Ronald Jay Werner-Wilson (born 1972), Chair of the Family Studies Department and Kathryn Louise Chellgren Endowed Professor for Research in Family Studies at the University of Kentucky, is a scholar who has held faculty appointments since 1993. His has published one book, book chapters, and numerous peer-reviewed journal articles. He has investigated family and relationship influences on adolescent and young adult sexuality, positive youth development, therapy with adolescents, gender and power influences on therapeutic process, and physiological influences on family interaction.
Werner-Wilson earned his Ph.D. in Marriage and Family Therapy from the Department of Child and Family Development at The University of Georgia in 1993. His dissertation, directed by Sharon Price, was entitled The Differential Treatment of Men and Women in Marriage and Family Therapy.
He earned an M.A. in Sociology in 1990 from the Department of Sociology at Guelph University. His thesis project, directed by Paula Dressel, was entitled Are the Times A'Changin'? A Content Analysis of Rolling Stone Magazine, 1968 and 1988.
He earned a B.S. degree in 1988 from the Department of Psychology at Georgia State University.
Werner-Wilson is Chair of the Family Studies Department and Kathryn Louise Chellgren Endowed Professor for Research in Family Studies at the University of Kentucky. He joined the faculty in August 2007.
Prior to joing the University of Kentucky faculty, Werner-Wilson was an Assistant Professor (1998–2003), Associate Professor (2003–2007), and Director of the Marriage and Family Therapy Program (1999–2007) and Clinic (2000–2007) in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at Iowa State University.
Assistant Professor and Director of the Marriage and Family Therapy Clinic in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at Colorado State University from 1995 to 1998.
Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences at Western Michigan University from 1993 to 1995.
Published books and book chapters
Werner-Wilson, R. J. (2001). Developmental-Systemic Family Therapy with Adolescents. Binghamton, NY: Haworth Press. ISBN 978-0-7890-1205-0.
Werner-Wilson, R. J., & Morrissey, K. M. (2005). Understanding Treatment – Principles and Approaches. In G. R. Adams & T. P. Gullotta (Eds.), Handbook of dysfunctional behavior in adolescence (pp. 79–100). NY: Springer. ISBN 0-387-23845-X
Published journal articles
Chapman, E. N. & Werner-Wilson, R. J. (2008). Does Positive Youth Development Predict Adolescent Attitudes about Sexuality? Adolescence, 43, 505-523.
Turner, L. K. & Werner-Wilson, R. J. (2008). Phenomenological Experience of Girls in a Single-Sex Day Treatment Group. Journal of Feminist Family Therapy, 20, 220-250.
Vogel, D. L., Werner-Wilson, R. J., Liang, K., Cutrona, C. E., Seeman, J. C., & Hackler, A. H. (2008). The relationship of physiological arousal with demand and withdraw behaviors: Examining the accuracy of the escape-conditioning hypothesis. Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, 59, 871-879.
Vogel, D. L., Murphy, M. J., Werner-Wilson, R. J., Cutrona, C. E., Bonett, D. B., & Seeman, J. (2007). Sex Differences in the Use of Demand and Withdraw Behavior in Marriage: Examining the Social Structure Hypothesis. Journal of Counseling Psychology.
Murphy, M. J., Cheng, W-J., & Werner-Wilson, R. J. (2006). Exploring master therapists' use of power in conversation. Contemporary Family Therapy, 28, 475-484.
Morrissey, K. M. & Werner-Wilson, R. J. (2005). The relationship between out-of-school activities and positive youth development: An investigation of the influences of communities and families. Adolescence, 40, 67-85.
Thomas, S. E. G., Werner-Wilson, R. J., & Murphy, M. J. (2005). Influence of therapist and client behaviors on therapy alliance. Contemporary Family Therapy, 27, 19-45.
Fitzharris, J. L. & Werner-Wilson, R. J. (2004). Multiple perspectives of parent-adolescent communication: Phenomenological description of a Rashoman effect. American Journal of Family Therapy 32, 273-288.
Werner-Wilson, R. J., Fitzharris, J. L., & Morrissey, K. M. (2004). Adolescent and parent perceptions of media influence on adolescent sexuality. Adolescence, 39, 303-313.
Werner-Wilson, R. J., Murphy, M. J., & Fitzharris, J. L. (2004). Does therapist experience influence interruptions of women clients? Journal of Feminist Family Therapy, 16, 39-49.
Werner-Wilson, R. J. & Davenport, B. R. (2003a). Distinguishing between conceptualizations of attachment: Clinical implications in marriage and family therapy. Contemporary Family Therapy, 25, 179-193.
