Julianne McGill, Ph.D., CFLE profile and information
Learn more about Julianne McGill, Ph.D., CFLE
- Associate Clinical Professor
- Project Manager, AHMREI
More bio information
Short Bio
Accepting new graduate students: No
Accepting new undergraduate students: Yes
Julianne McGill, Ph.D., CFLE, is an Associate Clinical Professor in Human Development and Family Science at Auburn University, where she specializes in community‑based relationship education, prevention science, and the study of relational well‑being across the lifespan. Her work centers on strengthening individual, couple, and family functioning through evidence‑based programming, applied research, and large‑scale outreach initiatives, with a particular emphasis on mindfulness as a resilience factor within romantic relationships.
Education
Ph.D. Human Development and Family ScienceAuburn University 2016
M.S. Human Development and Family ScienceAuburn University 2012
B.S. Human Development and Family ScienceAuburn University 2010
Professional Experience
Dr. McGill has built a career at the intersection of applied research, community outreach, and relationship education. Since 2016, she has contributed to Auburn’s statewide prevention and education efforts, advancing evidence‑based programming for couples, parents, and youth. Dr. McGill’s research portfolio includes numerous peer‑reviewed publications on mindfulness, couple functioning, and the effectiveness of relationship education programs, including the development and validation of the Mindfulness in Couple Relationships Scale. Through her leadership in major initiatives such as the Alabama Healthy Marriage and Relationship Education Initiative, she integrates rigorous evaluation with community‑based practice, strengthening relational health across diverse populations.
Innovation
Research indicates one of the strongest predictors of optimal health, well-being, and life satisfaction is having stable and supportive relationships; however, as evidenced by high rates of relationship dissolution, maintaining healthy and stable relationships can be difficult. Dr. McGill's collaborative research agenda is focused on the study of community-based prevention and education programs focused on supporting healthy relationships. The examination of basic research questions focused on individuals and couples in distress, as well as positive and malleable resilience factors that may influence relational well-being, are pivotal elements of her research, as well. Dr. McGill's major contribution to this line of research is the infusion of mindfulness-based practices as a resiliency factor for healthy couple relationships. Dr. McGill utilizes a prevention science framework to understand processes related to optimal relational health and considers a strengths-based perspective that considers programming in the context of individuals’ challenges and stress.
Engagement
As a clinical faculty member, Dr. McGill’s outreach experience is distinguished by her long‑standing leadership in large‑scale, community‑based relationship education efforts across Alabama. Through her work with the Alabama Healthy Marriage and Relationship Education Initiative (AHMREI) and the Alabama Youth Relationship Education Project (AYRE), she coordinates multi‑site programming that delivers evidence‑based education to diverse youth, adults, and families. She also plays a central role in supervising and training undergraduate and graduate research assistants who support outreach delivery, helping them develop facilitation, evaluation, and community‑education skills. By producing accessible evaluation reports, applied tools, and practitioner‑focused resources, Dr. McGill strengthens the connection between research and real‑world application, advancing relational health and supporting family‑serving organizations across the state.
