Rachel Tambling, PhD, LMFT

Professor

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As of 2019, the MA and PhD programs in Marriage and Family Therapy are closed. Former students wishing to obtain hours verifications should call: Cindy Stewart, 860.486.4049 or email cynthia.stewart@uconn.edu.

Dr. Tambling is accepting new advisees, but the MFT concentration is not available.

Dr. Tambling’s Research Interests:

Dr. Tambling’s research is centered on intervention and service utilization in behavioral health. She is specifically interested in treatment initiation, client engagement, and client processes of change during psychotherapy. Dr. Tambling is also interested in health equity, and the ways in which social determinants of health impact mental health and substance use treatment services help-seeking, utilization, and reimbursement. She is interested in research that explores ways to address barriers to health equity, including expanding the availability of family therapy interventions to populations who typically do not access or fail to benefit from therapy, and understanding the complex components of effective engagement and change during therapy. Dr. Tambling is also interested in the measurement of psychotherapeutic constructs and the ways in which measurement impacts outcomes of mental health and substance use services.

Dr. Tambling is the Editor in Chief of Contemporary Family Therapy.

Dr. Tambling is co-author of the textbook Helping Skills: Basic Techniques for the Active and Engaged Helper (Cognella, 2023).

Dr. Tambling is the Chair of the IRB (August 2021 – present), an Affiliate of the Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention, and Policy, a Research Affiliate of the Center for Applied Research in Human Development, and an Affiliate of the Sustainable Global Cities Initiative.

Clinical Outcome and Process Research Lab:

Dr. Tambling runs the Clinical Process and Outcome Research Lab. Studies conducted in the lab focus on bettering our understanding of the process and outcomes of behavioral health interventions. Specifically, we seek to understand how engagement, retention, alliance, and other therapy processes contribute to outcomes in psychotherapy. The COPR is associated with a national network of couple and family therapy researchers.

Educational Background:

PhD, University of Georgia, Child and Family Development/Marriage and Family Therapy
MA, Western Michigan University, Marriage and Family Therapy
BS, Central Michigan University, Human Development

Dr. Tambling’s 2023 CV