Treisha Peterson, who has taught 18 different courses in six years and has nine years of experience as an independent family life educator and coach, joins the U of A’s Human Development and Family Sciences program as a teaching assistant.

The HDFS program is housed in the School of Human Environmental Sciences, part of the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences.

Peterson was a faculty member during the spring semester, teaching as an adjunct professor a course on “Families in Crisis” as well as courses on child development and cultural competency.

She comes to the University of Arkansas after serving the past three years as an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at Texas Woman’s University.

“My teaching and research motto is ‘All voices are heard, all stories matter,'” says Peterson. “I believe that we empower others when we share the stories of our lives, our successes and our struggles. I want my students to be able to apply the content of our courses to their own life experiences so they can share it with their friends and family.”

She earned her bachelor’s degree in family and consumer sciences from Utah State University in 2008 and her master’s degree in 2016 and her Ph.D. in family studies in 2021, both from TWU.

Courses taught at TWU include family crises, family theories, human development, crises in the American family, childhood and adolescence, research issues and trends, and frameworks and ethics in qualitative research.

At TWU, she was part of a health and wellbeing initiative and worked across departments to develop programs to promote multidimensional student wellbeing. She also taught fitness and health courses in kinesiology.

“Dr. Peterson brings a fresh perspective on human development and innovative teaching approaches to effectively engage students,” says Donna L. Graham, director of HESC. “She has an excellent track record of supporting students and will be an excellent resource for our growing online program.”

Peterson has also worked as a family counselor and life transition coach at her own consulting firm, Rise and Thrive Consulting and Education, since 2015. She has worked with families experiencing significant life transitions, complex trauma, and relationship challenges including maternal burnout, caregiver exhaustion, complex grief, and promoting positive well-being outcomes following chronic stress and faith transitions.

“I have been practicing yoga for over 30 years, so yoga philosophies appear in every class I teach,” says Peterson. “I teach my students how to fall gracefully so they are more likely to celebrate their successes and honor their journeys. I have a phrase I use to help my students change their perception when they fail on assignments and test expectations: ‘Oh, how human of me.’ If we know how to fall, we know how to get up. It is important to me that students leave my classes with life skills that will help them succeed throughout their lives.”

She has been a member of the National Council on Family Relations, the Family Life Coaching Association, and the National Parenting Education Network; she has presented 14 conference talks since 2019 and coordinated community workshops or talks six times since 2018.

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College offers life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will assume leadership roles in the food, family, environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life sectors and who will be the first choice of employers seeking leaders, innovators, policymakers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas Governor and longtime U.S. Senator who put the state on the map in the national and international agricultural community. For more information about Bumpers College, visit our website and follow us on Twitter at @BumpersCollege and Instagram at BumpersCollege.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas’ flagship institution, the U of A offers an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas’ economy by imparting new knowledge and skills, fostering entrepreneurship and job development, and promoting discovery through research and creative pursuits while providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation ranks the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest research activity. US News and World Report The U of A is one of the best public universities in the country. Learn how the U of A is working to make the world a better place at Arkansas Research and Economic Development News.