Program of Research
Informed by the contextual model of psychotherapy (Wampold & Imel, 2015), my first line of research seeks to identify transtheoretical factors related to positive psychotherapy treatment outcomes. In one study[…] we examined two aspects of clients’ motivation in group psychotherapy, 1) alliance to the group and 2) achievement goal orientation, in relation to their perceived improvement in group psychotherapy (Kivlighan, Bardhoshi, Wang, et al., 2024). Results indicated that clients’ perceived improvement was highest when they rated mastery goal orientation and group alliance congruent and high (i.e., congruent high-high effect). In another study, we applied an outcome expectation framework (Constantino et al., 2018) to examine clients’ role expectations of therapist support and challenge in relation to their treatment outcomes (Wang et al., in press). Results indicated that clients who expected both high challenge and high support from their therapist, prior to the start of counseling, reported the greatest improvement in counseling. I hope to continue to study common factors across diverse therapeutic approaches to advance research on evidence-based mechanisms of change in psychotherapy.
My second line of research examines cultural factors in psychotherapy and seeks to advance psychotherapy practice with marginalized groups. In one study[…] a qualitative methodology was used to examine licensed Asian international therapists’ experiences of racial microaggression within the therapeutic relationship (Wang et al., 2023). Preliminary results suggest that Asian international therapists commonly experience microaggressions and xenophobia within the therapeutic relationship and that these experiences have significant impacts on their training, the therapeutic relationship, and their personal wellness. Participants also identified strategies for navigating these cultural ruptures within the therapeutic relationship. In another study, we are examining the effectiveness of group therapy for reducing depression and suicidality for transgender and non-binary individuals (Solness, Wang, Mitchell, & Kivlighan, in preparation). I am passionate about research examining therapeutic processes and experiences of marginalized populations in hopes of advancing equity and access within mental health care, and I am excited to continue to test understudied cultural and psychosocial processes of interventions for historically invisible individuals.
Recent Pub Highlights
(open to collaboration for the following methods)
Response Surface Analysis
Kivlighan, M., Bardhoshi, G., Wang, K., Anders, C., & Zilcha-Mano, S. (2024). Members’ goal orientation and working alliance in group therapy: A response surface analysis. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 71(3), 179–189.
Multilevel Actor-Partner Interdependence Model
Wang, K., Brownstone, L., & Kivlighan, M. (2024). Examining within- and between-member cohesion and working alliance effects on group members’ motivation: a preliminary actor-partner interdependence study. Psychotherapy Research, 1–14.