Dr. Shy Porter is a relationship scientist with expertise in couple relationships, perinatal mental health, and the intersection of the two. As a clinician, she specializes in work with couples; pregnant and postpartum women (alone or with their partners) contending with perinatal mental health concerns; and adolescent and adult individuals. As a researcher, she studies mental health conditions associated with the preconception, pregnancy, and postpartum periods and works to develop clinical intervention strategies to bring psychological relief to women and their partners. She also studies romantic relationship development, maintenance, and dissolution processes for adolescents and adults. Race, culture, racial/ethnic health disparities, and the experiences of racial/ethnic minorities are central components of her research.
As a clinical supervisor, Dr. Porter enjoys working with trainees who care deeply about issues related to identity, privilege, and navigating interpersonal relationship dynamics. Adolescent and young adult supervision cases are of particular interest.
Dr. Porter is clinically trained as a marriage and family therapist and holds a PhD in Family Science (the study of close interpersonal relationships and all of the micro- and macro-level factors that influence them) with an emphasis in maternal and child health.
Research Interests: Psychopathology, trauma, couple relationship processes, parenting, and co-parenting. Perinatal mental health, maternal health, pregnancy outcomes, adverse reproductive health conditions, and issues related to preconception, pregnancy, and postpartum processes for adolescents, adult individuals, and couples. Racial/ethnic health disparities in adolescent and adult sexual and reproductive health.