Howard Markman
Professor, Clinical Child

I am a Professor of Psychology and the Co-Director (along with Dr. Scott Stanley) of the Center for Marital and Family Studies at the University of Denver. I received my B.A. from Rutgers University and my M.A. and PhD from Indiana University. Our research program on the prediction and prevention of relationship discord and divorce and the effects of destructive conflict and relationship distress prevention on mental health been funded for the past 25 years from the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institutes' of Child Health and Development, and the Administration of Children and Families. I am proud to say that our research team over the years has written over 120 journal articles, books and papers based on our research. We have also been fortunate to have received funding from the National Science Foundation and the Hunt Foundation.

We have been developing and evaluating a research based marriage education program PREP (Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program, see prepinc.com), and have been using and testing the program in a number of settings in the U.S. and in other countries. For example we have fortunate to have been able to work with colleagues in the U.S. Army, Navy, Air force, the states of Oklahoma and Utah, and Norway, Germany, and Australia. Our newest project the FRAME (Fatherhood, Relationship and Marriage Education) study will evaluate the effectiveness of a new intervention program for couples with children. The program teaches couples skills for creating and maintaining healthy relationships and for promoting investment in parenting. To be eligible for the study, couples must meet economic hardship/income criteria, be in a committed relationship, live together, and be raising at least one child under the age of 18 together. Study participants will be paid $200 for filling out surveys in the first year. Payments will increase each year of the study. Over the course of eight weeks, study participants will attend weekly workshops (for a total of 16 hours) that teach communication, conflict resolution, and stress management skills. Participants will also complete survey assessments both before and after the training. The study will then follow couples on a yearly basis for up to four years. Some couples will participate in the workshop together, while others will go through the training separately. The workshops will take place at various locations throughout metro Denver, and childcare will be provided for participants. Training materials have been adapted from our PREP program (see www.du.edu/psychology/frame, 303-871-3028)

In addition, I consult on a number of research grants and often give talks on the implications of our research for social policy for state and national governmental groups (e.g., National Institutes for Health, State of Nebraska). I also give workshops on the clinical implications of our research and on our marriage education program to couples and professionals around the country and in other countries (see loveyourrelationship.com).

My research and clinical interests also include the effects of relationship discord and divorce on mental illness, the effects of love and a great relationship on mental health. I frequently have the opportunity to talk about our research at national and international conferences as well as with media outlets such as the Chicago Tribune, Oprah, Today, 20/20, NY Times, USA Today.

At DU, I teach undergraduate courses in Marital and Family Interaction and Therapy and one of DU's core courses in the social sciences, on the Psychology of Love. At the graduate level I teach courses in Couples Intervention, Advanced Issues in marital therapy, and Community Psychology.

I have been fortunate to be the advisor to many impressive graduate students and post doctoral fellows.

Representative Publications:

Markman, H., Stanley, S., & Blumberg, S. (2001). Fighting for Your Marriage (Revised and updated edition). San Francisco, Jossey Bass, Inc.

Markman, H., Stanley, S., Blumberg, S., Jenkins, N. & Whaley, C. (2004). Twelve Hours to A Great Marriage, San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Markman, H. J. (2004). Couples Research & Practice: Toward a Bolder Boulder Model, The Family Psychologist, 19, 4, 4-6.

Markman, H. J., Whitton, S. W., Kline, G. H., Thompson, H., St. Peters, M., Stanley, S. M., Leber, B. D., Olmos-Gallo, P. A., Prado, L. M., Williams, T., Gilbert, K., Tonelli, L., Bobulinski, M., & Cordova, A. (2004). Use of an empirically-based marriage education program by religious organizations: Results of a dissemination trial. Family Relations, 53, 504-512.

Markman, H.J., & Halford, K. (2005). International perspectives on couple relationship education. Family Process, 44, 139-146.

Markman, H. J. (2005). The prevention of extramarital involvement: Steps toward "affair proofing" marriage. Clinical Psychology, 12(2), 134-138.

Stanley, S. M., Allen, E. S., Markman, H. J., Saiz, C. C., Bloomstrom, G., Thomas, R., Schumm, W. R., & Baily, A. E. (2005). Dissemination and evaluation of marriage education in the Army. Family Process, 44, 187-201.

Markman, H, Myrick, J. & Pregulman, M. (2006) Marriage education in the workplace, Journal of Employee Assistance, 3rd Quarter, 12-15.

Stanley, S. M., Whitton, S. W., Low, S. M., Clements, M. L., & Markman, H. J. (2006). Sacrifice as a predictor of marital outcomes. Family Process, 45, 289-303.

Stanley, S. M., Amato, P. R., Johnson, C. A., & Markman, H. J. (2006). Premarital education, marital quality, and marital stability: Findings from a large, random, household survey. Journal of Family Psychology, 20, 117-126.

Whitton, S. W., Stanley, S. M., & Markman, H. J. (2007). If I help my partner, will it hurt me? Perceptions of sacrifice in romantic relationships. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 26 (1), 64 - 92.

Howard Markman
Ph.D. 1977, Indiana University

Professor, Clinical Child
office: Frontier Hall,
Rm. 212
phone: 303.871.3370
e-mail: hmarkman@du.edu

Co-Director
Center for Marital and Family Studies

Co-Director
FRAME

loveyourrelationship.com