About FReSH Lab
The FReSH Lab was created in 2018 by Dr. Naomi J. Wheeler, an Associate Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University's School of Education.
Vision To advance health equity by understanding the influence of ‘how we love’ on ‘those we love.’
Mission To promote and advance the science associated with family and relational stress and health.
Research Mentorship Program
The FReSH lab research mentorship program includes a two-year time commitment and active involvement with the team. Mentees may include students at the graduate or undergraduate level. Students will contribute to research projects and engage in mentorship related to scholarly activity, as well as personal and professional development.
Research and Scholarship
Selected Publications
Regal, R. A., Wheeler, N. J., Daire, A. P. & Spears, N. (2020). Childhood sexual abuse survivors undergoing cancer treatment: A case for trauma-informed integrated care. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 42(1), 15-31. Doi: 10.17744/mehc.42.1.02
Wheeler, N. J., Daire, A. P., Liu, X., Tucker, K., Griffith, S., & Regal, R. (2019). Correlational study of differences in distress following relationship education for individuals with or without chronic illness. Counseling Outcome Research and Evaluation. doi:10.1080/21501378.2019.1663703
Wheeler, N., Griffith, S., Harris, S., & Kozachuk, L. (2019). Exploring adverse childhood experiences as a moderator of individual distress outcomes from individual-oriented relationship education. Journal of Couple and Relationship Therapy. doi:10.1080/15332691.2019.1661324
Carlson, R.G., Wheeler, N.J., Liu, X., Hipp, C., & Daire, A.P. (2019). The relationship between social support and family relationships among low-income couples attending relationship education. Family Process. doi:10.1111/famp.12499
Wheeler, N., Barden, S., & Daire, A.P. (2019). Mediation of childhood adversity and health by relationship quality in diverse couples. Family Process. doi:10.1111/famp.12467
Wheeler, N., Daire, A.P., Barden, S.M., & Carlson, R.G. (2018). Relationship distress as a mediator of adverse childhood experiences and health: Implications for clinical practice with economically vulnerable racial and ethnic minorities. Family Process. doi: 10.1111/famp.12392
Daire, A., Liu, X., Tucker, K., Williams, B., Broyles, A., & Wheeler, N. (2018). Positively impacting maternal stress and parental adjustment through community-based relationship education. Marriage and Family Review.
Carlson, R., Wheeler, N., & Adams, J. (2018). The influence of individual-oriented relationship education on equality and conflict-related behaviors. Journal of Counseling and Development, 96, 144-154.
Daire, A., Liu, X., Williams, B., Tucker, K., Wheeler, N., Moumouris, T., Leikweg, K., & Peoples, T. (2017). Examining RE and emotional distress in a population with existing cardiovascular disease risk factors and those without. The Family Journal, 25(4), 291-300.
Carlson, R., Rogers, T., Wheeler, N., Kelchner, V., & Griffith, S. (2017). The continuum of conflict and control relationship scale (CCC-RS): Psychometrics for a measure designed to discriminate among types of intimate partner violence. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling Development, 1-15.
For more information about Dr. Wheeler’s research please visit:
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0489-5695
ABOUT OUR MEMBERS
Naomi J. Wheeler, Ph.D., LMHC, NCC is an Associate Professor in the Counselor Education program, Department of Counseling and Special Education, VCU School of Education. Dr. Wheeler earned her doctoral degree in Counselor Education from the University of Central Florida. Dr. Wheeler’s primary research interest includes relational health equity, specifically: (a) childhood adversity and trauma, (b) couple and relationship stress and resilience, and (c) mental and physical health disparities and psychoneuroimmunology. She has extensive clinical and administrative experience providing mental health and relationship-focused services to children and families from predominately low-income and racially diverse backgrounds. Her research agenda builds from her professional experiences to examine relational stress across the lifespan as contributors to health disparities.
STUDENT RESEARCHERS
Rachel Regal, M.S. is a third year doctoral student in the Counselor Education and Supervision program at VCU. She has worked mainly in medical clinic and hospital settings, where she has enjoyed helping individuals and families with chronic conditions such as cancer cope and thrive. Her research interests include caregiver interventions, integrated care, and health disparities and biomarkers.
Waleed Sami, M.A. is a second year doctoral student in the Counselor Education and Supervision program. His past clinical experiences involve acute care settings, locked residential facilities, group homes, and correctional settings for adolescents and their families. His research interests include aggression and trauma, combat sports, rough and tumble play, and multicultural competence for working with Muslim-Americans and their families.
FReSH Lab Alumni
Lindsay Kozachuk, Ph.D.
Michael Deitz, M.Ed., NCC
Nickolas Spears, M.A.
Community Partnership and Involvement
Consortium for Family Strengthening Research https://www.sc.edu/study/colleges_schools/education/research/units/cfsr/index.php
We welcome graduate students to join the FReSH research lab. Students should have an interest in community-engaged research related to relational health and health equity.
The FReSH Lab Research Team will meet weekly at pre-established times. Meetings will be based on the availability of lab members and attendance is mandatory for continued involvement. Lab members should anticipate approximately
- 5-10 hours per week to work on research and publications
- 5-10 hours per week to work on a specific project and/or data collection support and entry.
If you are interested in topics related to family and relational stress and health and would like to collaborate or join the team check-out our Contact Page and submit a Curriculum Vitae to Dr. Wheeler.