Dr Kale Monk

Assistant Professor & Researcher

Dr. Kale Monk is an assistant professor in the Department of Human Development & Family Science and a State Specialist for Extension at the University of Missouri. Dr. Monk completed his master’s degree in Marriage & Family Therapy at Kansas State University and his PhD in Human Development & Family Studies at the University of Illinois.

Dr. Monk’s research primarily centers on intimate relationships and mental health.

More specifically, he is interested in how tumultuous experiences of relationship instability, like divorce and break up (as well as frequent experiences of breaking up and getting back together) are associated with psychological distress.

As a former couple therapist and current relationship educator, Dr. Monk also focuses efforts on helping couples stabilize their unions or safely leave them. Dr. Monk’s work has been recognized by several organizations, receiving scholarly awards from the American Association for Marriage & Family Therapy, the International Association for Relationship Research, and the National Council on Family Relations.

In addition to publishing dozens of scientific articles related to relationship instability, Dr. Monk recently co-authored the book “Relationship Maintenance: Theory, Process, & Context,” which is intended for relationship scientists, educators, and clinicians who work with couples.