Dr. Jesse Owen

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What kind of research does Dr. Owen do?

• Dr. Jesse Owen leads the Relationship and Psychotherapy Lab (RAP Lab). The RAP Lab seeks to contribute to the enhancement and understanding of couples' relationship functioning, Multicultural Orientation (MCO) as well as to develop a deeper understanding of the common and specific factors related to therapeutic effectiveness. An underlying assumption of our mission is that we contextualize our work through cross-cultural factors that are inherently interwoven with the lives of individuals, couples, and therapists.

What does joining the RAP Lab look like?

• All students, including undergraduate, MA, and PhD students who are committed to research in multicultural orientation, psychotherapy, and/or romantic relationships, are encouraged to join the lab. Our lab culture is "family style," where everyone brings their ideas to the table and the focus of weekly lab meetings, research directions, and processes are co-constructed. For Master's students in particular, we encourage a process of observing in the first quarter to gain insight into research processes. During this time you will also conduct a literature review for one of the current projects to ensure fit and ongoing research commitment before becoming a full-fledged member.

Current student-led studies include:

• Multicultural Orientation and Deliberate Practice Training: This empirically-support case study design employs a new approach to MCO training that incorporates deliberate practice (DP) components to examine ways to target trainees' multicultural orientation skills and increase psychotherapeutic outcomes for minoritized clients.

• Psychotherapy in Jails: Role of Cultural Humility, Cultural Opportunity, and Working Alliance on Therapy Outcomes: This study examines the extent to which clients experiencing incarceration perceived their therapists' level of cultural humility to be associated with therapy outcomes.

• Split Alliance: This study investigates the impact of split alliance scores on individual symptom reduction and relationship satisfaction scores. Anticipated study findings will support prior literature that suggest an absence of a split alliance contributes to positive outcomes, such as increased overall well-being and increased relationship satisfaction.

Can I participate in their lab without attending lab meetings?

• It is not a requirement, although we try to pick a lab time that works for the majority of lab members. The lab time changes each quarter based on the lab members' availability