling and education programs called PREPARE-ENRICH. After completing my doctoral degree, I worked as an associate research scientist at the American Institutes of Research in Palo Alto, California, studying the effectiveness of counseling interventions for children in families of divorce and remarriage. I also taught graduate students at the California School of Family Psychology in San Rafael, CA, and supervised many students in their doctoral research.