Education
Dylann Lowery – Florida State University News
“My goal has always been to ensure that as FSU grows, the people of Tallahassee feel seen, heard and empowered by the work we do together.”
Doctoral student Dylann Lowery works directly with the Tallahassee community to provide award-winning research and resources that support healthy family relationships.
She chose FSU because of the university’s work with marriage and family therapy research students to expand access to mental health care in communities. The work aligned with her career goal to combine research and community support for families in need.
In her free time, Lowery began a parenting group that cultivates trauma-informed skills. Additionally, she leads a dissertation project that addresses how co-parents that have experienced childhood adversity shows up in family relationships families can pass on their trauma to next generations and how to break that cycle. She is also a registered play therapist for Tallahassee families who have experienced hardships in the home.
Lowery has taught undergraduate courses at the Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences and mentors researchers in the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program. She also serves on the Marriage and Family Therapy Graduate Student Organization (MFT-GSO) leadership team, where she helps junior clinicians develop professional skill sets.
Why did you choose Florida State University?
I chose FSU because it offers a combination of rigorous academic standards and real-world impact. While my previous focus centered on specialized minority mental health, FSU’s broader reputation for excellence, specifically its status as a top-tier research institution, provided a professional platform I couldn’t ignore.
The Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) program at FSU isn’t just well-regarded. It is nationally recognized as a leader in the field, and this environment pushes me to look beyond the classroom. The curriculum emphasizes a sophisticated blend of advanced statistics and qualitative analysis, which is exactly what I need to build a career that bridges the gap between high-level data and frontline clinical work.
The chance to work alongside world-class faculty was a primary catalyst for my decision. Learning from experts provides a direct line to cutting-edge research in family systems and foster care dynamics.
What academic achievements have you accomplished at FSU?
My most significant research accomplishment at FSU was spearheading a trauma-informed skills parenting group in the Tallahassee community. I connected clinical expertise with local families by adapting evidence-based trauma treatments into an accessible, culturally grounded group format.
This project went beyond simple data collection. It established a sustainable institutional partnership and secured university grant funding that allowed the program to expand. By co-creating this research with the participants, I ensured that the resulting intervention was directly responsive to the needs of Tallahassee residents.
I also received the Department of Human Development and Family Science Dissertation Award, an honor that recognized the academic rigor and innovation of my mixed-methods research. This project investigates how individual trauma histories influence parenting competence and co-parenting relationships. It effectively identifies the specific mechanisms that can disrupt cycles of generational adversity.
The significance of this work was further validated through the receipt of both the McKnight Dissertation Fellowship and the Foundation for the Advancement of Human Systems Doctoral-Completion Fellowship. These prestigious awards supported a large-scale data collection effort involving nearly 200 participants. Additionally, my work was recognized at the International Family Therapy Association Conference as a Graduate Student Award winnerand I was recently award the Graduate Student Research Award by the Foundation for the Advancement of Human Systems
How have you impacted your community?
My most significant contribution beyond the classroom is my work as a registered play therapist, where I provide specialized care to Tallahassee families navigating the complexities of foster care, intimate partner violence and generational trauma.
This work is about advocating for trauma-informed care within local systems and ensuring that the most vulnerable families in our community have access to high-quality, evidence-based mental health support.
I served as an overnight on-call advocate for FSU’s Victim Advocate Program, supporting students who experienced victimization.
Beyond my clinical service, I have dedicated myself to professional leadership by serving on the Southeastern Council on Family Relations (SECFR) board and the MFT-GSO leadership team.
On the SECFR board, I help steer regional conversations on family science and facilitate networking and resource sharing for practitioners across the Southeast. Closer to FSU, my leadership within the MFT-GSO has allowed me to mentor junior clinicians and advocate for the professional development of my peers at FSU.
These roles have allowed me to build the infrastructure necessary for my colleagues and the families we serve to thrive.
