2016   Post-Doctoral Fellow, Kansas State University
2015   Ph.D. Brigham Young University, Marriage and Family Therapy
2012   M.S. Texas Tech University, Marriage and Family Therapy
2010   B.S. Anderson University, Psychology

• Couples and Chronic Illness Management
• Committed Relationships and Engagement in Health Behaviors
• The role of Context in Relationship Functioning
• Bioregulation (sleep, exercise, & nutrition) in Systemic Therapy
• Process Research in MFT

HDFS 2200       Mental Health Awareness & Advocacy
HDFS 7640       Couples and Sex Therapy
HDFS 7670       Individual, Couple, and Family Dynamics of Addiction and Eating Disorders
HDFS 7680       Diagnosis, Assessment, and Treatment
HDFS 7660       Systemic Impact of Illness, MedFT, and Psychopharmacology 
HDFS 7920       Practicum in Marriage & Family Therapy 

2022   American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) Research and Education Foundation;
      Outstanding Research Publication Award: Bioregulation and the MFT
2021   Auburn HDFS Faculty Excellence Award for Teaching and Research
2019   Top 20 downloaded article in a Wiley Journal of 2017-2018: “Does personality matter in diabetes
      adherence?: Exploring the pathways between neuroticism and patient adherence in couples with type 2
      diabetes”
2017   Issues in Aging Focus Group Award (NCFR): “Associations between Economic Pressure and Physical
      Health in Later Life Marriages”

Director of the Relationships and Health Lab

Primary Contribution #1: Family as the Proximal Context for Health Behavior Change and Illness Management Broadly speaking, my research focuses on the nexus of family relationships and health, with a large focus on couple relationships in general health behaviors and health outcomes in specific disease contexts. My work has sought to make both theoretical and empirical contributions that underscore the family as the proximal context for both behavior change and illness management. 

Primary Contribution #2: Health Behaviors and The Link between Cognitive, Emotional, and Social Health in Therapy Contexts
Clinically, and as an offshoot of my main line, I have proposed novel frameworks for how health behaviors—diet (Novak et al., 2021), sleep (Novak & Gillis, 2021), and exercise (Novak & Ellis, 2021)—affect the cognitive, emotional, and relational health of clients. This collection of conceptual papers is the first articulation in the field of why and how the MFT should attend to issues of sleep, diet, and physical activity and covers information on assessment, psychoeducation, scripts for how to convey information to clients, how to attend to barriers, and collaboration with proper professionals. Finally, and importantly, these papers provide recommendations for clinical training and education as well as specific questions for future research. These papers hope to stimulate new areas of inquiry that can identify where clients’ levels of sleep, diet, and exercise might be maximized to boost and further improve therapy outcomes. This line will branch into evaluating therapy outcomes with a focus of these in treatment (with 2-3 manuscripts in progress).  

1. Relationships, Health, and Gender Minority Stress and Resilience Project
This project investigates the relationship between stigma and discrimination across a variety of contexts, mental and physical health outcomes, and how relationships can both buffer or exacerbate the experiences of gender minority stress.

2. Health Status and Behavior Concordance among Couples with Type 2 Diabetes
This project aims to (1) model the health status and health behavior congruity as well as reciprocal influences between partners across time, (2) examine key ecological-level factors that moderate the influence of partner involvement and patient outcomes, and (3) predict the non-diabetic partner’s health and disease risk.

3. Psychological, Physical, and Relational Correlates of Type 2 Diabetes Family Members
The present project focuses to understand the specific psychological, physical, and relational experiences of family members of an individual with type 2 diabetes.

4. Couples and Sleep
This project explores relational dynamics, sleep hygiene practices, and psychological and physical health of couples.

5. Health Behavior Concordance and Health Support Concordance in Couple Relationships
This project investigates how similar and/or different couples are in their engagement in healthy or unhealthy behaviors, including nutrition, exercise, sleep, sedentary behaviors, and risky behaviors (alcohol and drug use).

Novak, J. R., Robinson, L. R.*, Wei, M.*, Burke, L., & Adler-Baeder, F. (2025). Lessons From the Field: Developing and Piloting a CRE Program for Couples with Chronic Illnesses. Family Relations. http://doi.org/10.1111/fare.13166

Novak, J. R. & Miller, K. (2025). “Cuddle Buddies”: Couples’ Sleep Position Closeness at Onset is Indirectly Related to Lower Couple Insecure Attachment Through Lower Couple Perceived Stress. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075251315478

Novak, J. R., Miller, K.**, Gunn, H. E., & Troxel, W. M. (2024). Yours, Mine, or Ours? Examining Dyadic Sleep Hygiene and Associations with Sleep Quality, Emotional Distress, and Conflict Frequency in Mixed-Gender, Bed-Sharing Couples. Journal of Sleep Research https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.14047

Novak, J. R., Miller, K.**, Gunn, H. E., & Troxel, W. M. (2024). Development of the Couples Sleep Conflict Scale: A New Tool to Assess Conflict around Sleep in Romantic Relationships. Sleep Health. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleh.2024.01.009

Wilson, S. J., Novak, J. R., Yorgason, J. B., Martire, L. M., & Lyons, K. S. (2024). Defining and Advancing the State of Dyadic Health Science. The Gerontologist, gnac187. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnac187

Novak, J. R., Wilson, S. J., Ermer, A. E., & Harper, J. M. (2022). Aging Together: Dyadic Profiles of Older Couples’ Marital Quality, Psychological Well-Being, and Physical Health. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075221135451

Novak, J. R., Pratt, K., Hernandez, D. C., & Berge, J. M. (2022). Family Systems and Obesity: A review of key concepts and influences within and between family subsystems and a call for Family-Informed Interventions. Journal of Family Theory & Review. http:dx.doi.org/10.1111/jftr.12474

Wilson, S. J., & Novak, J. R. (2021). The Implications of Being “in it Together”: Relationship Satisfaction and Joint Health Behaviors Predict Better Health and Stronger Concordance between Partners. Annals of Behavioral Medicine (ISI impact factor = 4.908; 2020). http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/abm/kaab099

Novak, J. R., & Ellis, F.* (2021). A Framework for Incorporating Physical Activity in Treatment: Competencies, Guidelines, and Implications for Family Therapists. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy https://doi.org/10.1111/jmft.12550

Novak, J. R., Robinson, L. R.*, & Korn, L. E. (2021). What LMFTs Should Know About Nutrition, Mental Health, and Collaborative Care with Nutrition Professionals. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy. http://doi.org/10.1111/jmft.12540

Novak, J. R. & Gillis, B.T.* (2021). A Primer on Sleep for MFTs: Implications and practical considerations. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy. https://doi.org/10.1111/jmft.12528