Spencer Olmstead, Ph.D.
It’s our pleasure to introduce the twin pillar of Counseling, Human Development, and Family Science (CHDFS), Spencer Olmstead, Ph.D. Olmstead is our Assistant Department Head, professor in HDFS, and the current HDFS Graduate Program Director. Through our interactions with Olmstead, we’ve seen his dedication to students in making sure the next generation of HDFS graduates have all the support and tools they need to be successful in their pursued careers. This led us to ask how he came to be with us here at UT:
“I am a Professor in the Human Development and Family Science Program. I am also currently the Editor-in-Chief for the flagship journal for the National Council on Family Relations, the Journal of Marriage and Family. I am originally from Portland, Oregon. I have been married for almost 25 years and have two children, one attending Brigham Young University and one in High School at Hardin Valley Academy. I am a huge football fan, and I closely follow all of the schools I have attended, as well as the Vols. I enjoy traveling to fun, adventurous locations. I have learned a great deal about cooking since moving to Tennessee, including using a BBQ smoker and outdoor griddle. I also enjoy golfing and reading historical books and non-fiction.
My college experience started by barely getting into a summer-term at a Junior College in Rexburg Idaho (formerly called “Ricks College” but is not Brigham Young University – Idaho). After earning an Associate’s degree, I transferred to Brigham Young University in Provo, where I majored in Sociology and Psychology. Given my experience in those disciplines, I wanted to pursue becoming a Marriage and Family Therapist. I earned a Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Oregon. While pursuing my Master’s degree, I became very interested in research, and in particular, the process of forgiveness among couples in therapy. I decided to continue my education by going to Florida State University, where I earned a Ph.D. in Marriage and Family Therapy. While at Florida State, I developed an interest in studying fathers and father involvement as well as young adult romantic and sexual relationships. I was fortunate to be hired into the then UT Child and Family Studies department in 2010.
At the undergraduate level, I have most frequently taught courses on Human Sexuality (HDFS 240) and Research Methods (HDFS 395). At the graduate level, I have taught courses in Family Theory (HDFS 550), Couple Relationships (HDFS 535), and Research Methods (HDFS 572). In terms of committee work, I am currently serving as the Associate Department Head, HDFS Graduate Program Director, and HDFS Graduate Committee Chair. I have recently been asked to serve on the university’s Male Persistence Committee, tasked with identifying barriers to men’s persistence to graduation at UT. I am also a member of the university’s Institutional Review Board, and I am a member of the university’s Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention team. As I mentioned earlier, I am the Editor for the Journal of Marriage and Family, and I am also serving as the Chair of the Romantic Relationships Section of the Society for the Study of Emerging Adulthood (SSEA). I am currently working on interdisciplinary research projects on supporting fathers’ involvement with their children, adolescent sexual risk avoidance, friends with benefits relationships, parent-child sexual communication, and sexual possible selves.
A goal that I have in HDFS is to help contribute to the field of human development and family science by being a meaningful mentor to graduate students to help them acquire the knowledge, abilities, and skills necessary to prepare them to be successful in whatever occupational path they hope to pursue after graduate work in our program.”