Research:
Selected Publications & Presentations
Research:
Selected Publications & Presentations
Research
Dr. Darling's research starts from a simple premise: money is rarely only about money. It's about relationships, freedom, security, identity, and worth, and those are psychological questions before they are financial ones.
Her work spans three connected areas.
The economics of professional training
Her central contribution is a framework she calls training-based devaluation. Clinical training does more than build skill. It teaches clinicians, mostly without saying so, to undervalue their own work. That lesson follows them into their careers in how they price their services, negotiate their contracts, and understand their own expertise. It also isn't evenly distributed: women make up roughly 70% of psychologists, and the cost of getting this wrong falls hardest on them.
Money and relationships in blended families
Her dissertation looked at the financial influences shaping relationship satisfaction among childfree stepmothers, women whose financial and emotional contributions to their families are real but rarely studied. She is continuing that work with current research on how the way couples structure their money relates to satisfaction in blended families.
Existential and humanistic approaches
Underneath both is a humanistic and existential lens. Questions about money tend to be questions about freedom, security, and identity wearing a disguise. She is interested in financial behavior as one of the places those larger questions show up.
Darling, D. W., Mizock, L., Cornelius, A. E., LeBaron-Black, A., & Taylor, A. E. (2024). Blending and spending: Financial influences impacting childfree stepmothers’ relationship satisfaction. Journal of Financial Therapy, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.4148/1944-9771.1402
Rahn, H., Graham, K., White, L., & Darling, D. W. (2026, May 26-28). Solfeggio Frequencies Effect on Stress [Poster presentation]. Rocky Mountain Psychological Association Annual Conference. https://www.rockymountainpsych.com/pdf-of-program
Darling, D. W. & Mizock, L. (2024, August 8-10). The Role of Finances in Relationship Satisfaction: A Study of Women in Blended Families [Poster presentation]. American Psychological Association Annual Conference. https://convention.apa.org/proposals
Darling, D. (2022, October 5-7). The Role of Self-Efficacy in Personal Finance for Women Veterans [Poster presentation]. Financial Therapy Association Annual Conference, Denver, CO, United States. https://financialtherapyassociation.org/education/conference-2022-2/
Darling, D. (2021, November 8-9). Personal Finance Through the Lens of the Four Existential Givens [Poster presentation]. Financial Therapy Association Annual Conference. https://financialtherapyassociation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/FTA-2021-Conference-Schedule-2.pdf
Darling, D., Poling, S., Mines, S., Field, T., & Bendell, D. (2021, May 26-27). Post Traumatic Growth Predicts Expectations of Ideal Qualities in Future Relationships [Poster presentation]. Association for Psychological Science. https://www.psychologicalscience.org/conventions/archive/2021-virtual
Darling, D. W. (in press). The throw-ins: Notes on transmission from a first-year supervisor. The Humanistic Psychologist Bulletin. https://psycnet.apa.org/PsycARTICLES/journal/hum/54/1
Darling, D. W. (2026). Lost at sea: Pedagogy and process in an undergraduate group counseling course. The Group Psychologist, 36(1). https://thegrouppsychologist.org/gp_articles/2026-su-lost-at-sea-group-counseling/
Darling, D. W. (2026). The worth gap: Women psychologists and the transition from training to practice. The Feminist Psychologist, 52(1). https://tinyurl.com/feministpsychologist52
Darling, D. W. (2024). Financial harmony: Fostering happy relationships in blended families. The Feminist Psychologist, 50(3).
Darling, D. W. (2024). Stepmotherhood: An emotional and economic investment. The Feminist Psychologist, 50(1). https://www.div35.org/parenthood
Darling, D. W. (2024). Financial harmony: Fostering happy relationships in blended families. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/cultural-competence/202409/financial-harmony-in-stepfamilies
Darling, D. (2020, December 22). An Evil Stepmother's Guide for Teaching Your Child Personal Finance, Part 3. 3rd Decade Financial Literacy Blog. https://3rddecade.org/an-evil-stepmothers-guide-for-teaching-your-child-personal-finance-part-3/.
Darling, D. (2020, November 23). An Evil Stepmother's Guide for Teaching Your Child Personal Finance, Part 2. 3rd Decade Financial Literacy Blog. https://3rddecade.org/an-evil-stepmothers-guide-for-teaching-your-child-personal-finance-part-2/.
Darling, D. (2020, October 29). An Evil Stepmother's Guide for Teaching Your Child Personal Finance, Part 1. 3rd Decade Financial Literacy Blog. https://3rddecade.org/an-evil-stepmothers-guide-for-teaching-your-child-personal-finance-part-1/.
Darling, D. (2020, April 15). Managing Money in Relationships. 3rd Decade Financial Literacy Blog. https://3rddecade.org/managing-money-in-relationships/.
Darling, D. W. (2026). Doing the (Money) Work: The Financial Playbook for Early Career Psychologists and Clinicians. Manuscript in preparation
Darling, D., & Detone, S. (2024). Strategies for Success: The Ultimate ASVAB Study Guide. College Options Foundation.
Burnette, D., France, S., Wilfong, T., & Suber, J. (2007). The Essential Guide to the SAT. (D. Darling, Ed.). My College Options.
Burnette, D., France, S., Wilfong, T., & Suber, J. (2007). The Essential Guide to the ACT. (D. Darling, Ed.). My College Options.
Workshop: “Personal Finance for Clinical Psychology PhD Students,” PsyD Program Professional Seminar, Southern Utah University, October 2025
Workshop: “Personal Finance for Clinical Psychology PhD Students,” Clinical Internship, Southern Arizona Veterans Healthcare System, February 2025
Workshop: “Personal Finance for Clinical Psychology PhD Students,” Arizona Professional Development Seminar, Fielding Graduate University, May 2024
Workshop: “Translating Your Military Experience for Your Civilian CV/Resume,” VETS Center, University of Arizona, October 2023
Podcast Guest: “A Closer Look at the Focus Forward Fellowship: A Firsthand Experience,” Let’s Talk Transitions Podcast, Military Families Learning Network, January 2022 https://militaryfamilieslearningnetwork.org/podcast/a-closer-look-at-the-focus-forward-fellowship-a-firsthand-experience-part-2/
Workshop: “Personal Finance for Women Student Veterans,” Focus Forward Fellowship, Military Family Research Institute, March 2021
Podcast Guest: “Couples and Money,” 3rd Decade Podcast, 3rd Decade (non-profit), November 2020. https://open.spotify.com/episode/14RJsL8SNTVClWiU4zUUVG?si=29b0cccfa14e427e
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-the-3rd-decade-podcast-63428943/episode/couples-money-73344520/
Invited Lecture: “What is Graduate School?” VETS Center, University of Arizona, September 2020
Invited Panel Member: “Do Ask, Do Tell: An LGBT+ Veterans Panel,” VETS Center, University of Arizona, 2016