Jacqueline Sparks

  • Professor, Couple & Family Therapy Program Coordinator
  • Human Development and Family Science
  • Phone: 401.874.7425
  • Email: jsparks@uri.edu
  • Office Location: Transition Center, Rm 213

Biography

Jacqueline Sparks, Ph.D. has authored/co-authored thirty articles, four books, and twenty book chapters. Her primary research interests involve evaluation of routine outcome management (ROM) in psychotherapy and the critique of automatic psychiatric drug prescription in mental health services, particularly for children and adolescents. Her practical synthesis of findings of the Norway Couple Project, the largest couple trial to date using systematic client feedback, was awarded Article of the Year by Journal of Marital and Family Therapy. She has trained extensively regionally, nationally, and internationally on the value and mechanics of client feedback in clinical practice. Her teaching interests include the promotion of strengths-based, relational therapy, the systematic incorporation of client feedback in everyday practice settings, and transforming systems of care to promote socially-just, client-privileged practices.

Research

Dr. Sparks’ research interests include:

  • the impact of continuous integration of client feedback on outcome in couple and family therapy;
  • patterns of the alliance in couple and family therapy;
  • incorporation of outcome management in clinical training;
  • critical review of the automatic prescription of pediatric psychiatric medications.

Education

 

  • Ph.D., Family Therapy, Nova Southeastern University
  • M.S., Marriage and Family Therapy, University of New Hampshire
  • B.S., Family Studies, University of New Hampshire

 

Selected Publications

Sparks, J., & Duncan, B. (2018). The Partners for Change Outcome Management System: A Both/And System for Collaborative Practice. Family Process. Early View https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/15455300/0/0.

Duncan, B. L., Sparks, J. A., & Timimi, S. (2017). Beyond critique: The Partners for Change Outcome Management System as an alternative to diagnosis. Journal of Humanistic Psychology. doi: 10.1177/0022167817719975.

Sparks, J. (2015). The Norway Couple Project: Lessons learned. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 41(4), 481-494. doi: 10.1111/jmft.12099.

Sparks, J. A., Kisler, T. A., Adams, J. F., & Blumen, D. G. (2011). Teaching accountability: Using client feedback to train effective family therapists. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 37(4), 452-467. doi: 10.1111/j.1752-0606.2011.00224.x.

Anker, M. G., Duncan, B. L., & Sparks, J. A. (2009). Using client feedback to improve couple therapy outcomes: A randomized clinical trial in a naturalistic setting. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 77(4), 693-704.

 

 

 

 

Download to Curriculum Vitae(PDF)