About

Professor Steven Harris is a faculty member in the Family Social Science department at the University of Minnesota. His research agenda includes divorce decision-making and family transitions associated with divorce. He is the director of the MN Couples on the Brink Project that develops and evaluates best practices to help couples at high risk for divorce.

Research topics

• Psychology
• Social psychology
• Developmental psychology
• Clinical psychology
• Communication
• Psychotherapist
• Psychiatry

Selected publications

• Understanding the Experiences of Parents Who Have a Strained Relationship With Their Child in the Context of Divorce or Separation

  Journal of Marital and Family Therapy · 2025-06-22 · 2 citations

  articleSenior author

  Recently being recognized as parent-child contact problems (PCCPs), children resisting contact with a parent is a growing problem in the family justice system. Many family therapists and other professionals are asked to work with PCCPs but are underprepared due to limited knowledge of the complex legal and relational factors. To explore the needs of this population, a qualitative study was conducted interviewing 15 parents who self-identified as having strained parent-child relationships after a divorce. The phenomenological analysis revealed eight themes from the interviews. Participant responses were categorized into two descriptive clusters. (1) active/current strained relationships with themes of: feelings of powerlessness, limitations of professional help, "in" parents creating barriers, and "outsiders" do not understand and (2) past/resolved strained relationships with themes of: professionals were helpful, coparents became more aligned, time improves relationships, and children do not understand. Implications for working with these strained relationships and recommendations for future research are discussed.

  PublisherDOI

• The Relationship Between Religiosity, Hope and Repair Efforts Among Couples Thinking About Divorce

  Journal of Couple & Relationship Therapy · 2025-08-28

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Instagram Vs. Reality: Assessment of the Representation of Lip Aesthetic Subtypes on Social Media Using the Lip Classification of Tubercles System

  Aesthetic Surgery Journal Open Forum · 2025-02-01

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Abstract Background Social media platforms, particularly Instagram appear to be influencing contemporary beauty standards, especially concerning lip enhancements. Understanding the prevalent lip types showcased can offer valuable insights into evolving aesthetic ideals to inform both patients and practitioners. Objectives This study aims to analyse lip types associated with minimally invasive lip enhancements on Instagram (Meta, Menlo Park, CA) and compare these findings with classifications from a patient clinic using the Lip Classification of Tubercles (LCT) system. Methods A within-subjects design was employed to examine 120 "Before and After" images from four trending Instagram hashtags related to lip enhancements. Four expert examiners performed the classification, and inter-rater reliability was assessed. Data from a previous study involving patients from an aesthetic clinic (N = 214) were incorporated to compare the frequencies of lip types in the clinic and on Instagram. Results The inter-rater reliability for lip classification on Instagram was very good (Fleiss’ Kappa: pre-treatment k = 0.817; post-treatment k = 0.837). The most common lip type pre-treatment was 1A, which dramatically shifted to type 3A post-treatment. The comparison with the patient clinic revealed that while type 1A was the most prevalent in both datasets, Instagram exhibited lower variability, with only 10 unique types identified pre-treatment and a predominant type 3A post-treatment. Conclusions The representations of lip enhancements on Instagram reflect a narrower range of lip types compared to clinical findings, including a dramatic shift toward a type 3A lip shape. This standardisation of beauty ideal highlights the need for further exploration of social media's influence on lip enhancement preferences and the associated risks, as well as how these trends shape patient expectations in aesthetic practices.

  PublisherDOI

• Couple Therapist-Supporting and Undermining Behavior Scale

  PsycTESTS Dataset · 2025-01-01

  dataset1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Data‐Driven Insights: A University‐Based Family Therapy Clinic Study in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Using the SCORE‐15

  Journal of Marital and Family Therapy · 2025-07-01

  articleOpen access

  As family therapy is in its infancy in Bangladesh, we know very little about who accesses it and how it is being used or received. This article reports on a year's worth of quantitative and qualitative clinical data from the very first family therapy clinic in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Data come from the Systemic Clinical Outcome and Routine Evaluation-15 (SCORE-15) measure, which was administered to the clients of this university-based clinic. A total of 46 families participated in both the qualitative and quantitative parts of the study, resulting in 134 individual responses. The sample consisted of six couples and 40 individual families. This descriptive study points to the importance of family relationships to the Bengali people and the general acceptability of family therapy as a possible treatment modality for couple, family, and relational problems in this South Asian context.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Correction: When ELIZA meets therapists: A Turing test for the heart and mind

  PLOS mental health. · 2025-08-29 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access

  [This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmen.0000145.].