Werner-Wilson, R. J. & Davenport, B. R. (2003b). Theoretical purity versus theoretical layering in marriage and family therapy. Contemporary Family Therapy, 25, 77-88.
Werner-Wilson, R. J., Michaels, M. L., Thomas, S. G., & Thiesen, A. M. (2003). Influence of therapist behaviors on therapeutic alliance. Contemporary Family Therapy, 25, 381-390.
Holm, K. E., Werner-Wilson, R. J., Cook, A. S., & Berger, P. S. (2001). The association between emotion work balance and relationship satisfaction of couples seeking therapy. The American Journal of Family Therapy, 29, 193-205.
Werner-Wilson, R. J. (2001). Experiential exercises in MFT training: Gender, power, and diversity. Contemporary Family Therapy, 23, 221-229.
Werner-Wilson, R. J., & Fitzharris, J. L. (2001). How can mothers and fathers become involved in the sexuality education of adolescents? Journal of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Education for Adolescents and Children, 4, 49-59.
Bernstein, J. B., Zimmerman, T. S., Werner-Wilson, R. J., & Vosburg, J. (2000). Preschool children's classification skills and a multi-cultural education intervention to promote acceptance of ethnic diversity. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 14, 181-192.
Bowling, S. M., & Werner-Wilson, R. J. (2000). Father-daughter relationships and adolescent female sexuality: Paternal qualities associated with responsible sexual behavior. Journal of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Education for Adolescents and Children, 3 (4), 1-28.
Kessler, M. R. H., Werner-Wilson, R. J., Cook, A. S., & Berger, P. (2000). Emotion management of marriage and family therapists: How is it different for women and men? The American Journal of Family Therapy, 28, 243-253.
Werner-Wilson, R. J., & Arbel, O. (2000). Assessment of interpersonal influences on adolescents: The parent and peer influence scale. The American Journal of Family Therapy, 28, 265-274.
Werner-Wilson, R. J., Zimmerman, T. S., & Whalen, D. (2000). Resilient response to battering. Contemporary Family Therapy, 22, 161-188.
Werner-Wilson, R. J., Zimmerman, T. S., Daniels-Carlson, K., & Bowling, S. (1999). Is therapeutic alliance influenced by a feminist approach to therapy? Contemporary Family Therapy, 21, 545-550.
Werner-Wilson, R. J., Zimmerman, T. S., & Price, S. J. (1999). Are goals and topics influenced by gender and modality in the initial marriage and family therapy session? Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 25, 253-262.
Werner-Wilson, R. J. (1998a). Are virgins at-risk for contracting HIV/AIDS? Journal of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Education for Adolescents and Children, 2, 63-71.
Werner-Wilson, R. J. (1998b). Gender differences in adolescent sexual attitudes: The influence of individual and family factors. Adolescence, 33, 519-531.
Werner-Wilson, R. J., & Vosburg, J. (1998). How do contextual factors and gender differences influence college students' safer sex practices? Journal of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Education for Adolescents and Children, 2, 33-49.
Werner-Wilson, R. J., Wahler, J., & Kreutzer, J. (1998). Independent and dependent variables in adolescent and young adult sexuality research: Conceptual and operational difficulties. Journal of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Education for Adolescents and Children, 2, 129-144.
Carr, A. A., & Werner-Wilson, R. J. (1997). A model of parental participation: A secondary data analysis. School Community Journal, 7, 9-25.
Werner-Wilson, R. J. (1997). Is therapeutic alliance influenced by gender in marriage and family therapy? Journal of Feminist Family Therapy, 9, 3-16.
Werner-Wilson, R. J., Price, S. J., Zimmerman, T. S., & Murphy, M. J. (1997). Client gender as a process variable in marriage and family therapy: Are women clients interrupted more than men clients? Journal of Family Psychology, 11, 373-377.
Villarruel, F. A., Zawacki, K. G., Wilson, R. J., Sanchez, Y., Youatt, J. P., Perkins, D. F., Kostelnik, M. J., & McAdoo, H. P. (1996). Literature and resource review essay 1995: Twenty-seventh annual National Council on Family Relations media award competition. Family Relations, 45, 107-113.
Villarruel, F. A., Gonzalez-Kruger, G., Perkins, D. F., Wilson, R. J., Youatt, J. P., Kostelnik, M. J., & Pace, K. (1995). Literature and resource review essay 1994—Twenty-sixth annual National Council on Family Relations media awards competition. Family Relations, 44, 110-115.
LaRossa, R. E., Gordon, B. A., Wilson, R. J., Bairan, A., & Jaret, C. (1991). The fluctuating image of the 20th century American Father. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 53, 987-997.
