Nathan Wood
Associate Professor & Couple and Family Therapy Program Director

Professional Profile

Nate grew up in rural southern Idaho the youngest son of an entrepreneur and a renaissance woman.  It was in this environment that his curiosity grew and he developed a love of learning, responsibility, integrity, and a deep respect for others regardless of background or station.  These values and attributes have been a rudder and foundation in his life.

Dr. Wood's curiosity led him to study mechanical engineering at Utah State University.  In the course of taking general education classes, a strong interest in social science developed ultimately leading him to leave engineering and pursue a degree in psychology with minors in sociology and Tagalog.  It was during these undergraduate years that he started to be involved in basic behavioral research and observational coding of marital interactions in therapy.   These experiences lead him to choose a path in marriage and family therapy.  Dr. Wood continued his study of marriages through master and doctoral degrees in Marriage and Family Therapy at Brigham Young University, which he returned to as an adjunct faculty member.

Dr. Wood has a love for variety in his personal and professional life.  He thrives when he is able to practice therapy, supervise and teach students, and engage in scholarly research.  His therapy experience includes work with couples, adult survivors of childhood abuse, domestic violence, divorce adjustment, and residential treatment of severe eating disorders.  He has also been active in the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy being a legislative chair, president-elect, and president of the Utah Division for Marriage and Family Therapy.

Nate's greatest achievement is marrying his high-school sweetheart and spending time with their three kids playing in the woods, water, or wherever the adventure takes them.  You may also find Nate hanging out in the math and engineering section of used book stores, in his garage building kayaks, or fly-fishing on the Elkhorn (out of a kayak naturally).  He is thrilled to be here at the University of Kentucky!

Course Instruction

FAM 640: Using the DSM in MFT Assessment of Psychopathology, Violence, and Addictions
FAM 654: The Life Course Perspective on Families and Individuals
FAM 686: Theory and Methods in Marriage and Family Therapy
FAM 787: Supervised Experiential Practice of Marriage and Family Therapy

Research

Exploring the effects of attachment on perception of couples.
Exploring relationships between relational health and health behaviors.
Studying the influence of therapeutic and educational interventions on health care utilization.
Analyzing ways to apply spatial statistics to family data.

Education

Ph.D., Marriage and Family Therapy, Brigham Young University, 2004
M.S., Marriage and Family Therapy, Brigham Young University,  2000
B.S., Psychology, Utah State University, 1998