Joyce Baptist
Professor
Contact Information
114 Campus Creek Complex
(785) 532-6891
jbaptist@k-state.edu
Education
- Ph.D. in Human Development, Marriage and Family Therapy emphasis, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia
- M.A. in Community Counseling, Family Systems emphasis, Loyola University, Chicago, Illinois
- Chartered Management Accounting, SEGi University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Credentials and/or Certifications
- Licensed Clinical Marriage and Family Therapy (LCMFT), Kansas
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Consultant
- Approved Supervisor, American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy
Area(s) of Specialization
- Clinical interventions for trauma, depression, and suicidal risk
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Relationship resilience in couples across the diaspora
- Affirmative couple and family therapy
Research Interests
Dr. Baptist's research on relationship resilience explores the processes within romantic relationships that help buffer the negative effects of societal stress on mental health and relational well-being. She is also deeply invested in advancing clinical interventions for trauma, depression, and suicidality, with a focus on understanding the underlying mechanisms that contribute to their effectiveness.
Courses Taught
- CFT 853 Family Systems Across Social Context
- CFT 869 Systemic Treatment of Trauma, Violence and Substance Abuse
- CFT 885/985 Practicum in Couple and Family Therapy
- CFT 984 Couple and Family Therapy Supervision
- CFT 986 Practicum in Supervision
- HDFS 552 Family Systems in Prevention Science
Professional Biography
Joyce Baptist is a Professor of Couple and Family Therapy (CFT) and a Licensed Clinical Marriage and Family Therapist, EMDR Consultant, and AAMFT Approved Supervisor. She brings a wealth of global and clinical experience to her role, having completed a medical family therapy internship at the Dartmouth Medical Family Residency in New Hampshire. Prior to joining Kansas State University, she served as faculty and program director for Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling at California State University, Sacramento. Before pursuing graduate studies in the United States, Baptist held the position of Department Head at a Business School in Malaysia.
Baptist’s research centers on the traumatic effects of contemporary stressors on minority families and the effectiveness of clinical interventions. Her early work explored the impact of war deployment on military families, as well as conflict and relationship maintenance among Malaysian and U.S. emerging adults. This research evolved into examining relationship resilience and the impact of societal stressors in couples across the diaspora. Her clinical research focuses on evaluating the effectiveness and underlying mechanisms of clinical interventions for depression, and suicidal risk. She is a member of the EMDR Think Tank, an international group of trauma researchers.
Baptist integrates EMDR, Internal Family Systems and Imago Relationship Therapy in her clinical work. She trains students in affirmative care and teaches core academic courses across undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral levels and actively mentors graduate students. She has led multiple study abroad programs to Malaysia and Borneo, enriching students' understanding of therapy and family systems. Her service contributions include roles on the Kansas Suicide Prevention Taskforce and as former Editor of the Journal of Feminist Family Therapy. Her international service work has spanned Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, from conducting psychosocial needs assessments for orphans in Kenya to training couple therapists in Malaysia.
Personal Information
Baptist is an avid traveler who loves exploring new places. After living in various states across the U.S., she chose Kansas for the opportunity to pursue her research interests, mentor, and train future clinical supervisors and clinicians. She values the support of the administration, the collegiality of the faculty, and the quality of K-State's graduate students, which are among the aspects she cherishes most about the university.