Yunzhi (Ariel) Zheng

Why FSU?

I chose FSU for its strong integration of relationship research and clinical training, as well as the opportunity to learn from faculty who share these interests. This supportive environment has allowed me to grow as a researcher, therapist, and educator while exploring new approaches across disciplines.

Motivation to pursue a graduate degree

I wanted to pursue a graduate degree to understand how couples can better support each other through difficult times and how therapy can better meet their needs. My training as a therapist strengthened my interest in connecting the questions that arise in clinical practice with research that can improve people’s relationships.

Importance and/or impact of research and work

My research focuses on how couples communicate and cope with stress together, especially why turning to a partner during difficult times help some couples cope and strengthen their relationships, but become ineffective or even harmful for others. For my dissertation, I am studying co-rumination, which involves repeatedly discussing problems together in a negative cyclical manner, and using language-based modeling to better understand what happens in these conversations. I also study how computational methods can help us understand what happens in therapy and explore ways to make treatment more responsive to each couple’s needs. Across these projects, I hope to move beyond asking whether something works on average to understanding for whom and under what conditions it helps.

Who has been influential in your graduate journey?

I am very grateful to all the faculty members in FSU’s Marriage and Family Therapy program, who have supported my growth throughout my graduate journey. I am especially grateful to my advisor, Dr. Paul Peluso, whose encouragement and openness to exploring new ideas have helped me build confidence in bringing my interests in relationship science and computational methods together. Their mentorship has also shaped how I hope to support my own students in the future.

Career aspirations

I hope to become a faculty member and continue combining research, teaching, and clinical work. I want to better understand how couples can support each other through stress and how we can make therapy more responsive to their different needs. I also look forward to mentoring students and helping them build confidence in connecting research with their own clinical questions and experiences.

Advice for anyone considering graduate school

Have faith in yourself, and start with questions you care enough about to keep exploring, even when the answers are complicated or progress feels slow. Look for a program where the mentorship, training, and community will support both your professional goals and your growth as a person.

Accomplishments during graduate career

I have brought my interests in relationship science, therapy, and computational methods together in research published in journals including Family Process, Mindfulness, and Psychotherapy Research. Receiving the Ruth Hathaway Jewson Award and the Mental Research Institute Dissertation Grant for my dissertation proposal, as well as the NCFR Family Therapy Section’s Best Research Paper Award, has been especially encouraging as I continue developing this work. The best paper award is particularly meaningful to me because it recognizes an early effort to explore how we might use clinical data from therapy to better respond to each couple’s unique treatment needs.

Ruth Hathaway Jewson Award, National Council on Family Relations (2026)

Best Research Paper Award, Family Therapy Section, National Council on Family Relations (2026)

Trainee Award, North American Chapter of the Society for Psychotherapy Research (2026)

Mental Research Institute Doctoral Dissertation Grant (2026)

FSU Graduate School Dissertation Research Grant (2026)

Anderson-Darling Family Graduate Student Research Travel Award (2024)

Organizations you are part of at FSU

FSU MFT Graduate Student Organization, Belonging and Engagement Chair

Hobbies outside academics

Pottery