Kristina Gordon
Research Interests
Betrayal and forgiveness, social information processing in marriage, emotion regulation in marriage.
Research statement
I conduct my research and practice in the area of marital therapy. My interests and work in the area include: 1) identifying the processes through which partners cope with betrayal and forgiveness in marriage; 2) treating couples dealing with infidelity; 3) improving existing marital treatments; and 4) emotion regulation in relationships. I also am collaborating with colleagues at Duke University on a federally funded couples-based smoking cessation program for Latinos. My work attempts to systematically integrate a cognitive-behavioral orientation to relationships with a more developmental-affective treatment approach. My methodology utilizes self-report measures, interviews, observational coding, and written personal narratives.
Honors
- Departmental Faculty Appreciation Award, 2002
- Co-president AABT Couples Research and Therapy Special Interest Group, 2001
- Psi Chi Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award, 2000
Grants
- American Psychological Foundation Randy Gerson Memorial Award and Grant, 2000
- UTK ICE Interdisciplinary Grant, 2001
- UTK SARIF Infrastructure Professional Development Award, 1999
Selected Publications
Snyder, D. K., Baucom, D. H., & Gordon, K. C. (2008). An integrative approach to treating infidelity. The Family Journal: Counseling and Therapy for Couples and Families, 16, 300-307. (Invited contribution to a Special Issue.).
Gordon, K. C. (2008). The “Final Word” on creating a science-practice dialectic. The Family Psychologist. (Invited contribution – non-peer reviewed).
Gordon, K.C., & Christman, J. A. (2008). Integrating Social Information Processing and Attachment Style Research with Cognitive-Behavioral Couple Therapy. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, 38, 129-138(Invited contribution to a Special Issue).
Gordon, K.C., Baucom, D.H., & Snyder, D.K. (2008). Optimal Strategies in Couple Therapy: Treating Couples Dealing with the Trauma of Infidelity. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, 38, 151-160. (Invited contribution to a special issue).
Gordon, K.C., Baucom. D.H., Snyder, D. K., & Dixon, L. J. (2008). Treating affair couples. A. Gurman (Ed.), Clinical Handbook of Couple Therapy (pp. 429-458). New York: Guilford Press.
Kröger, C, Vasterling, I., Schütz, K., Plack, K., Gordon, K. C., & Baucom, D.H. (2007) Kognitiv-behaviorale Paartherapie nach Affäre: Zwei Fallbeschreibungen. Verhaltenstherapie. 17, 271-277.
Snyder, D. K., Baucom, D. H., & Gordon, K.C. (2007). Treating infidelity: An integrative approach to resolving trauma and promoting forgiveness. In P. R. Peluso (Ed.), In Love’s Debris: A Practitioner’s Guide to Addressing Infidelity in Couples Therapy. New York: Routledge.
*Hughes, F. M., Stuart, G. L., Gordon, K. C., & Moore, T. M. (2007). Predictors of
Relationship Violence Perpetration in Women Arrested for Domestic Violence. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 24, 155-176.
Whisman, M., Gordon, K.C., & Chatav, Y. (2007). Predicting sexual infidelity in a nationally representative sample: The relative contributions of vulnerability, stressors, and opportunity. Journal of Family Psychology, 21, 320-324.
Stuart, G. L., Moore, T M., Gordon, K. C., Hellmuth, J. C., Ramsey, S. E., & Kahler, C. W. (2006). Reasons for Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration among Arrested Women. Violence Against Women, 12, 609-621.
Lebow, J., & Gordon, K.C. (2006). You cannot choose what is not on the menu: Obstacles to and reasons for the inclusion of relational processes in the DSM-V. Journal of Family Psychology, 20, 432-437.
Stuart, G.L., Moore, T.M., Kahler, C.W., Gordon, K.C., & Ramsey, S.E. (2006). Psychopathology of Women Arrested for Domestic Violence. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 21, 376-389.
Gordon, K.C., Baucom, D. H., & Snyder, D.K. (2005). Treating couples recovering from infidelity: An Integrative Approach. In Session: Journal of Clinical Psychology.
Gordon, K.C., Baucom, D. H., & Snyder, D. K. (2005). Forgiveness in couples: Divorce, infidelity, and marital therapy. In E. Worthington, (Ed.), Handbook of Forgiveness (pp. 407-421). New York: Brunner- Routledge.
Baucom, D. H., Gordon, K. C., & Snyder, D.K. (2005). Treating affair couples: An integrative approach. In J. Lebow (Ed.), Handbook of Clinical Family Therapy (pp.431-46). New York: Brunner-Mazel.
Gordon, K.C., Friedman, M., Miller, I. W., & Gaertner, L. (2005). Marital attributions as moderators of the marital discord-depression link. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 24,876-893
Litzinger, S. & Gordon, K.C. (2005). Sex, communication, and their relation to marital satisfaction. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 31, 409-424.
Allen, E. S., Atkins, D. C., Baucom, D. H., Snyder, D. K., Gordon, K. C., & Glass, S. (2005). Intrapersonal, interpersonal, and contextual factors in engaging in and responding to extramarital involvement. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 12, 101-130.
Hughes, F.M., Gordon, K.C., & Poe, M. (2004). Broadening our understanding of the treatment of children in maritally violent families. The Family Psychologist, 20, 4-9.
Hughes, F.M., Gordon, K.C., & Gaertner, L. (2004). Predicting spouses’ perceptions of their parenting alliance. Journal of Marriage and Family, 66, 506-514.
Gordon, K.C., Burton, S., & Porter, L. (2004). The role of forgiveness: Predicting women in domestic violence shelters intentions to return to their partners. Journal of Family Psychology, 18, 331-338.
Gordon, K.C., Baucom, D. H., & Snyder, D.K. (2004). An integrative intervention for promoting recovery from extramarital affairs. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 30, 213-232.
Snyder, D.K., Gordon, K.C., & Baucom, D.H. (2004). Treating affair couples: Extending the written disclosure paradigm to relationship trauma. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 11, 155- 159.
Gordon, K.C., Baucom, D.H. (2003). Forgiveness and marriage: Preliminary support for a synthesized model of recovery from a marital betrayal. American Journal of Family Therapy 31, 179-199.
Gordon, K. C., Baucom, D. H., & Snyder, D. K. (2000). The use of forgiveness in marital therapy. In M. E. McCullough, K. Pargament, & C. Thoresen, (Eds.), Frontiers of Forgiveness. New York, NY: Guilford Press.

Kristina Gordon
Associate Professor
Ph.D., University of North Carolina (1999)
Email: kgordon1@utk.edu
Web site: http://web.utk.edu/~kgordon1/
Phone: (865) 974-3347
Key words: Marriage, marital therapy, betrayal, interpersonal trauma, forgiveness, infidelity, and effects of individual functioning in relationships.