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Identifying Informal Help‐Seeking Patterns in African American Couples

  Journal of Marital and Family Therapy · 2025-03-11

  articleOpen access

  While African American couples are less likely to seek formal resources, such as couples therapy, that does not mean they do not seek relationship support. The literature suggests that informal or community resources play a large role in supporting African American couples. Yet, up to this point, quantitative research has yet to identify specific factors that increase informal couple help-seeking for African Americans. To address this gap, we examine how discrimination, racial identity, and religiosity are associated with informal couple help-seeking. We use two distinct types of common informal couple help-seeking (1) seeking help from a religious community and (2) seeking help from family and friends. Our study also attends to a meaningful aspect of couple help-seeking-relationship interdependence-via an actor-partner interdependence model (APIM). Our findings highlight the importance of informal resources in supporting African American relationships and the interdependent nature of couple help-seeking.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Body Dysmorphic Disorder in Aesthetic Practitioners: A Cross-Sectional Study of Prevalence, Awareness, and Psychological Implications

  Aesthetic Surgery Journal Open Forum · 2025-01-01 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Abstract Background Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a mental health condition characterized by an obsessive focus on perceived physical flaws, causing significant psychological distress. Aesthetic practitioners often interact with appearance-focused patients, increasing their potential exposure to BDD and its psychological effects. Understanding BDD prevalence and awareness among practitioners is crucial for their professional and personal well-being. Objectives The authors of this study aim to assess the prevalence of BDD among aesthetic practitioners (physicians and surgeons) and evaluate their awareness of the disorder. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted with 199 participants, including 98 aesthetic practitioners and 101 lawyers (control group). Participants completed the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-10) and the Cosmetic Procedure Screening (COPS) questionnaires, along with questions assessing BDD knowledge. Statistical analyses included Pearson's correlations, χ2 tests, analysis of covariance, and logistic regression. Results Possible BDD was identified in 8.2% of aesthetic practitioners vs 2% of controls (P = .056). Aesthetic practitioners showed a significant association with self-reported physical-aesthetic disorders (χ2(2) = 11.25, P = .004). Total COPS scores correlated significantly with distress, anxiety, and depression levels (all P < .001). Regression analysis revealed that aesthetic practitioners were 7 times more likely to exhibit BDD symptoms compared with controls (b = 2.03, P = .03, odds ratio = 7.59), even after controlling for anxiety and depression. Conclusions In this study, the authors underscore the need for enhanced BDD awareness and mental health training among aesthetic practitioners. Addressing mental health within the aesthetic field is essential to improve professional practices and safeguard psychological well-being. Level of Evidence: 3 (Therapeutic)

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Bangladeshi Couple Therapists’ Perspectives of Divorce Decision‐Making

  Journal of Marital and Family Therapy · 2025-05-14 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  This qualitative study explores how family therapists (n = 15) in Dhaka, Bangladesh, assist couples in navigating divorce decision-making, addressing a gap in research on divorce ideation in non-Western contexts. Thematic analysis of the interviews revealed four key themes: (1) Therapists as experts, (2) Respect for client autonomy, (3) Therapist neutrality, and (4) Clarity in the decision as the goal. Each of the themes is situated in the social context of Dhaka, the capital city, where couple therapy is a fairly new mental health practice and beliefs about marriage and divorce are culturally informed. These cultural beliefs include ideas that divorce is shameful, is not religiously sanctioned, and is harder on women. Future research could focus on the experiences of therapists or other community helpers (i.e., religious or kinship networks) in rural areas and among less-educated populations to better understand the broader landscape of divorce decision-making in Bangladesh.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• When ELIZA meets therapists: A Turing test for the heart and mind

  PLOS mental health. · 2025-02-12 · 52 citations

  articleOpen access

  "Can machines be therapists?" is a question receiving increased attention given the relative ease of working with generative artificial intelligence. Although recent (and decades-old) research has found that humans struggle to tell the difference between responses from machines and humans, recent findings suggest that artificial intelligence can write empathically and the generated content is rated highly by therapists and outperforms professionals. It is uncertain whether, in a preregistered competition where therapists and ChatGPT respond to therapeutic vignettes about couple therapy, a) a panel of participants can tell which responses are ChatGPT-generated and which are written by therapists (N = 13), b) the generated responses or the therapist-written responses fall more in line with key therapy principles, and c) linguistic differences between conditions are present. In a large sample (N = 830), we showed that a) participants could rarely tell the difference between responses written by ChatGPT and responses written by a therapist, b) the responses written by ChatGPT were generally rated higher in key psychotherapy principles, and c) the language patterns between ChatGPT and therapists were different. Using different measures, we then confirmed that responses written by ChatGPT were rated higher than the therapist's responses suggesting these differences may be explained by part-of-speech and response sentiment. This may be an early indication that ChatGPT has the potential to improve psychotherapeutic processes. We anticipate that this work may lead to the development of different methods of testing and creating psychotherapeutic interventions. Further, we discuss limitations (including the lack of the therapeutic context), and how continued research in this area may lead to improved efficacy of psychotherapeutic interventions allowing such interventions to be placed in the hands of individuals who need them the most.

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• William J. Doherty

  University of Minnesota

  26 shared

• Charette A. Dersch

  12 shared

• Sarah M. Allen

  Southern Utah University

  11 shared

• Alan J. Hawkins

  Utah State University

  10 shared

• David C. Ivey

  Texas Tech University

  9 shared

• Aimee K. Hubbard

  Independence Community College

  9 shared

• Kelly M. Roberts

  Oklahoma Christian University

  9 shared

• Dean M. Busby

  Brigham Young University

  7 shared

Education

• Ph.D. - Marriage and Family Therapy, Child & Family Studies

  Syracuse University

  1996

Awards & honors

• 2008 Outstanding Service, Twogether in Texas, Texas Healthy…
• 2005 Meritorious Service Award, Texas Association for Marria…
• 1999 Outstanding Instructor, Texas Tech University, Departme…